[Antiracism] Inside Look at Iran with Rudy Perkins- Thurs and Fri

[susan]

Dear Friends,

 

Please join us for one of these important community gatherings.  Rudy
Perkins is just back from Iran and has a lot to tell us.  The consequences
of war on Iran would be so devastating-let's find out what we can do to
prevent this disaster from happening.

 

Long-time peace activist, attorney, and co-founder of Swing the Vote
<http://www.swingthevote.us/> , Rudy Perkins will present a slide show and
talk about his recent two week interfaith "citizen diplomacy" delegation to
Iran. The tour is organized by grassroots community groups SAGE and the
Pioneer Valley Coalition to Prevent War on Iran and is co-sponsored by
multiple Valley peace and justice organizations.

 

Thursday June 26

7 PM in Amherst 

Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall 

Spring Street, Amherst. 

 

Friday, June 27

7 PM in Northampton

Lyman Hall, First Churches, 

Main Street, Northampton

 

 Both events are free, open to the public, and handicap accessible.

 

The delegation was organized by the interfaith organization Fellowship of
Reconciliation and was headed by a member of the Fellowship and Rabbi Lynn
Gottleib.  They visited the cities of Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz, and Qom. With
the group, Mr. Perkins met with Iran's former deputy foreign minister, the
current and the incoming Jewish members of the Iranian parliament and other
Jewish leaders in Iran, leaders of the Armenian Christian community there,
the head of the Center for Inter-religious Dialogue in Tehran, and
department heads at the Center for Religious Studies in Qom. 

As Rudy says, "The fact such high-ranking Iranians would meet with ordinary
Americans shows how important these citizen delegations are and that
Iranians are eager for dialogue."  He criticizes the Bush administration for
resisting calls for greater dialogue between the U.S. and Iran.  

The presentation on June 26 and 27 will include a brief history of
U.S.-Iranian relations, and will discuss some of the issues which have
caused tension between the U.S. and Iranian governments, and what can be
done to improve relations between our two countries and prevent a widening
of the war in the Persian Gulf. 

Perkins laments what he calls "the drumbeat for war against Iran," that he
claims is "growing dangerously loud" in Washington.  He hopes that direct
conversations between Americans and Iranians might help reduce this "war
fever." "The American people do not favor our government launching another
ill-conceived war in the Persian Gulf.  If we have to try to open a dialogue
between our countries ourselves to help stop that war, then that is what
we'll have to do."

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:  <http://www.westernmassafsc.org/> American
Friends Service Committee, (413) 584-8975 or  <mailto:afsc at crocker.com>
afsc at crocker.com 

 

 

 

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