Thursday, March 25, 2010

Hamilton, Ontario-Canada Lecture in Defense of Iran

Dear friends,

This is a link to a video of a talk I gave March 18 at McMaster College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The video was posted online on March 19, and as of March 24 it's been viewed more than 1,000 times.

http://www.shiatv.net/view_video.php?viewkey=be8a5080919cac82eb78

The talk, titled "Media Myths about Iran," was originally scheduled for January, but after some pro-Shah forces mounted a campaign to oppose the event, the original event was canceled. The talk was then rescheduled under the co-sponsorship of the student group McMaster Muslims for Peace and Justice and the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War.

More than 100 people attended the presentation, including a busload who traveled more than an hour from a mosque in Toronto. Only about a dozen of the pro-Shah people showed up and were unable to disrupt the event. Members of the mosque videotaped the talk and posted it online.

In addition to being a victory for free speech, I think the presentation gave a good overview of the arguments against the main charges against Iran, subjects I took up in my book "In Defense of Iran: Notes from a U.S. Peace Delegation's Journey through the Islamic Republic." (www.DefendersFJE.org/dpi)

I'd like to ask you to view the video and think about forwarding the link to your friends and contacts. The more we can do to counter right-wing attempts to demonize and isolate Iran, the greater will be our chance of preventing another war.

One more thing: The Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII), of which I'm a board member, is asking all progressive organizations and individuals to endorse the demands of "No War, No Sanctions, No Internal Interference in Iran!"

If you agree with these demands, please let me know by responding to this e-mail. CASMII will be posting a list of endorsers in order to show the widespread opposition that exists to U.S. and allied aggression against Iran.

For a world of Justice and Peace for All,

Phil Wilayto
Author and Activist
Richmond, Virginia, USA

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