Peace Group Will Go To Iran (Misguided idealists)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | February 19, 2007 | Debra Dominguez-Lund

[CedarDave]

They're striving for international peace.

The Rev. Barbara E. Dua, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Churches, and Kathleen O'Malley, an Albuquerque therapist, will be part of an ecumenical delegation that will visit Iran seeking peace.

The women are going as part of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an organization which was founded 93 years ago as an interfaith and international movement toward peace through citizen diplomacy.

"The purpose of this delegation to Iran is to foster peace in an atmosphere of growing hostility between our governments," Dua said.

About 20 people, including Dua and O'Malley, from around the country will leave Feb. 28 and return March 14. "We are going as civilian diplomats in an effort to build friendship and reconcilation between our countries," Dua said.

The delegation will visit Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Qom and will meet with a individuals and groups, including Mohammad Khatami, former president of Iran and the senior Muslim cleric in Qom, a focal point of Shiite Islam. The group will meet with Iranian families for tea and meals in an attempt to better understand their culture.

"We're going to be there more for listening to a great variety of people more than anything," Dua said. "We will be talking religion, culture and politics ... Although I don't know if we will discuss human rights, I'm always concerned with them here and in other countries. So, maybe they will come up."

The ecumenical delegation includes Presbyterians, Quakers, Mennonites and others. Delegates run from college students to retirees.

"Those making the trip to Iran believe that it is more important now then ever to support dialogue between Iran and the U.S.," Dua said. "We desire peace and do not want the U.S. to go to war again based on erroneous information."

[CedarDave]

Sigh. In their minds it's always the US that is wrong, the aggressor, the warmonger. The group might be asked, how do you make "peace" with a country that denies its citizens the freedom to worship the very religions represented by the group, and whose leader denies the Holocaust and threatens to destroy Israel every chance he gets?

[kinoxi]

They want to go there, let them go.

[AU72]

Think that this soc-called "Interfaith Group" will inquire about the plight of Bahai's Christians and Jews in Iraq?

[AU72]

--OOPs , in Iran.

[woofie]

I hope they bring some guns and ammo

[JimRed]

They'll be wearing their immodest western clothing and get their infidel heads sawed off!

[unkus]

Human Shields? I hope so.

[ex-snook]

Believe me, it will be a cakewalk just like Iraq.

[johnny7]

Their will always be refuse like this among us who would prefer slavery to violence... they are a stain on the species.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

"We desire peace and do not want the U.S. to go to war again based on erroneous information."

Like we did in Serbia and Kosovo?

[CedarDave]

Oh, by all means let them go. Except for that pesky little thing like a State Department ban on travel to Iran (unless its been lifted). But no matter, their heads full of mush have been brainwashed by years of anti-US teachings in schools, colleges and their churches. They will be received with courtesy by the Iranian government who will later show endless propaganda tapes of their visit and tell the people how it is the US government and not the citizens who are threatening to make war on Iran.

[Chena]

From the article, "Those making the trip to Iran believe that it is more important now then ever to support dialogue between Iran and the U.S.," Dua said. "We desire peace and do not want the U.S. to go to war again based on erroneous information."

So these people believe that Saddam's refusal to comply with the UN Resolutions was "erroneous information"? I do not have a problem with these "peace" groups going to Iran. As a matter of fact, I wish more of them would go....and stay there.

[Tijeras_Slim]

(Misguided idealists)

I would have said Useful Idiots.

[kinoxi]

I say let them them go to the wonderful utopia that is iran.

[dleecomeback07]

I hope they are informed WE WILL NOT rescue them when they are kidnapped.

And when they leave their wills and life insurance etc are all uptodate.

[AppyPappy]

Barbara E. Dua

Hmmmm..I know this person somehow.

[CedarDave]

The group will meet with Iranian families for tea and meals in an attempt to better understand their culture.

I remember that Sally Field movie, "Not Without My Daughter." You would think that the group would have a clue, but the only evil they see is in us, our government. Yes, useful idiots for the Iranians.

[BigFinn]

"We will be talking religion, culture and politics ... Although I don't know if we will discuss human rights, I'm always concerned with them here and in other countries. So, maybe they will come up."

Most likely they will not. But sure to ask what they listen to on their ipod?

[Stultis]

Peace through insufferably smug moral superiority.

It just doesn't scan.

[AppyPappy]

Prior to joining the national staff she served as associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C

AHA!! She was a pastor at my church. IIRC she left to become the head of Women for PCUSA and had to leave due to a documented case of heresy.