Tweet
FINDING 'PEACE' IN IRAN
By Mark D. Tooley
FrontPage magazine.com
August 14, 2008
CA
The long-time Religious Left and pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation
(FOF) is dispatching a battery of clergy/activist delegations to Iran
to forestall the suspected impending U.S. war against the mullahs'
nuclear program.
Horrified by America's bellicosity, the earnest peace pilgrims are
struggling to forge friendship with the Iranian "people."
One FOF visit was in May, one is currently ongoing through mid-August,
another will be in November, and still another early next year. There
have been six other FOF pilgrimages to Teheran since 2006. So far,
the Iranian people are receiving the earnest FOFsters with warmth and
appreciation. The Iranians are supposedly learning from FOF that not
all Americans are hateful, militaristic and eager for war against Iran.
"We are convinced that there should be a group working to oppose a
war or attack or invasion of Iran," explained United Church of Christ
(UCC) minister Patricia de Jong of Berkeley, California. "We would
love for the UCC to take leadership in building this movement." After
returning from the FOF's May trip to Iran, she explained to the UCC's
news service: "As Christians, we just cannot allow ourselves to be
part of any attack or invasion by our government." She and another
UCC clergy who went to Iran are preparing a resolution for their
denomination's convention next year opposing any U.S. action against
Iran's nuclear activities. No doubt the resolution will go through
the UCC jamboree like greased lightning.
The Iranians are a "loving and welcoming and kind people," the
FOF delegation from May is reporting back after an extensive
investigation. "The thing that was most striking for me," de Jong
breathlessly shared, "is that the governments of our two countries are
not necessarily where the people of our two countries are. The Iranian
people we met were eager to know us, eager to open their lives to us,
eager to find out who we are and eager to be friends."
Another FOFster on the May Iran trip was the Rev. de Jong's husband,
author and fellow clergy Sam Keen, who wrote Faces of the Enemy,
which naturally was turned into an "award-winning" public television
series. "Before the beginning of the Iraq War, U.S. churches fell
down on the job," Keen fretted to the UCC news service. "This time,
if we don't get ahead of this issue of waging war, if we allow war
to happen without severe, severe protests, we in the church will lose
all kinds of moral authority."
Missouri peace activist Lily Tinker Fortel was still another FOF
delegation member who gushed about Iran's hospitality. The savvy
Iranians whom FOF met in May readily understood the difference
between Americans and its sinister government, showing " wisdom
and understanding, [and] an absence of blame for the horrendous
things Iran has gone through since the US was engaged in a covert
CIA operation to overthrow their democratically elected government
under the leadership of President Mosaddeq in 1953."
For the Religious Left, all of the Iranian regime's monstrosities,
including the tens of thousands of its opponents whom it has murdered,
are inconsequential compared to America's supposedly sinister
role in Mosaddeq's overthrow 55 years ago. In the Religious Left
pseudo-cosmology, the United States replaces human sinfulness as the
ultimate explanation for all earthly turmoil.
In this vein, Fortel implored: "We must work to recognize that the
current conflict between our governments should not trump our human
ability to care for each other and to see past the stereotypes and
generalizations that we are too often presented with in the lead-up
to war." She met "hundreds of Iranians" during her FOF trip, and they
all demonstrated "love" and "understanding," despite the "current
political climate between our two governments."
Fortel was amazed by the color and life of Iranian street life,
including the "the stylish tunics on young women, the way they
wore their scarves; we were amazed at the fashion of young men;
we saw our first gas station and the cars lined up waiting to fill
up with their weekly ration of fuel." She didn't explain why an oil
exporting country was rationing gasoline, which might have despoiled
the wonderment of her narrative. Fortel preferred to discuss the
"delicious kabobs" at Tehran's Hotel Howeyzeh.
The FOFsters met with the Armenian Church's Archbishop in Teheran. He
reported that since Iran's 1979 Islamist revolution, "migration
has become an unfortunate phenomenon." Why are Armenian Christians
leaving Iran? Fortel, in her blog, did not elaborate, and probably
FOF has little interest in that topic. FOF was more interested in
the Archbishop's criticism of Israel and the United States. "Iraq has
become another Vietnam for the United States," Fortel reported him as
saying. "The Bush administration is playing a tragic role, bringing
war and hatred." No doubt, all the eagerly listening FOFsters nodded
vigorously. "Tea was served," Fortel concluded of the meeting with
the Archbishop. "Then, delicious pastries."
There was some acknowledgment among the FOFsters that Iranians are not
entirely at liberty to speak their minds to visiting foreigners. "These
people have suffered hugely from government policies and the Iran-Iraq
war," admitted Mennonite peace activist Susan Mark Landis. "We know
people's cell phones are tapped and their Internet usage watched,
that arrests are arbitrary and the prison horrendous, that talking
too much is costly."
FOF's May trip to Iran was led by Jewish Rabbi Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb,
who reported that Iran's Jewish community "appears to be doing well,
worships freely, and sponsors six day schools with a population of
five hundred children attending." But she admitted there is among
"many people a desire for more freedom and it has been difficult to
wear hijab, and at the same time, I am finding Iran a very vibrant
and sophisticated society composed of people who want to be seen as
human beings able to determine their own future."
Before leaving for Iran, Rabbi Gottlieb condemned Senator Hillary
Clinton for suggesting decisive action against Iranian nukes. "I am
deeply concerned that Senator Clinton, a national political figure,
discussed the prospect of military action against Iran and even
stated, 'we would be able to totally obliterate them'," Gottlieb
complained. "This is a time for finding common ground between our
two nations, not threats. When our elected leaders choose belligerent
rhetoric over dialogue, it is up to us as everyday Americans to serve
as civilian diplomats."
FOF claims a "distinguished history of successful 'behind the
scenes' friendship and solidarity delegations to regions in political
conflict." Such successes included multiple trips to the old Soviet
Union, to Vietnam during the 1960s; to Central America in the 1980s
and "Palestine/Israel" more recently. Currently FOF is also sending
regular delegations to Colombia, "the most militarized nation in
Latin America."
Over its 90 year history, FOF has strenuously upheld a consistent
record of naivety and mindless anti-Americanism, finding favor
with an endless and unsavory gallery of tyrants and warlords, FOF's
pacifism notwithstanding. Iran's mullahs, and countless other rogues,
can be grateful.
By Mark D. Tooley
FrontPage magazine.com
August 14, 2008
CA
The long-time Religious Left and pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation
(FOF) is dispatching a battery of clergy/activist delegations to Iran
to forestall the suspected impending U.S. war against the mullahs'
nuclear program.
Horrified by America's bellicosity, the earnest peace pilgrims are
struggling to forge friendship with the Iranian "people."
One FOF visit was in May, one is currently ongoing through mid-August,
another will be in November, and still another early next year. There
have been six other FOF pilgrimages to Teheran since 2006. So far,
the Iranian people are receiving the earnest FOFsters with warmth and
appreciation. The Iranians are supposedly learning from FOF that not
all Americans are hateful, militaristic and eager for war against Iran.
"We are convinced that there should be a group working to oppose a
war or attack or invasion of Iran," explained United Church of Christ
(UCC) minister Patricia de Jong of Berkeley, California. "We would
love for the UCC to take leadership in building this movement." After
returning from the FOF's May trip to Iran, she explained to the UCC's
news service: "As Christians, we just cannot allow ourselves to be
part of any attack or invasion by our government." She and another
UCC clergy who went to Iran are preparing a resolution for their
denomination's convention next year opposing any U.S. action against
Iran's nuclear activities. No doubt the resolution will go through
the UCC jamboree like greased lightning.
The Iranians are a "loving and welcoming and kind people," the
FOF delegation from May is reporting back after an extensive
investigation. "The thing that was most striking for me," de Jong
breathlessly shared, "is that the governments of our two countries are
not necessarily where the people of our two countries are. The Iranian
people we met were eager to know us, eager to open their lives to us,
eager to find out who we are and eager to be friends."
Another FOFster on the May Iran trip was the Rev. de Jong's husband,
author and fellow clergy Sam Keen, who wrote Faces of the Enemy,
which naturally was turned into an "award-winning" public television
series. "Before the beginning of the Iraq War, U.S. churches fell
down on the job," Keen fretted to the UCC news service. "This time,
if we don't get ahead of this issue of waging war, if we allow war
to happen without severe, severe protests, we in the church will lose
all kinds of moral authority."
Missouri peace activist Lily Tinker Fortel was still another FOF
delegation member who gushed about Iran's hospitality. The savvy
Iranians whom FOF met in May readily understood the difference
between Americans and its sinister government, showing " wisdom
and understanding, [and] an absence of blame for the horrendous
things Iran has gone through since the US was engaged in a covert
CIA operation to overthrow their democratically elected government
under the leadership of President Mosaddeq in 1953."
For the Religious Left, all of the Iranian regime's monstrosities,
including the tens of thousands of its opponents whom it has murdered,
are inconsequential compared to America's supposedly sinister
role in Mosaddeq's overthrow 55 years ago. In the Religious Left
pseudo-cosmology, the United States replaces human sinfulness as the
ultimate explanation for all earthly turmoil.
In this vein, Fortel implored: "We must work to recognize that the
current conflict between our governments should not trump our human
ability to care for each other and to see past the stereotypes and
generalizations that we are too often presented with in the lead-up
to war." She met "hundreds of Iranians" during her FOF trip, and they
all demonstrated "love" and "understanding," despite the "current
political climate between our two governments."
Fortel was amazed by the color and life of Iranian street life,
including the "the stylish tunics on young women, the way they
wore their scarves; we were amazed at the fashion of young men;
we saw our first gas station and the cars lined up waiting to fill
up with their weekly ration of fuel." She didn't explain why an oil
exporting country was rationing gasoline, which might have despoiled
the wonderment of her narrative. Fortel preferred to discuss the
"delicious kabobs" at Tehran's Hotel Howeyzeh.
The FOFsters met with the Armenian Church's Archbishop in Teheran. He
reported that since Iran's 1979 Islamist revolution, "migration
has become an unfortunate phenomenon." Why are Armenian Christians
leaving Iran? Fortel, in her blog, did not elaborate, and probably
FOF has little interest in that topic. FOF was more interested in
the Archbishop's criticism of Israel and the United States. "Iraq has
become another Vietnam for the United States," Fortel reported him as
saying. "The Bush administration is playing a tragic role, bringing
war and hatred." No doubt, all the eagerly listening FOFsters nodded
vigorously. "Tea was served," Fortel concluded of the meeting with
the Archbishop. "Then, delicious pastries."
There was some acknowledgment among the FOFsters that Iranians are not
entirely at liberty to speak their minds to visiting foreigners. "These
people have suffered hugely from government policies and the Iran-Iraq
war," admitted Mennonite peace activist Susan Mark Landis. "We know
people's cell phones are tapped and their Internet usage watched,
that arrests are arbitrary and the prison horrendous, that talking
too much is costly."
FOF's May trip to Iran was led by Jewish Rabbi Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb,
who reported that Iran's Jewish community "appears to be doing well,
worships freely, and sponsors six day schools with a population of
five hundred children attending." But she admitted there is among
"many people a desire for more freedom and it has been difficult to
wear hijab, and at the same time, I am finding Iran a very vibrant
and sophisticated society composed of people who want to be seen as
human beings able to determine their own future."
Before leaving for Iran, Rabbi Gottlieb condemned Senator Hillary
Clinton for suggesting decisive action against Iranian nukes. "I am
deeply concerned that Senator Clinton, a national political figure,
discussed the prospect of military action against Iran and even
stated, 'we would be able to totally obliterate them'," Gottlieb
complained. "This is a time for finding common ground between our
two nations, not threats. When our elected leaders choose belligerent
rhetoric over dialogue, it is up to us as everyday Americans to serve
as civilian diplomats."
FOF claims a "distinguished history of successful 'behind the
scenes' friendship and solidarity delegations to regions in political
conflict." Such successes included multiple trips to the old Soviet
Union, to Vietnam during the 1960s; to Central America in the 1980s
and "Palestine/Israel" more recently. Currently FOF is also sending
regular delegations to Colombia, "the most militarized nation in
Latin America."
Over its 90 year history, FOF has strenuously upheld a consistent
record of naivety and mindless anti-Americanism, finding favor
with an endless and unsavory gallery of tyrants and warlords, FOF's
pacifism notwithstanding. Iran's mullahs, and countless other rogues,
can be grateful.