I published my full speech a day later.
Monday, January 20, 2014
My Speech at Friday Prayers
I was invited to deliver a speech on the occasion of the Clean Air Day at the Friday Prayer ceremony in Tehran. Friday Prayers are an important aspect of religious and political life in Iran, since sermons are devoted to contemporary issues and Friday Leaders provide analysis and insight into national and international developments. In the final hours on Wednesday, they informed me that my speech was not possible . Speculation on why I was first invited and then banned from speaking filled the press
I am so pleased to find your web site! When I first moved to Japan,
ReplyDeleteone morning as I stood with my Japanese wife outside in the North Japan air of autumn waiting for the "posh looking" children's school bus to appear, she whispered in my ear "Don't cause trouble!", as she had an hunch about what would annoy me. We have 2 daughters. And we were first in line, I thought. BUT my mistake, because our children are girls, and because they are taller than the other children, they became last to get on the bus, out of 7 children. That was my another aspect of my romantic image of Japan, on a traditional area of Japan.
Acculturation begins early as soon as our children stepped outside the family rooms. And as you know Japan is a comparatively consensus driving society, even now.
In march I will visit your wonderful country, but only for a week. I am anxious to see in the society such influences and compare them with my feelings for the Japanese situation. However, I am an American citizen. So, it is impossible to notice anything in such a short time, except confirm my love for your people, be intrigued by your government, and hope my great grand children see a future where women attain a level of equality that will promise an end to the threat of "country vs country" war.