I hope that you are safe and well. You have asked for my prayers. You are an old and proud people, rich in art and stories. My prayers were built on a mountain. They traveled across a great land of rivers. The stars and the sun bore down upon them. And men and women carried this prayer in their hearts. We shout to this age, "Let the Iranian people live as free men and women!"
I further hope that someone there in Iran can even hear me past any censors flagging commonly linked words with "Iran". Not four years ago, on this very site, an Iranian was blogging about a certain man over there seeking the Presidency. This man, he said, of course I'm paraphrasing now, this man was using down right old fashioned populist hog trap promises. Kingfish Huey Long type of razzmatazz. Everybody gets everything they want and never looks back.
But I got to have this intelligent conversation with someone in Iran four years ago. At the time, we in the States were all wrapped up in Kerry v. Bush and the heartaches of our own.
So, to the point. You have been in my thoughts everyday for more than a week now. And here I sit surrounded by green trees and a mostly peaceful civilization. It is true, I do not understand your plight, so how can I give bring you hope? Because I still do have hope. Yes. I do hope and pray for you very much. Assalamu Alaikum for a thousand days.
But another reason I am writing to you is that this statement from our good President has been overlooked in reporting by the standard U.S. and foreign media:
But I hope that the world understands that this is not something that has to do with the outside world; this has to do with what's happening in Iran. And I think ultimately the Iranian people will obtain justice.
I like that last line in particular.
When I said my prayers I prayed to the God of Abraham. I'm a Christian. The stories of old for me enrich me and give me a sense of history. Abraham's place is father to many nations and so that is why I call on his history for you in my call of prayer. For today, the world watches and cries as in a shout for peace and justice for the Iranian people. For as in the popular Hebrew story of Joshua, a nation can shout! And so all of our stories remind us of our humanity to man.
Dear people of Iran. For safety, keep low to the ground in movement. Never surrender your hope. Be mild in action but bold in thought and idea. Take lessons from the civil protests that used non-violence as the stronger weapon to succeed.
Good night. God speed the brighter day.