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Oct
03
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INTRODUCTION TO LYNN”S TALK followed by THURSDAY 25th TALK at IFTAR
On Thursday September 25th, over 250 US and international religious, political and cultural leaders gathered at a hotel in NYC to meet with the President of Iran in order to press the government of the United States and the government of Iran to engage in serious dialogue as well as to affirm the concept of interfaith dialogue. Given the climate of incendiary rhetoric, members of traditional peace churches that sponsored this event, including American Friends Service Committee, The Mennonite Central Committee, Religions of Peace and the World Council of Churches consider it their responsibility to step in and begin to cultivate the possibility for dialogue and engagement in behalf of peace when governments fail to do so. The previous evening, The Fellowship of Reconciliation hosted a meeting with over sixty peace activists with the president of Iran with the same intention. These groups are not alone in calling for diplomacy and dialogue. Five former secretaries of state urged similar action.
Meetings organized by peace and non-violence organizations and individuals with Ahmadinejad do not mean those attending agree or support specific Iranian governmental policies that are in conflict with the values of the peace community or the accompanying rhetoric about Israel, Jews or the United States. Rather, the intention is to promote the concept of dialogue and engagement precisely because of the vast gulf between governmental positions of the United States and Iran and to better understand the underlying issues of the conflict from the Iranian perspective. Ahmadinejad is a political figure who represents his country but is not identical with the whole of his country. In his role as president Ahmadinejad does not have the authority to initiate war, attack another country, promote or limit nuclear weapons or legislate Islamic law. A populist politician, his domestic policies have been failures, especially in the economic sphere. Moreover, he has not been an active proponent of human rights. On the other hand, many US media and non-governmental organizations criticizing Ahmadinejad’s provocative rhetoric fail to educate the American public by providing in depth analysis of the underlying historic and geo-political issues that are provoking the wider conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.
One of the most popular videos about Iran floating around YouTube and the internet for years. Insightful, informative, and sometimes surprising.
Some Famous Iranians you might know
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Check out this very cool new video by Agit Pop and funded by the Lee & Gund Foundation. It is now available on YouTube. Please feel free to use and circulate for any organizing and outreach efforts.
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Mar
16
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A personal message from Ed Hale
Thank you for visiting www.peacewithiran.com. Your presence here is welcomed and appreciated. I want to caveat by saying that though “war is imminent†or “military strikes are imminent†may be an idea or thought or belief that many are carrying around today in regards to the United States and Iran and even Israel, I do not personally hold this thought or idea or belief myself.
Yes I certainly see the news being released everyday about the various issues, and I recognize that parties on all sides feel very passionate about these issues; whether it is the threat of a “nuclear Iran†on one side, or a â€bullying America†on the other side, or a “fearful and hostile Israel†on yet another side. I also certainly understand the potential dangers that all three countries pose against the others and truly against all living beings on the planet today. But I believe that what we think about, what we give energy to, is what we create. We have seen it time and time again. As soon as a country starts beating its war drum, it is only a matter of time until it decides it’s time to “go to war.†Regardless of the loss of life, liberty, respect in the world community, or the burden it places upon the rest of the world. Throughout human history, there has always been one country or another “ready to attack†another country.
The truth of the matter is that this is bound to continue until mass human consciousness changes to the point of what might be called “critical mass†in a way that these people who see “war†as the only answer for “peace†simply no longer exist. In time this will be our reality. It might take our total annihilation and extinction and subsequent reincarnation in yet another form for this to happen, but let us hope not. Let us hope that those of us who see “peaceful means†as the only means available to us to achieve “peace†win this historical battle of wits that is being played out on the world stage.
With that said, let us take it for granted that for the next few months or years even we will have ample opportunity to read about “war†and the “threat of war†in regards to Iran and the United States and Israel if we so choose to. There are plenty of people who find the time and enjoy searching for the latest article or report on what “so and so†said bad about “so and so†and of course in the end it is really nothing but talk leading up to more “war†– even if their intentions are good – meaning that they don’t want “war†– but in fact that is exactly what they will create. Some people have just not evolved to the level of understanding of the “mechanisms of consciousness†yet to the degree that they realize that if they spend all their time thinking and reading about it, they will indeed create it. Whether they claim to want it or not. They are creating it simply by focusing so much attention on it.
But that is not what this particular website is concerned with. Our goals with the www.peacewithiran.com website is to show an entirely different side of US/Iran relations and to the country of Iran itself, and the Iranian people. The idea is to literally ignore that pink elephant in the room that at various times is called “war†or “threats of war†or worries or concerns about nuclear energy programs or WMDs or any of that lower-mode primitive-minded nonsense. Because God knows we have plenty of people already giving plenty of energy to those ideas in today’s world.
