Fostering a dialogue to wage peace
Friends' presentation helps dispel Iran's mystique
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer
Teacups of steeping mint and herbal mixtures, bustling city streets, and a population that is largely under the age of 30 are not what most Americans think of when they think of Iran.

Above: American Friends Service Committee Project Coordinator Iris Bieri (fourth from left) was one of 14 interfaith delegates on a peacemaking visit to Iran last fall. Below: A group of school boys were excited to greet the delegates of Bieri's peacemaking group. "Most people spoke English, but these boys only knew, 'I love you!' and 'I miss you!' in English," Bieri said.

But Americans don't always have a clear picture of the Middle Eastern country sandwiched between Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Iris Bieri, project coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee.

Bieri was one of 14 delegates who spent 10 days in Iran on a peacemaking visit with the Fellowship of Reconciliation last November, and she was on hand June 20 at the Manasquan Friends Meeting House to provide some insight into Iran, which became a hotbed of turmoil following the contested June 12 presidential elections.

"The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations in about 30 years, and [fewer] than 300 Americans travel to the country in a year," Bieri said. "I was included with 14 other members of an interfaith dialogue pilgrimage last fall, and we met with many different types of people in Iran to start building a relationship with them."

Insight on Iran also was provided by Saliba Sarsar, associate vice president for academic program initiatives at Monmouth University in West Long Branch and a specialist in Middle Eastern affairs, who said that relations between the U.S. and Iran were close prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

"Prior to the revolution, the U.S. and Iran were extremely close because the shah (MohammadReza Pahlavi) was considered the policeman of the gulf," Sarsar explained in an interview last week. "But the Iranian people began to feel oppressed and pushed against this relationship because of the shah's association with the secret police, who showed very little mercy with the opposition, and that led many Iranians to view the shah and the U.S. in a negative light."

Sarsar said that U.S. and Iranian diplomatic relations ended when revolutionaries held 52 Americans hostage from 1979 to 1981 and have not been truly reconciled since.

"The real power in Iran lies with the ayatollah, who is the spiritual leader, but at the same time he controls the police, the military and foreign affairs," Sarsar said. "The problem with the current situation is that no matter who was elected, [Ayatollah Seyed Ali] Khamenei is still the one dictating a nuclear strategy. Iran's nuclear policy has been claimed to be peaceful, but that can easily be changed. This puts the United States in an awkward position, because how can we not expand the nuclear club but allow Israel to have it at the same time?"

Bieri kept politics at bay during her presentation, but she made a point to describe everyday life for many Iranians.

"Actually, I read a quote from [one of the ayatollahs], and he had said that for the U.S. and Iran, our similarities are greater than our differences," Bieri said. "I think that is true. And as for religious relations, there seemed to be a strong brotherhood among Abrahamic faiths."

A common misconception among Americans is the assumption that women have limited rights in Iran, as they do in nearby Saudi Arabia, Bieri said.

"We tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to the headscarf, here in this country," Bieri said. "Most women are Muslim and choose to cover their hair, but that is not the main issue. Right now it seems like custody and divorcing rights are bigger issues. I also noticed that there are more women enrolled in universities there and the majority of doctors are also women."

In the spotlight of news reports and political agendas, the everyday people of a country making the latest headlines can seem to get lost.

"I think it is really important for Americans to get a view of the people in Iran as humans," said Eleanor Novek, one of the event organizers at the Friends Meeting House in Manasquan and a communications professor at Monmouth University. "We need to have diplomatic relations with Iran because we need to live with each other rather than bomb one another, and we don't always get a picture of young people living their lives over there, so that is why I felt it was important for Iris to come speak today."

Bieri continued to deconstruct some of the Iranian mystique, adding that despite popular imagery of Islamic leaders, Tehran, the nation's capital city, boasts a diverse population as well as street signs in different languages, even English.

"I really wasn't sure of how we would be received as Americans, and I really didn't know what to expect," Bieri said. "Tehran has a population of about 15 million people, and it is very modern; I found it to be a bustling metropolis."

The young people of Iran, Bieri said, are more than capable of bringing about change in their country.

"I had great off-the-record conversations with students, and I was impressed with how well everyone spoke English," she said. "We were received with the utmost hospitality, and the people we met made a point to tell us that they separate people from their governments. We were told that it didn't really matter what we said, but that it was just such a gesture in itself to have a visit from Americans."

Matawan Regional High School student Allison Rodgers, 16, of Matawan, said she has been casually following the events in Tehran through news broadcasts, but was surprised by the amount of religious freedom Iranians seem to have according to Bieri's accounts.

"I am interested in current events and I am interested in what is going on in Iran, so I have been reading about it and watching," she said. "I was surprised to hear that they have a lot of religious freedom and that they have Jewish and Catholic schools, let alone the option for that."

Rodgers said the presentation opened her eyes a bit.

"The presentation changed my perspective a bit because we are given conflicting notions about the people over there," she said. "I am glad that I got a bit of an education."

Bieri said she found it easy to find common ground with locals, especially the young women.

"Public dating is not allowed in Iran, but they were talking to us about having boyfriends and how to do hair and makeup, and I was really able to tap into such a youthful energy in the country," Bieri said. "They are very well educated, and I have every faith that they will be able to bring about change in their own country."

Sarsar called the recent protests and the political situation "fluid" and "internal."

"Right now we have a very fluid situation there, and it is terrible that innocents and dreamers may be killed," he said. "But what is going on is considered internal, so world leaders have to be careful with what they condemn. Personally, I think we should condemn any violence against innocent people, regardless of it happening in Iran or Israel or wherever."

A good place to begin a dialogue may be with understanding Iran's people, Bieri's presentation suggested.

"It is easy for us to leave Iran stuck in 1979, but it is not that country anymore," Bieri said. "We just haven't had access to it in 30 years."