Sponsored by “Mercy for All” (www.mercyforall.org) — in partnership with other NGOs — a cycling tour around Europe and North America is conveying the Iranian people’s message of peace, friendship, and solidarity to the rest of the world.
On this journey, which began on 10 May 2007, are fourteen Iranian cyclists. They traveled across four European countries (Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom), and they are now cycling in the United States to communicate the pacifist message of the Iranian people, as found in the Miles for Peace manifesto (see below), to other nations around the world.
The cyclists offer a hand-made emblem of “Miles for Peace” as a symbol of friendship, on behalf of the Iranian people, to the mayors of the host cities as elected representatives of the European and American peoples.
We Iranians are peace-loving people; we aspire to a genuine and sustainable peace, for our own nation as well as all other members of the great family of humankind. We view such peace as the divine essence of humanity.
The peaceful and humanitarian nature of the Iranian people is well reflected by a poem of our great 13th century national poet, Saadi, which is carved on the main entrance of the United Nation Organization:
Of one essence is the human race
Thusly has creation put the base
One limb impacted is sufficient
For all others to feel the mace
We Iranians, love all other nations. It was one of our ancient kings Cyrus (who lived more than 2,500 years ago) who set the example, motto, and criterion as to how to treat strangers in war and in peace.
We Iranians wish to be a constructive member of the international community. we believe that:
- Humanity is an indivisible entity
- The world is home to all humans
- No man and no nation are needless of other men and other nations
- No nation is superior or inferior to any other nation.
We Iranians desire to contribute to the enrichment of culture and science and to the sustainability of peace for our nation as well as all others.
We believe that any success in any field by any individual in any part of the world belongs to the human community as a whole. In the same way, we believe that any form of aggression and moral transgression anywhere in the world brings shame and disgrace to all humans and has a devastating impact on the entire body of human society. That is why each one of us has to take responsibility vis-à-vis all world events. We hope that governments across the world respect and uphold this universal longing of man for peace.
| For more information, visit the Web site of “Miles for Peace” at <www.milesforpeace.org>. |
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