Friends,

Musical Ambassadors of Peace would like to express support for the women of Iran and applaud their courage in fighting for the right to sing, dance and express their joy. We know how important these things are for basic human happiness and believe that these are rights that should be inherent to all people everywhere.

Ari Honarvar, one of our Musical Ambassadors from Iran, remembers what it was like to live in that oppressive environment.

“The Iran-Iraq War had begun... Life had taken on a chilling unreality since the Islamic revolution erupted... The new, strange laws banned girls from running in public, leaving the house without hijab, or playing with boys. Spies lurked and listened to private conversations. Protesters were tear gassed and imprisoned, and anti-revolutionaries were executed. Then bombs began falling. “

"There was a real war. And then there was the war on joy. Our collective spirit wilted as the arts were targeted and most music became illegal. The assault on our coping mechanisms took a toll. In the darkest of moments, poetry became our lifeline as ancient poems were immune to this brutality. The irony never escaped us that while we could still recite Hafez and Khayyam verses celebrating the Beloved with songs, dancing, and wine, we couldn’t partake of alcohol. We couldn’t dance. We couldn’t sing.”

Read the entire essay here, We Couldn't Sing. We Couldn't Dance.

In one of Ari's recent Zoom sessions with asylum seekers in Mexicali, kids held up signs for Mahsa Amini and solidarity for Iranian women. "It melted my heart." - Ari
 

Iranian women are currently fighting for their freedom to show their hair, sing, and dance and there is little media coverage of their bravery in the US. Hundreds have been killed. Thousands are arrested or injured. But these fierce women and their supporters are not backing down. Because there are internet blackouts by the Iranian regime, Ari says that “It's up to us to bear witness. Share the news with others. Be their voice.”

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