On Tuesday, October 23, UPF-NL held an evening "Iran, Today and Tomorrow" at its Dialoogcentrum in Amsterdam Zuid, addressed by Ferry Wever, a teacher and educational adviser and chairman of the "Comite voor vrede vrijheid en democtratie in Iran" (Committee for Peace, Freedom and Democracy in Iran).

Opening song, and introduction to UPF by Wim Koetsier The evening started with a Korean song by Eleanor Flowers Klerkx, a CzechCaribbean Brit married to a Dutchman; after which UPF-NL Secretary General Wim Koetsier gave an introduction to UPF. He said everyone wanted peace, but the world wasn’t at peace. After World War One, the victorious nations wanted to make the defeated nations pay reparations, but, after World War Two, they forgave Germany and Japan and helped them recover.

When East and West Germany were reunified, the "west" felt a responsibility to help the "east". A military victory needed to be followed by the winning of hearts and minds. He went on to talk about bullying in schools, that is currently in the news, and said on every level of life one needed to learn to "live for others".

This also applied the world of religion: religion was a starting point, not an end point, the important thing was working together with others for the common good. Today there was much talk about the need to separate religion and politics, but that was like saying the spirit or mind and the body should be kept separate. Both were needed, working together for the greater good.

It was not enough to educate children to be able to get a job: they needed education in character and relationship building, to prepare them for marriage and parenthood. He mentioned a number of UPF’s programs, including the Middle East Peace Initiative (MEPI), and then showed an introductory video, "Blessed Family and the Ideal of Peace".

Some background and "Iranian flute player" The guest speaker had been introduced to UPF by an Iranian lady, Ms. Fariba Hessabi, who works with the National Council of Resistance (NCRI), a group that campaigns for change in Iran and has been persecuted not only by the Iranian government itself, but also by Western governments that have branded it as a terrorist organization in the hope that complying with that demand by the Iranian government would benefit their relationship with that government (it hasn’t done, it has merely hampered attempts by the Iranians themselves to bring reform to their country).

She and her colleague Mosa Zahead responded to a request that they find someone who could provide a taste of Iranian culture by inviting a young Iranain girl to play some music on her flute. Although she has Iranian parents and was playing at an Iranian evening, 10 year old Raha Heshmati (her first name means peace) played Dutch and Polish tunes, showing that in the coming peaceful world there will be a mix of cultures!

"Iran: Vandaag en Morgen": Ferry Wever, guest speaker Guest speaker Ferry Wever first thanked Wim Koetsier for explaining about UPF so clearly and expressed what an honour it was for him to be asked to participate in a meeting of such an important, worldwide organization.

He is married to an Iranian woman and taught English in Iran for a number of months and commented that the only thing most people read about Iran was its politics and conflicts with the international community regarding developing its atomicnuclear energy program.and extreme attempts to impose the mullah’s interpretation of Islam on its people and maybe elsewhere; but he wanted to also talk about the real people who lived there and their culture; whereupon he read a poem by the Persian mystic Rumi.

In preparing for the evening, he had read about UPF through the internet links sent to him and he contrasted the ideals and principles of UPF with the reality of life in Iran today. UPF laid great emphasis on the family, but so many families in Iraq had been damaged, even destroyed, by the huge number of so-called executions, he himself had seen women arrested in the street and even young teenagers were killed for petty crimes. But so little was reported in the media about the real life situation in Iran, the Dutch media was particularly silent. Maybe it was out of fear of damaging economic relationships.

A few days later, Mr. Wever forwarded his notes for his talk, which are pasted below. One document (not below), was a form, translated into English, that had to be filled in for children of parents who "belong to religious minorities and the perverse Bahaist sect". Detailed information about the child's parents and siblings were required and thre were tick boxes for minority religions Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian and, again, "perverse Bahaist sect".

Discussion, Toast to World Peace, new Ambassadors for Peace The talk stimulated a number of questions and discussion, which was followed by a toast to world peace and presentation of Ambassador for Peace certificates to Ferry Wever, Fariba Hessabi and Mosa Zahed and a Youth AfP certificate to the flute player, Raha.

Conclusion: Wim Koetsier finished off the evening with some final words, inviting all present to participate in one or more of the upcoming UPF events.

Afterwards, there was just time for everyone to have some dates (dadels), cup tea, coffee or peach juice amid the "buzz" that the evening had generated.

In addition to UPF members and their guests, there were a number of Iranians present, representing a diversity of cultures, including some women with elaborate hairstyles and others with headscarves, and an Iranian Zoroastrian man married to a Christian Philippina Canadian who expressed his enthusiasm for UPF’s promotion of inter-religious and international cooperation.

The evening was one of a series inspired by the UN’s Millennium Development Goals

A similar evening devoted to Tibet is planned for November 27.

Ferry Wever

Teacher and educational adviser, with great experience with immigrants to the Netherlands; and ChairmanVoorzitter, Comité voor vrede, vrijheid en democratie in Iran (Committee for Peace, Freedom), who are holding a meeting in Den Haag, November 6, 12.30-14,00 - see Conferentie over Iran, 6 november, Den Haag

In his own words: "Ferry Wever works at the moment as an educational advisor at a Community college. He mainly advises about adult education (like illiteracy and integration). For many years, he has been active as a voluntary member of different Iranian organizations like SFVI. This month he started along with some Iranian refugees a committee with its main goal to get more attention for the severe human rights situation in Iran. The committee chooses to take the peaceful way to see freedom and democracy in Iran. Besides this, he participates during meetings to explain about the situation people live in. In 1993 Ferry Wever lived in Iran where he witnessed oppression of women."

Ferry Wever is also a supporter of Friends of Iran, originally established by four European Parliamentarians in Brussels. He is a featured speaker at meetings of the group, whose chairman is a distinguished public figure, ex Parliamentarian and chair of parliamentary committees, Prof. .Dr. H. de Haan - www.parlement.com9291000biof02918

On September 27, the Friends of a Free Iran (Dutch Group) held a conference in Nieuwspoort te Den Haag, examining the violations of human rights and the new wave of executions of political prisoners in Iran. It was not reported in the Dutch media, which seems to be not interested in the subject, according to Ms. Fariba Hessabi, who works with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi recently addressed a meeting in the Council of Europe and said, "The time has come for you to open your eyes and ears. Do not pave the way for a devastating war through the policy of appeasement." But rather than asking for substantial help, she repeated what she had said in December 2004 at the European Parliament, "The world does not have to choose between appeasement and military intervention. There is a third option, to bring democratic change in Iran by relying on the Iranian people and their resistance." But change of any kind might still involve violence.