DESTINATION: IRAN
By Helena Garan
Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY
Post Comment
July 31 2007
Mission of peace met with favorable response from citizens
As part of an effort to strengthen peaceful relations between
the United States and Iran (formerly Persia), I joined a group of
civilian diplomats traveling to the Middle East in May 2007. The
group was sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR, see
) which is an almost 100-year-old non-denominational
organization dedicated to working towards peace through citizen
diplomacy. It was our group’s sincere hope that by immersing ourselves
in the Iranian culture and by getting to know its people firsthand,
we could help foster better relations between our countries at a
time when tensions are so high. We need to do everything possible to
prevent the start of a war with Iran.
Our delegation consisted of 16 people who came from a variety of
backgrounds — 14 of us from the United States. The group included
professors, ministers, peace activists, students and two documentary
filmmakers from the Netherlands who were making a movie about how we
as Americans experienced Iran.
The trip demanded significant preparation including a lengthy list
of required reading, a condensed course on the Iranian culture and
customs and weekly conference calls with the group. We were divided
into three groups: religious, political and cultural.
After much energy and effort had been put into our preparations,
we were disheartened to receive word from the Iranian government
10 days prior to our intended departure that approval of our visas
was still pending. We were notified that our documents would not be
granted unless we agreed to travel exclusively as tourists and not
move forward with the meetings we had scheduled with Islamic clergy,
government officials, university students and professors, health
organizations, and leaders of religious minorities such as Christians,
Jews, Zoroastrians and Armenians. Disappointed, we all agreed and
the visas were finally granted — only six hours prior to departure.
Some friends and family of the delegates were quite concerned because
they felt that the stage is being set for an attack on Iran by the
United States. Also, several Iranian-Americans were detained in Tehran
and accused of spying for the United States.
The United States issues about 100 visas annually to Iranians. And
Iran issues 300 to 500 visas a year to Americans. Tourism has
suffered enormously in Iran, a country with a rich, long history and
breathtaking beauty. We did, however, encounter a French and a Dutch
tour group and another peace group from the States.
My daughter and travel companion, Farrah, and I met our fellow
travelers at JFK Airport several hours before boarding the
plane that would take us to this country shrouded in mystery and
misunderstanding. After a lengthy meeting and further instruction
by the two FOR officials who were part of our delegation, we were on
our way via Amsterdam to Tehran.
Upon arrival at the airport in Iran, a government official collected
our passports and disappeared through a door. Anxiously, we waited.
And waited. After what seemed like an eternity, with many of us hoping
we wouldn’t be sent home, the gentleman returned, flashed us a warm
smile and said "Welcome to Iran. I hope you will love my country. I
wish you a wonderful trip." It certainly would not be the last time
our group encountered such an amicable reception.
The bus we would be using for the next two weeks was waiting for us,
along with the driver and his assistant who would serve us tea and
snacks during our lengthy trips. We were welcomed with roses for all
participants by our Iranian tour leader and our travel agent. All
the hotels we stayed in were impressive and exceeded all expectations.
Our first full day in Iran was spent sightseeing in Tehran, a clean
and beautiful city with modern high-rises, lots of construction,
great highways. It is settled in the foothills of the Alborz Mountains
with its snow-topped peaks. The traffic is rather chaotic, to say
the least. Then we went shopping for culturally appropriate clothing
for the women in our group. Since the revolution in 1979, Iran has
become an Islamic republic. All women — including tourists — are
required to show only their face and hands and to wear loose-fitting
clothing that hides the curves of their body. So we bought veils or
head scarves and chadors or coats and wore them the entire duration
of our visit, even in 95-degree temperatures. One of the delegates
got creative and wore her son’s graduation gown, which turned out to
be a great substitute for the chador.
Some other Iranian cultural rules we learned while there: Do not shake
hands or have any physical contact with the opposite sex in public;
always remove your shoes when visiting a mosque; always refuse at
least twice before graciously accepting a gift.
In spite of the rules by which they are required to live, we
consistently found the Iranian people to be hospitable, outgoing,
sophisticated, generous and very willing to talk to us, which enabled
bonds of friendship to form quickly. Politeness and hospitality rank
high in their culture.
The people we met openly expressed dissent toward their government and
its restrictive Islamic regulations. Only a few women we encountered
claimed to appreciate the dress code as a traditional symbol of their
Islamic faith, and they enjoyed the freedom of going out in public
without being looked at inappropriately by strange men.
Iran, with a population of about 71 million people, has one of the
oldest civilizations in the world. Now it is a very young country:
about 70 percent is under the age of 30. Iranians are not Arabs
but Indo-Europeans. The size of Iran equals about 18 percent of the
United States, and their language is Farsi. Sixty-five percent of the
university students are female and seem to dress very fashionably
under their Islamic cover-up. They drive cars and work outside the
home just like we do in the States.
We were strongly encouraged by our Iranian tour guide to be extremely
cognizant of what we said, how we behaved and how we dressed, so that
we would not inadvertently disrespect the Iranian traditions or in
some way create an incident that the government could use against
the United States.
We had absolutely no problems while in Iran. Our movements were not
restricted. We were never frightened, intimidated or concerned for
our safety. We stayed in luxury hotels, ate delicious Persian food
and enjoyed what many of our group believed to be the best ice cream
in the world — saffron and rosewater. We consistently experienced
kindness from strangers, who gave freely of their time, food, drink
and stories. Everywhere we went, people approached us and wanted to
engage in conversation. When asked where we were from, contrary to
what many Americans may have expected, the Iranian people delighted
in our answer. "We love America! Welcome! Welcome to our country!" At
the end of my conversations, I always asked if they would like to
accept a letter from a caring American friend.
I brought 200 letters with me from peace-loving people in America.
The letters were filled with friendship, compassion, understanding
and love. Because of them, I had so many opportunities to interact
in a warm and meaningful way with the people of this ancient country.
The women showed their appreciation for the letters with hugs and
kisses. Though a letter is such a small gesture, my hope was that
if they were to share it with their extended family and neighbors,
it might be a catalyst for a positive change in perception and
understanding. Mother Teresa once said, "What we are trying to do may
be just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of
that missing drop."
While our trip was informative and a success based on the
positive interactions we had, much more needs to be done to promote
understanding between our two countries. Our goal should be to prevent
the tragedy of war by fostering peace and understanding between the
people of Iran and the United States. Direct diplomatic negotiation
is the way to resolve the issues with Iran. Responsible, farsighted
problem-solving is needed to help stabilize the Middle East. I don’t
want to see a nuclear-armed Iran. There is still time to dissuade
Iran from going after the higher levels of uranium enrichment that
are needed to make nuclear weapons. However, I strongly believe
that bombing Iran will create another Iraq. Dialogue and diplomacy
with Iran, including people-to-people diplomacy, is the best way to
protect America.
We also visited the Caspian Sea (think: caviar), bazaars, mosques
and shrines of Iran’s famous poets, mountains, deserts, palaces
and museums. We flew to Shiraz on an old Russian plane and were in
awe of Persepolis, which was discovered in the 1930s by an American
professor of the University of Chicago. We also saw Esfahan, said to
be the most beautiful city in the world, the Holy City of Qom, where
the majority of the people seem to be clergy in tulbans and cloaks,
and many more places.
Any group interested in seeing a photographic presentation about the
places we visited in Iran can contact me at [email protected]. To
find out more about the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and past
and future delegations all over the world, please visit their web
site at
I’d like to finish with a poem by one of Iran’s famous poets, Sa’di,
that is very special to me and so appropriate:
The Sons of Adam are the members of a whole.
Each is created from a greater, single soul.
Whenever Fate to one of them brings pain
No other can without distress remain.
You, who for others’ torment do not care
Cannot the name of ‘human’ rightly bear.
Garan is a Johnson City resident.
www.forusa.org
www.forusa.org.