LOCAL PEACE ADVOCATE TO TRAVEL TO IRAN APRIL 29 ON CIVILIAN DIPLOMACY MISSION WITH FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION

April 21, 2008

Susan Mark Landis Orrville, Ohio, will travel to Iran April 29 as part of a 12-day civilian diplomacy delegation organized by the international, interfaith peace group, Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR).

This 21-member friendship delegation is the seventh in a series of FOR peace missions to Iran. Currently, fewer than 500 U.S. citizens travel to Iran each year. The missions work to build solidarity between the people of the United States and the people of Iran. Delegates will explore the culture of Iran as well as the complexity of politics, visiting cultural and historic centers in Tehran (the contemporary capital), Qom (world center of Shi'a theology), Hamadan (the location of the tomb of Esther & Mordecai, Jewish biblical figures), Isfahan (legendary capital of medieval Persia), and Shiraz (jewel of classical Islamic culture, as well as the seat of Iran's ancient pre-Islamic civilization).

They will meet with ordinary citizens and with politicians in Tehran, have tea with folks from minority religions and visit the school of Shia theology in Qom.

"Our Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective proclaims that violence is not the will of God and that Mennonites witness against the violence of war. War is horrendous for the people fighting it and disastrous for the people of the lands where it is fought," Landis said. "I travel to Iran as a grassroots citizen diplomat to personally speak peace and to advocate for just relationships between our countries."

During the Cold War FOR coordinated multiple trips to the former USSR and to Viet Nam during the 1960s; to Central America during the 1980s and to Palestine/Israel in more recent years. Currently FOR manages regular delegations to war torn Colombia.

Civilian Diplomacy is critical to the success of formal diplomatic efforts. In the long term, FOR's Iranian Civilian Diplomacy Initiative goals are to: (1) connect peace constituencies in the United States. and Iran; (2) broaden the understanding of citizens of each other; and (3) then mobilize advocacy for peaceful, proactive alternatives to current confrontational policies of both countries.

In the hostile climate that exists between the United States and Iran, Mennonite Central Committee promotes friendship and understanding through a student exchange program and disaster response. Since MCC's exchange program began in 1997, MCC has sent eight participants to study in Qom, Iran, and two Muslim clerics and their families have come to study in Toronto. As a result of these relationships, President Ahmadinejad has asked MCC to host three dialogues between him and religious leaders.

"I pray this trip helps reduce the risk of war between the United States and Iran. I certainly don't agree with many positions of President Ahmadinejad and the Iranian government, but I believe in diplomacy and in talking to each other, rather than incendiary words disbursed through news conferences," Landis said.

Serving as peace advocate for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership, Landis helps her church respond in Christ-like ways to current events and issues. She previously has traveled with Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) delegations to Haiti (1992) and to Palestine/Israel (2004). She serves on the steering committee for CPT and for Christian Peace Witness for Iraq.

The FOR Iran delegation will return to the United States May 13. For more information, visit www.forusa.org/programs/iran and http://peace.mennolink.org/resources/susaniniran

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