Originally Published 7/22/2009 It feels like I’ve had ONE big consecutive day the past two months. Since the concept of sleeping at nights was thrown out the window starting June 13th. It has all been moments and hours rolling in to one huge day that continues as i write now. As much as i can’t wait for it to be Saturday night and sleep for the first time in many many weeks i also don’t want it to be Saturday night because what I’m apart of right now is one of the most amazing experiences of my life and that is coming from someone who really has had a lot of amazing things in her life such as working with incredible individuals like His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, And my dear friend Dr. Shirin Ebadi. So traveling around the world with these amazing beings you can imagine that i have a lot of amazing experiences. But this is different. This time this is for my country, IRAN. It’s not for Burma, not for China, not for Gaza or Palestine, not for Tibet but for MY IRAN. As a human rights activist and spokeswoman i have spent the past few years working at a grassroots level with organizations like PeaceJam to promote world peace and human rights. So i was involved with a lot of UN petitions, resolutions, movements and actions for different people around the world. This past June, MY people, my very Brave people have inspired me and millions of others around the globe beyond words. I had to do something for them and i did and continue to the best of my ability (it’s becoming less and less as i am more sleep deprived and exhausted each day) but nonetheless i will continue. This morning my dear Mairead Maguire Nobel Peace Laureate of Northern Ireland Skyped me from Belfast and gave a message recording in solidarity with the Iranian people and United4Iran. So did Jody Williams 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate. Jody won the prize for her efforts to ban landmines world-wide. And Mairead has just returned from a trip or i should say attempted trip to Gaza by ship but was arrested by the Israeli government and deported back to Ireland because she was attempting to enter Gaza on a ship that was bringing food, medicine and aid to Gaza. And before she was deported she was also shot in the leg! But she hears about our struggle, and looks beyond what she has gone through in the past two weeks and says to me “what can i do to help”. And after her recording saying “thank you for giving me the opportunity to support the Iranian people and United4Iran”. Are you kidding me? Thank you for trying to still care for the world at the age of 65 by constantly going to Gaza although it was not your first time getting shot or detained. Thank you for not stopping at Northern Ireland when you achieved Peace there. Thank you for joining our movement for Iran now. -Pantea Beigi
