Winds of Change in Ramazan

We need to change the current trend of affairs in today's world. The world is suffering from an acute case of mismanagement. global powers intervene in the affairs of nations only to secure their interests. It seems that nothing is in its place.The ongoing escalation of violence in many parts of the world, the widening gap between rich and poor nations, the scourge for more wealth and prosperity among the rich and insecurity, poverty and hatred among the miserable masses has taken the world to the verge of unsustainability . The world has not become a better place for people after the world powers intervened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Palestine,  in Libya, in Syria. Now, Snowden tells us that the details of our lives are all under the scrutiny of the US intelligence apparatus, the so called  leading country  of freedom and human rights in the world is now accused of controlling everything to maintain its supremacy and control over the wealth, resources and peoples of the world. What can we do as humans who aspire for justice and peace. 

 In  2004, as the Vice President of Iran  and during the Khatami Administration , I was invited to deliver a speech at the University of Seoul. The conference hall was jammed with students and academics who were curious to hear from a woman Vice President from Iran.

In that session I spoke about the common aspirations of human societies , about the fact that many global challenges including environmental degradation and the widening gap between rich and poor nations are rooted in the distorted lifestyles that we humans pursue. We need to improve ourselves individually and collectively in terms of  consumption patterns,  destruction of the natural environment, violence, war and abrogation of human rights.Today we come to the conclusion at the international level that we need to change lifestyles and attitudes in order to correct the current unsustainable trends. I mentioned the need for an inner journey to correct the attitudes and behavior that has become so detrimental. The Four Journeys of Mulla Sadra could be taken as a model , where four stages of cognition and spiritual upliftment were included, I noted. I was fascinated to hear the very intelligent questions and the level of understanding that Korean students displayed to concepts which came from a very distant country and culture but which touched common human values and aspirations. 

The inner journey we all aspire for may begin with the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a chance to change the monotonous routine of our self-centered and egoistic lives . It is a chance to see beyond the material limits of the self and by closing doors on material senses and desires, to open a door to the mystical realm of the spirit. Ramadan is the month when Muslims refrain from eating and abstain from desires. One should endeavor to refrain from lying and all other sins during this holy month. Ramadan is a time for the inner journey for perfection.  Ramadan has benefits for both the mind and the body as well as the spirit. Eating, sleeping and work behaviors are all altered during this month paving way for a new lifestyle during the whole year ahead.

Ramadan tells us that in order to change the world people need to change their lifestyles, their attitudes, their desires and behavior needs to change before they can change their society and change the current trend of affairs in today's world. 

Nowruz, Revival of Nature and Heart

The Iranian new year or Nowruz is celebrated  when the culmination of change and new life in nature appears. When temperatures increase, signs of the cold winter and  sleeping nature vanish, as blossoms grow on branches and flowers bloom.The Iranian new year coincides with what is called the Equinox and the true shift in the earth's axis and change in climate. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year and Iranian families gather together to observe the rituals.

Nowruz has been celebrated for thousands of years in Iran and within the radius of Iranian civilizational influence. Countries like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkemenistan, Kirghistan and Kazakhstan  where Farsi is spoken and signs of  Persian culture, customs and tradition are evident in ordinary life, all celebrate Nowruz. Hundreds of thousands of expatriate Iranians living in Europe and the US also celebrate this important occasion.  Nowruz is a time for friendship and forgiveness, it is a time for cherishing the blessings of life and nature.
Iranians and many other nations who enjoy the Persian culture and civilization celebrate Nowruz  as a symbol of their common heritage. Celebration of  Nowruz is the celebration of peace and friendship among nations and  has great cultural implications for humanity. For this reason the UN has designated this day as an international celebration.

The Haft Seen Table is the tradition followed in every Iranian home

Its a symbol of preparing for new times and better days. It is also a symbol of the changes we all need to bring about in our hearts and minds, we need to mend broken hearts and to heal the scars left behind. In Islamic ethics as individuals, we need to revisit our practices and behaviors and to evaluate them.  We need to clean the greed, deceit and hatred that plagues our hearts and prepare for an inner Spring and new life.
Family unions are very common and Iranians travel around the country to visit their loved ones and to see the beautiful scenery of spring in different cities throughout the country. 

The upcoming Presidential elections are the subject of many family gatherings. The Ahmadinejad team are trying to promote traditional Persian holidays like Nowruz to focus on nationalism rather than the more religious aspects of the country's Islamic Republic. Reformists have recently  produced an in depth analysis and plan concerning the very difficult conditions Iran is facing. They demonstrate how social and economic indicators have plummeted  due to current mismanagement and  they have given a plan how to tackle the crisis. 

Sprouts are a symbol of revival and spring 

The Environment Suffers in War

 The Center for Peace and Environment has convened an international seminar every year on the occasion of November 6 the International Day for the Prevention of the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. Members of the diplomatic community and countries which have suffered from war were invited to speak about the devastation that war had caused in their homelands. Also, representatives from the international organizations such as the UNDP , OCHA and the International Red Cross attended the seminar and provided reports on their actions in this regard.  As a Champion of the Earth, I would invite these international figures to attend our ceremony and they had usually responded favorably.  This year, considering the circumstances and continuing restraints on the activities of the civil society, the Center decided to issue a statement and postpone the session to the next year. The full statement is available at www.pengoo.ir . This is the opening phrase:

"Since mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, as well as destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war.

Yet when the environment   suffers in warfare, it threatens the well-being of vulnerable populations and undermines prospects for lasting peace, thus triggering a vicious cycle of destruction...."

Mr. President Say No to War With Iran

Here is a copy of the one page advertisement that the Iranian American Council posted a few weeks ago in the Washington Post. Several retired Generals and high ranking American military officials have signed a letter to Obama asking him to resist pressures on him to attack Iran. " Military action at this stage is not only unnecessary it is dangerous... We urge you to resist the pressure for a war of choice with Iran." the letter ends. This could be an indication of the pressures on Obama by the zionist lobby and AIPAC. It was published before a meeting of the leaders of both  countries (US and Israel ) last month.

Many observers believe that the American public  should start asking themselves finally who runs the foreign policy of their country; Americans or Israelis.  There is plenty of information and analysis available  in the internet on the influence of zionists in the Congress and Senate and how they are shaping US economy , media and foreign policy. It is a shame that the American public is not informed and/or is not sensitive about the future of their nation and particularly when it comes to sending their young people to war and sacrificing their lives, they are so impotent.
While the quantity of  propaganda, news items and analysis on war against Iran has been escalating during the past months a recent article in the Guardian  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/22/nuclear-watchdog-iran-iaea serves as an eye-opener.
The IAEA chief has been accused of pro-western bias over Iran by several former Agency officials. They have warned of parallels between the Agency's current approach to Iran and its past mistakes over Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. Wiki leaks documents also show that Amano is bending increasingly towards the US.

In these sensitive times it is important to remember that the UN and related bodies have an official responsibility and mandate to protect world peace. The American neocon and zionist lobby have taken the US to war for several times in this part of the world, the devastating consequences of which for humanity are immense.  It is now time that the UN takes a serious step to contain zionist  American politicians and to inform them that the Islamic Awakening or the Arab Spring however you name it, is a symbol of an end to Zionist hegemony in the middle east. The recent ruling of the Egyptian Parliament calling for a severance  of diplomatic relations with what they have called the "zionist entity" is a clear sign of this reality.
Nations are seeking freedom and dignity under the umbrella of their national and Islamic identity, not under foreign supremacy and rule. The international community should realize that despite the challenges Iranians face in Iran, they are strong and unified in the face of any external threat.  They should have known that threats of this kind  will not help to promote freedom or human rights in Iran, nor will it force Iran to relinquish its rights as a member of the international community.

Nowruz

Nowruz literally meaning "new day" is the most precise timing for the commencement of  spring according to the solar calendar. The Iranian new year coincides with the Equinox and the true shift in the earth's axis which leads to a change in climate and season. Nowruz is celebrated in many Central Asian countries where festivities continue for weeks.  As nature welcomes change and new life, Nowruz is the time for a revival of spirit and body. After weeks of Khanetakani or major housekeeping efforts, Iranians prepare a table of specialties beginning with S, or Haft Sin. Nowruz is a time for friendship and forgiveness, it is a time for cherishing the blessings of life and nature.
Iranians and many other nations who enjoy the Persian culture and civilization celebrate Nowruz , for this reason the UN has designated this day as an international celebration. We are celebrating Nowruz in difficult political and international times this year but Iranians worldwide pray and hope for peace and prosperity for all peoples in the world. Nowruz carries a message of the great Persian civilization and culture that has delivered great achievements for humanity and is a symbol of human dignity, freedom and greatness.

I hope that Nowruz will bring about change in the antagonism certain governments promote against Iran and help them to realize that Iranians are a peace loving nation, yet they are determined to protect their dignity and independence. I hope that in the coming year pressures and sanctions against Iran would subside and internal conditions would improve as a result.

Peace for the Environment

The civil society is not very active and outspoken these days but the occasion of November 6 , the day designated by the UN as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict was an important event that could not be missed. The Center for Peace and Environment convened an international seminar on this occasion last Wednesday. http://en.pengoo.ir/index
The diplomatic community in Tehran, academia , NGOs and members of the press attended this event. Dr. Babran welcomed the invitees and I made an opening address, this was followed by the message of Seyed Mohammad Khatami the former President  and the speech of  Salah Zawawi the Ambassador of Palestine  and Mohammad Reza Tabesh the Head of the Environment faction of the Parliament . After the opening,  a panel session with Ambassadors of Afghanistan, Croatia, Japan, International Red Cross  and an Iranian academic was moderated by  Dr. Kahrom, the renown Iranian environmentalist. The Japanese Ambassador made a very interesting comparison between the  nuclear disaster in Nakasaki and Hiroshima and the recent Tsunami and nuclear fallout. The resilience and hard work of the people of Japan was noteworthy, while the natural environment will take a much longer time for restoration.
In the opening, I stressed upon the importance of resolving international conflicts by dialogue and  refraining from any act that would aggravate the very volatile conditions in this part of the world . The Persian Gulf has suffered excessively from war and environmental degradation during the past decade and it would be a disaster if any new military venture would occur.

Environmental Awards

The Center for Peace and Environment had it's annual awards ceremony in the name of the late Dr.Taghi Ebtekar, my father who passed away 9 years ago. The Center for Peace and Environment  (www.pengo.ir) has now convened this Award for five rounds, acknowledging each time, the efforts and achievements of scientists and scholars in the field of environmental research. At least six months ahead, the Center announces its conditions and invites qualified scholars to take part through ads in major newspapers. Once candidates send their credentials and the deadline is over, the Board of Referees begins the nomination process. In addition to the main prize, journalists in the field of the environment are also acknowledged for the difficult work they perform. This year two scientists,one specializing in biodiversity and the other in air pollution were selected. Three journalists and a newspaper Etellat were chosen for their role in reporting on environmental challenges and issues that the country faces.
Seyyed Mohammad Khatami , the former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran was our guest of honor. After presenting the prizes, he spoke on the importance of peace as the prerequisite for development and human advancement. "If we perceive human nature as inherently aggressive and in pursuit of war then peace becomes an entity that must be enforced and will face instability. On the other hand if we view human nature inherently peace seeking, then peace becomes a natural entity that can be safeguarded to promote stability ."  Khatami continued "We need to realize that Peace is the essential requirement of humanity both at national and international levels. At national levels intolerance and violence are on the rise and at the international levels war, occupation and aggression at the hands of powerful governments are widespread." We need to condemn the violent attitudes that intend to promote tensions and conflicts,  particularly when this attitude is presented under the guise of religion and sacred objectives, Khatami stressed.  Finally, he stressed, peace with nature and the environment is an integral aspect of peace and the global conditions we face in today's world are the result of an ongoing war against the ecosystem.
After the speech most of the guests wanted to take photographs with Khatami. It seems that after all the pressures, smearing campaigns and threats against him , his popularity has mysteriously risen!