The children of GNRC Africa has made an appeal to the Iranian ambassador in Dar-es-Salaam to free Seyed Mohammed Ali Abtahi who has been detained for more than 50 days, faced trial and is still in detention. The children have sent a signed letter where they ask for the immediate release of Seyed Abtahi.Read more…
The events in Iran has brought forth the face of a person who was a distinguished guest at the GNRC Forum, Hon. Seyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi, the President of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue and the Former Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Participants at the Forum remember his words of greetings. “Political and religious leaders of the world should learn from children as much as they try to teach them. We should not forget that children have the closest similarity to philosophers in that they regard everything with awe and respect.“
Seyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi criticized and questioned the election result and was very early on in the tumultuous events imprisoned. GNRC, being a network of people concerned with the interaction of young people and adults for the sake of ethics and moral values, justice and truthfulness, shared the information with the participants at the GNRC Third Forum saying that it is appropriate that we do what we can to make sure that Seyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi as part of our network is not now left without the voice and action of those who benefitted from his commitment to the cause of GNRC.
The children of GNRC Africa took up the call and formulated an appeal, which was handed over to the Iranian ambassador in Dar-es-Salaam on 7 August 2009. The letter is joining the voices that call for peace and justice in appealing for the relase of Seyed Mohammed Ali Abtahi. The children "do not hold any political rank or staus among world governments nor do they have any fancy titles" but they have learned that Seyed Mohammed Ali Abtahi stood up for peace an justice when they heard him saying in Hiroshima that we need to learn from the past and never give up on the children. He kindled their hope to be listened to and became for them a teacher and supporter of children’s right.
Ms. Fahimeh Mousavinezhad, the wife of Seyed Mohammed Ali Abtahi and the Manager of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue in Teheran, is a menber of the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children and has been actively involved in the development of the Leaning to Live Together manual, one of the Arigatou International / GNRC major interfaith initiatives.
To read the full text of the children’s letter, please click here.
