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February 23, 2006
Hard Work and Miracles!
I am so pleased to report that my friend Omid Memarian, who helped me meet environmentalists when I was in Iran, is in the United States for an extended stay. Omid, who worked for an organization encouraging "civil society" projects, is also a web blogger. In late 2004, some Iranian government officials arrested a group of bloggers, including Omid. They were sent to prison, isolated and tortured. Only after the intervention of Human Rights Watch, Nobel Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, and former President Khatami himself, were the bloggers freed.
I saw Omid in Iran in 2005. At that time, he was still traumatized by what had happened, but he was upbeat and amazingly, still speaking out against those factions of the government who are trying to restrict journalists. Here is a photo from that visit:
Later that year that optimism paid off. He took a bus into Turkey and waited there for 75 days. With help from UC Berkeley, Human Rights Watch and several American congresspeople, he was taken off the "no fly list" and was able to enter the country. He went immediately to Berkeley, where he is a visiting fellow in Journalism.
In November, he received Human Rights Watch's highest award and has since been doing a lot of traveling and speaking. He has also written an op-ed piece for the San Francisco Chronicle. and another for the New York Times.
I was able to visit Omid at UC Berkeley in January, 2006 and here is a picture of him with his award and also of us together:
The Bush Administration has called for an additional $5 million to foster Iranian student exchanges. This could be a good idea. If more people like Omid had a chance to come here, not only would a more positive view of Iranians be disseminated, BUT ALSO Iranians visiting our country will be able to take back to their country a more true image of Americans and America. I know that Omid has already experienced great kindness in our country and has also seen firsthand some of the rich contradictions that exist here, as they do in his society. And I know he's also having a great time!
I wish him all the best and hope that he will travel to this part of the country to talk to folks here!
Posted by MJF at February 23, 2006 03:27 PM