A Rabbi’s Journey to Iran

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 13 T wilight casts a mystical glow upon the mountainous desert of Qom as Shia worshippers stream through the gates of Jamkaran Masjid where the twelfth hidden Imam is said to have appeared a hundred years ago by “the well of requests.” Pilgrims tie prayer knots around the iron grid covering the well to express humanity’surgentprayerforanendtosuffering.Themosquetakesamoreactive role, serving a free meal to thousands of people every Tuesday evening. Tears overflow as I walk toward the sky-blue dome and soaring minarets, tremblingwiththecalltoprayeronthelaststopofourjourneytoIran. AllahhuAkbar AllahhuAkbar AllahhuAkbar AllahhuAkbar.Godisgreat.Cometoprayer. Ipauseatthereflectingpoolthatmirrorsaboveandbelow,dipmypilgrimhandsintothe water and wash my hands and face in preparation for Muslim prayer. In Iran, everyone knows the words of the poet Saadi by heart: “Are we not cut from the same jewel? If one memberisstruck,dowenotallfeeltheblow?”Onlysomeonewhocaresforthepainofothers cantakethename“humanbeing.” TheseventhFellowshipofReconciliationdelegationtoIran,whosepurposeistopromote civiliandiplomacy,isusheredtotheinteriorcourtyardofthemasjidwheremenandwomen separate for prayer. Muslim sisters offer plastic bags for shoe storage and pass out optional chadors.Suadwishesshehadnotpolishedhernailsasthisplaceevokespietyandsimplicity. Ourbrilliant,emancipatedPersianrose,whoisthedelegation’sinterpreteroflanguage,culture , and history turns off her cell phone, wraps herself in white and hands me a clay stone, cool and smooth, upon which I will rest my forehead during salat. The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say that the best spot for prostration is the earth (Kanz-ul-Ummal Part 4. p.113). Theinsightthatwisdomarisesfromtheearthisancientanduniversal. ThepreviouseveningafewofusmeetJewish,Muslimandsecularyouthinanapartment in northern Teheran. Here hijabs are removed and people are free to reveal their true thoughts.TheconversationdriftstothewidespreadIranianbeliefthatweareonehumanity and should not let religion divide us. Michelle Cook, a Navajo woman on the delegation, sharesthecoreprincipleofindigenousthought.Theearthisourcommonground,thesoilof ourexistence,theplaceourdreamsarise.Aswereflectonindigenouswisdom,Imentionthis region’soldestwrittenstory.Inscribedonearthentablets,itrecountsthemythoftheGoddess Inannawhoinitiatesherquestforwisdombyplacingherearontheearthandthendescends A Rabbi’s Journey to Iran by Lynn Gottlieb CHARLES LONDON Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is director of Shomer Shalom Institute for Jewish Nonviolence, cofounder of the Muslim Jewish PeaceWalk and a performing artist. The beautiful Yusef Abad synagogue in Tehran, Iran. Politics_3.qxd:Politics 8/10/08 1:39 PM Page 13 14 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 intotheinteriorratherthanclimbtheheightstoseekknowledge.Iranianslovepoetryandstoriesandtheyouthrequesttheentiretale .BecauseIamastoryteller ,Iamdelightedtoobligethem. NowIamhere,bendingmyheadtotheearthinordertotouchthe claystone,likemyancestorYaakov,whosefirstdivineawakeningoccurswhenheplaceshisheaduponstoneinaplacehedoesnotknow . Our ancestors taught, “The Creator formed the first human from brown,yellow,redandwhiteclaysothatnoonecanclaim,‘Myancestor is greater than yours.’” Everywhere I travel in Iran, people repeat the same sentiment. We are one religion, one people, one family, boundtogetherinoneall-embracingdestinyupontheearth,mother ofusall,asMichellewouldsay. TheQur’anteachesthereshallbenocompulsioninreligion.Iwillinglybowmybodyinthanksgivingfortheinvitationthathasbrought me unexpectedly to this place at this time. I kneel, prostrate, rise, kneel, prostrate, rise in the rhythm of salat. Bismillah HaRachman HaRachim.Maywehavethecouragetoturnawayfromfear.Mayweembraceeachotheras brothers and sisters. May we learn to see each other as one family striving not in war, but in righteousness. May we behold the tapestry of difference as a beautiful gift emanating from divineabundancegiventousinordertoenrichourspirits.Maywetakethegreatleapoffaith and place our trust in the path of peace. La ila hu il’allah. There is no god but god. Ein atar penuiminei.ThereisnoplaceemptyofPresence. Evening prayer comes to a conclusion, as does our two-week journey to Iran. I stand and kiss my American and Iranian sisters in Persian style on each cheek, an expression of affection . No words are necessary. We are filled with gratitude for the remarkable opportunity to travelaspeacemakersinatimeofhostility.Thetwenty-onemembersofourdelegationhave experienced Iran as a place of welcome. We are quite aware, of course, of the challenges that various communities and individuals face in relation to the Islamic Republic. However, despite cultural and linguistic differences, almost every Iranian we meet as we wander unsupervised through the streets and mountains of Teheran, Shiraz, Esfahan, Persepolis and Abyaneh,greetsuswarmly. In response to the many stares of incomprehension when we are first noticed, I place my handovermyheart(agestureIfirstlearnedfrommydialogueandpeacewalkpartner,Abdul Rauf Campos Marquetti), smile and say, “Salaam, salaam!” People stop. “Where from?” “America.”“America?!!”Manypeopletellus,“WeloveAmerica!”Theyask,“Bush?”Oncewe say, “No, not Bush. We believe in peace with Iran,” we are showered with appreciation. People smile, hold our hands, invite us to dinner. Given the hostile messages that infuse the American...