Hey everyone! I'm back in Minnesota! I got in last night, so I haven't even unpacked yet. But strangely it does feel like I'm home. I suppose I'm lucky, in that both places feel like home. But it's also hard to describe, because they are both so different. I absolutely love Alaska--it is the place my heart knows the best, and I just feel at home there. But I've carved out a Lindsay-sized piece of Minnesota too, and I'm happy to be back here. Thank goodness! It would be absolute torture otherwise.
It was great to see people back up in Alaska! Of course, the time went way too quickly, and I still feel like I didn't get to spend enough time with hardly anyone--but isn't that how it always is? But I got to do a bunch of theater stuff and hang out with my family (although not nearly enough).
The trip ended with a core of my friends taking me to the airport late at night and thoroughly embarrasing me with their antics while I went through the security line. But I love it :) They sang to me, including the final song from Beverly Hillbillies--"y'all come back now, yah hear?"--and apparently they stayed in that area for a little while after I was gone, because they had been commissioned to stay and sing a welcome song for someone coming into Anchorage :) Hilarious! As I was walking away from security, another passenger asked me if I was embarrased, and I said, "oh, I'm used to it... plus I love them very much". And the fame of it travelled all the way to Texas (that's right, I had to fly through Texas... but it was a mileage ticket, so I couldn't complain too much). I went into a restroom in Dallas, and some lady in line said "oh, you're the girl that they sang for--they had such pretty voices!". So hey guys, I think you should take your show on the road! Just travel from airport to airport, and charge $5.00 to sing a tune--call them "Airgrams" :)
So I still have entries to make about different activities in Anchorage, which I'll be catching up on over the next few days, but I wanted to say thanks to everyone in Alaska. I loved seeing my friends, and I loved being with my family--the coolest family ever! And I got to see my brother's puppy Winston! Too cute!
Meanwhile, I'm back, I'm going to take a shower, and then I'm going to tackle unpacking and all that entails... and possibly I'll see some of my friends here!
Bye for now!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Overnighters in Valdez
I don't think I've explained it before, so allow me to introduce you to the concept of the Overnighters: they are fully realized short plays that are written, rehearsed, and performed all within 24 hours. It's truly amazing, and if you haven't been to something like this before, I highly recommend it if you ever have the chance. This year at the Last Frontier Theater Conference, the first night of performances were Overnighters (this term, by the way, is used for the Alaskan version of this; I think other similar type enterprises have had other names). So this is what happened: the night before, all of the actors, directors, and playwrights gathered in the theater, where the inspiration for each playwright for their piece was revealed. In this case, each playwright was given a cartoon slide that would be their inspiration. They had a chance to meet their cast, and then they were off! They had until 7:30 in the morning to write a play... talk about crazy! So at 8am the actors and directors came in, got into their rehearsal space, and started reading through the play that they would be performing that night... again... crazy!
But what a thrill as well! This was the third (thanks for the correction Shane!) chance that I had had for performing in the Overnighters, and I had a blast. My friend Shane was the playwright for our piece, which ended up being called "Naughty Friedrich Goes to Heaven". Basically, the gist of it was that Friedrich's soul in life had been so balanced, that it wasn't clear cut in which direction he would follow after death... so both an angel and a demon were sent in to battle over him... well, that's not a great synopsis, but that's a basic idea to base these photos off of.
Seriously, memorizing everything and going out there in less than 12 hours is a bit crazy... but it's thrilling too, and there's some special energy that happens at these things--you know that you're hanging by a wire, the audience knows what you've been through, and so when it all works out it is truly amazing. I loved the show we did--Shane did an amazing job writing this very funny, but very poignant piece... in less than 12 hours! Amazing. Anyway, I've added a few of my favorite pics here, but like before, I have a link to more by clicking here, if you care to take a look! Enjoy!
Monday, June 26, 2006
Trip to Valdez, Alaska
Well, what a week in Valdez! I was pretty darn busy the whole time, so even though I thought about adding more entries to my blog, I never quite got fingers to keyboard. But it was so much fun!
For those who are not aware, there is a playwriting conference that happens in Valdez, Alaska, every year in June called the Last Frontier Theater Conference. In fact, this year was the 14th annual conference, which is just amazing. The conference has a play lab, where playwrights from all over the world can submit plays to be work-shopped at the conference. The playwrights who have a work selected are able to have a reading of their play at the conference, where there is a panel of experts and an audience that can give them feedback. It’s a great opportunity for playwrights to hear their work read out loud and to get some very good critiques of how their work plays out. It’s a chance to see if they are getting their desired effect from the audience and such. And also just to hear how dialog sounds coming out of an actor’s mouth.
So not only do they have playwrights there, but they need actors to read the plays—which is where I come in! Well, me and a bunch of other people :) I think this was my fourth time attending the conference, and I really love it. I always travel down with a group of friends, and we’re able to camp out in a classroom down at the college. And I get to hear all sorts of new plays and read in some as well. I’ve also had the pleasure of performing two years now at the conference. One of my very first postings to this blog had pictures from the shows I did at the conference last year, if you want to check those out. This year I got to perform in another evening of one-acts that TBA Theater brought down to the conference. They also did a set of overnighters, where plays are written, rehearsed, and performed, all within 24 hours that I performed in. It’s awesome, and I’ll have postings with pictures from both of those evenings separately from this.
Valdez, Alaska, is about a 6-hour drive from Anchorage, and it is one of the most beautiful drives you can make in the state. There are mountains galore, and you even go through a pass that still sometimes has snow, since the elevation is so high. I’m including some photos here of the drive, and if you want to see more, you can click here for a photo album of the rest of the shots I have from the drive. We caravanned with 5 cars, and we had a blast, as is usual :) Much of the trip is spent oohing and ahhing over sites along the way, including many a glacier, and the rest is spent being goofy and making each other laugh, as is supposed to happen on road trips. So enjoy the photos!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Pictures from the Renaissance Fair!
Thanks to Tony Batres, I finally have some photos to share from the Renaissance Fair! I must admit, getting carried in a sedan chair is pretty darn awesome—I’m not going to lie!
I brought my violin, and I’m so glad I did! I played at the fundraiser dinner (which I’m still hoping to get some pictures of) and I also played with Everblue, our fair band that plays for peasant dancing. I hang out with fabulous, goofy people, as is clear from the pictures. After fair hours are fun too, as the guitars come out and dancing ensues. Enjoy the pics!
I brought my violin, and I’m so glad I did! I played at the fundraiser dinner (which I’m still hoping to get some pictures of) and I also played with Everblue, our fair band that plays for peasant dancing. I hang out with fabulous, goofy people, as is clear from the pictures. After fair hours are fun too, as the guitars come out and dancing ensues. Enjoy the pics!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
General update
I've noticed a trend on people's blogs that when they're on vacation there are suddenly less entries on their blog... I guess I fit into that category :)
Sorry, no photos yet! I have friends that were professional photographers at the fair, but I haven't been able to get my mitts on any pictures yet, so when I see some, trust me, you'll see some!
But a general update: Things are going great! I've been able to see so many people, and I've been having a wonderful time. I leave for Valdez and the theater conference that happens down there tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to hearing some new plays and hanging out with my friends.
Last time I came up to Alaska for the play "Pirate Tales", I was immediately roped into doing some commercials, a photo shoot, and of course the play. So my friend Shane was joking the other day that I come back, and it's moments after I surprise them all and then I'm put in a costume to go perform, which I ended up playing violin during breaks as well, then I'm also immediately cast in one of the evening performances that is happening at the conference in Valdez, because a person had to drop. So I just jump right back into things! It's great! I'm trying to get my lines memorized, packing for the trip, going to rehearsals, and I've been doing a few PartyLite candle parties as well :) No wonder I'm sleepy...
Anyway, I just made a purchase of a digital camera yesterday, so I'm hoping that I can document the trip down to Valdez to be able to share with you. And hopefully sometime soon I'll have pictures of the fundraiser we performed at, and the Renaissance fair as well!
Bye for now!
Sorry, no photos yet! I have friends that were professional photographers at the fair, but I haven't been able to get my mitts on any pictures yet, so when I see some, trust me, you'll see some!
But a general update: Things are going great! I've been able to see so many people, and I've been having a wonderful time. I leave for Valdez and the theater conference that happens down there tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to hearing some new plays and hanging out with my friends.
Last time I came up to Alaska for the play "Pirate Tales", I was immediately roped into doing some commercials, a photo shoot, and of course the play. So my friend Shane was joking the other day that I come back, and it's moments after I surprise them all and then I'm put in a costume to go perform, which I ended up playing violin during breaks as well, then I'm also immediately cast in one of the evening performances that is happening at the conference in Valdez, because a person had to drop. So I just jump right back into things! It's great! I'm trying to get my lines memorized, packing for the trip, going to rehearsals, and I've been doing a few PartyLite candle parties as well :) No wonder I'm sleepy...
Anyway, I just made a purchase of a digital camera yesterday, so I'm hoping that I can document the trip down to Valdez to be able to share with you. And hopefully sometime soon I'll have pictures of the fundraiser we performed at, and the Renaissance fair as well!
Bye for now!
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Surprise! I'm in Alaska!
That’s right folks, I’m in Alaska! I’ve actually had the trip planned for quite some time, but I decided it would be fun to surprise my friends up here, so I couldn’t even mention it on my blog! Do you know how much it killed me not to mention it on my blog? I wanted to shout it from the rooftops!
But the ruse paid off really well ☺ My friend Leif was the only person who actually knew that I was coming, so we conspired on the best way for me to surprise the crew. We had toyed with me walking into the Renaissance Fair in costume while the show in our court was going on and interrupting it, but while we both thought this would be great fun, we decided that this would be disruptive, and people would have to stay in character and everything, so it wouldn’t be as much fun.
Finally, circumstances made up the decision for us. There was a fundraiser dinner for the Fair on Friday night, in which it was a pirate theme, so they had asked the cast of “Pirate Tales”, the show I came back up to Alaska to do in March, to perform as one of the acts. Well… I knew all the songs already, and I was the only cast member missing… so I showed up at the theater when they were pulling all of the costumes ☺
The reveal went like this: Leif sent me a text message of where they all were gathered, and I was sitting in the car with my mom in a parking lot a ways off from the university building they were in. As soon as we got the message, we pulled over to the building, and I called them on my cell phone, which is the main way that I call them from Saint Paul, since I have free long distance. And I call them all the time, so it was not strange for me to be calling and talking to all of them.
Leif put me on speaker phone, and then we were all talking. Eventually I told them that I wanted them to sing one of the songs to me, since I missed it so much. So they started singing, and I proceeded to walk into the building and straight into the room where they were all crowded around the cell phone singing.
The reaction was sort of in a ripple, where the people on the far side of the circle facing me saw me first, and started to smile and get excited, and then the rest of them followed around to what they were looking at… and mad hugs ensued ☺
Being the awesome people that they are, they put together a costume for me (my old one fit in the world of our play, but I needed something more piratical for the evening). And we went off to the fundraiser to perform and have fun! I got to surprise more friends (Matt F. jumped the highest to my delight), and the evening was great! Now I have to go, since I have to finish getting ready for the Renaissance Fair that I’m participating in today and tomorrow.
Pictures will follow, I promise!
But the ruse paid off really well ☺ My friend Leif was the only person who actually knew that I was coming, so we conspired on the best way for me to surprise the crew. We had toyed with me walking into the Renaissance Fair in costume while the show in our court was going on and interrupting it, but while we both thought this would be great fun, we decided that this would be disruptive, and people would have to stay in character and everything, so it wouldn’t be as much fun.
Finally, circumstances made up the decision for us. There was a fundraiser dinner for the Fair on Friday night, in which it was a pirate theme, so they had asked the cast of “Pirate Tales”, the show I came back up to Alaska to do in March, to perform as one of the acts. Well… I knew all the songs already, and I was the only cast member missing… so I showed up at the theater when they were pulling all of the costumes ☺
The reveal went like this: Leif sent me a text message of where they all were gathered, and I was sitting in the car with my mom in a parking lot a ways off from the university building they were in. As soon as we got the message, we pulled over to the building, and I called them on my cell phone, which is the main way that I call them from Saint Paul, since I have free long distance. And I call them all the time, so it was not strange for me to be calling and talking to all of them.
Leif put me on speaker phone, and then we were all talking. Eventually I told them that I wanted them to sing one of the songs to me, since I missed it so much. So they started singing, and I proceeded to walk into the building and straight into the room where they were all crowded around the cell phone singing.
The reaction was sort of in a ripple, where the people on the far side of the circle facing me saw me first, and started to smile and get excited, and then the rest of them followed around to what they were looking at… and mad hugs ensued ☺
Being the awesome people that they are, they put together a costume for me (my old one fit in the world of our play, but I needed something more piratical for the evening). And we went off to the fundraiser to perform and have fun! I got to surprise more friends (Matt F. jumped the highest to my delight), and the evening was great! Now I have to go, since I have to finish getting ready for the Renaissance Fair that I’m participating in today and tomorrow.
Pictures will follow, I promise!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Congratulations are in order
Well, it seems to be a very dramatic time of year, where lots of congratulations are in order! There have been graduations, births, and weddings galore! So I just wanted to take a moment to shout a "yahoo" for the following people, dreading the idea that I might miss someone (because, seriously, there has been a lot going on!). So here it goes:Congratulations to my cousin James for graduating from high school! Seriously, I think you have finally been the person that has made me feel old, because I remember baby sitting you (don't worry James, that's as sappy as I'll get). James played varsity football his senior year, and I think he was the only one of us to actually play on a sports team in school--I know we all liked to go and cheer him on. He was named as someone to watch in the newspaper, which is pretty darn cool! So congratulations James on graduating!
We have another graduation in our midst--Raina, who is my cousin's cousin, but close enough! She graduated from high school up in Barrow, and from the pictures it looks like it was awesome! It has always been fun seeing Raina when they would come down to visit, and I always wanted to go up to Barrow to visit the family (I ALMOST made it up with work one time). She got a $1,000 scholarship, and she was also the class president. At graduation she got to lead the turning of the tassles. Yaaaaaay Raina!
And yet another graduation: Krista! Krista graduated from college, which is just great! She is quite the writer, and sometimes she posts some of her poems and such on her blog. She celebrated graduating from college by making a trip to New York, which you can see chronicled on her blog as well. I've known Krista since we were little kids, and I really loved sleepovers with her and her sister Kelsey--basically their home was a second home to me for a while! We always had a lot of fun! She's planning on moving back up to Alaska, so I'm super jealous that I'm not up there--but I'll be sure to see her on visits, so that's good. Congrats Krista, you definitely deserve it!Okay, moving on to births: There is young Lucas, who was born on May 23rd to Andy and Zuzi. I'm so happy for you guys. Andy and Zuzi will be the best parents. I am in awe of Zuzi. She is somone who will be an organized and loving mom, and I think a wonderful example to her son of what a woman should be like. I actually know Andy better, as we worked together and have done some plays together as well. And now he's a daddy! It just makes me so happy, because Lucas is going to be so loved. And Andy, you better sing to him. I loved it when my dad sang to me.
One of my flatmates from Haifa just had a baby as well! Amelia, you'll have to correct me if I'm mistaken on spelling, but her name is Maleha, and she's absolutely gorgeous as well. Hmm... I see a little bit of matchmaking going on: Maleha, Lucas---Lucas, Maleha :) Both Amelia and Kaiwan are amazing people, and I'm sure that they will be amazing parents as well!
Now to weddings: Congratulations to Sjona and Jason! I worked with Sjona (pronounced "show-na") in Haifa, Israel, at the Baha'i World Centre. She grew up in Chile, but since leaving Israel she went to New Mexico for school. And there was Jason! I've never met Jason, only seeing him in pictures on Sjona's blog, but I know that he must be amazing. Sjona has a real love for life... with a little mischief thrown in. She also has a great laugh, and when people are around her, they are infected with her joy. I'm so happy that you've found a life partner Sjona!
My friend Redeit, who I met in Ethiopia, but had served at the Baha'i World Centre just before I was there, just recently got married as well. She looks absolutely gorgeous! I remember when we were visiting Ethiopia, she was in the midst of exams, and she amazed me with how she would study, pulling all nighters, and still have energy to do stuff during the day! I'm so happy for you Redeit! And Tigistu, you are one lucky man!There have been lots of weddings in the recent past, that I just want to congratulate: Amir and Tahmina, Jarrett and Mutale, Arash and Bahareh, and I'm sure many, many more :)
Congratulations for their engagements go to Corinne and Kevin (no pic yet), Alisa and Chet, and Andre and Zhanna!
And two moms to be: Ailsa and Sieni!
Whew! I'm almost positive there are moments of greatness that have happened to people that I know, and I've totally spaced on mentioning them, but frankly I'm surprised I remembered this much :) I love you all and wish you the best!
Friday, June 02, 2006
An update: article in the New York Times about the situation of the Baha'is in Iran
In a previous post I had mentioned that there were signs of the persecutions on Baha'is in Iran potentially getting worse. I wanted to present an article that appeared in the New York Times yesterday, which lays out how the situation is declining. It mentions towards the end that the US Congress is aiming to make a resolution to speak out against this, and if any American feels so moved, they can contact their representatives in Congress (www.congress.org) to encourage them to support this resolution.
While the article is long, please take the time to read it:
Iran's Bahai Religious Minority Says It Faces Raids and Arrests
June 1, 2006
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The New York Times
Members of the Bahai religious minority in Iran said this week that the government had recently intensified a campaign of arrests, raids and propaganda that was aimed at eradicating their religion in Iran, the country of its birth.
On May 19, Iranian security officials arrested 54 Bahais in the city of Shiraz who were involved in a community service project, many of them in their teens and early 20's, said diplomatic officials and Bahai officials outside of Iran.
They were not charged and all but three were released within six days, these officials said.
It was the largest mass arrest of Bahais since the 1980's, when thousands of them were imprisoned and more than 200 were executed by the new Islamic government.
The developments have alarmed human rights monitors at the United Nations, who say that since December, the government newspaper in Tehran has published more than 30 articles denigrating the Bahai faith even accusing Bahais of sacrificing Muslim children on holy days. The arrests coincided with raids on six Bahai homes, in which notebooks, documents and computers were confiscated. More than 70 other Bahais have been arrested since January 2005 in smaller clusters, and some are still being held, the monitors said.
"We see a pattern emerging that is quite ominous," said Bani Dugal, who represents the Bahai International Community at the United Nations, where religious and some other groups have consultative status. "It's basically trying to create terror in the Bahai community, and also to win over the Iranian population to accept it."
Mohammad Mohammadi, press secretary for Iran's mission to the United Nations, said he had no information about arrests of Bahais and would not be able to respond until Monday because of an Iranian holiday this week.
The Bahais are the largest religious minority in Iran, with about 300,000 members there. There are five million worldwide. They believe that humanity is one race, that men and women are equal and that all religions and prophets are derived from the same source, God.
They have suffered successive waves of persecution in Iran since their faith was founded there in the mid-1800's by a Persian nobleman considered by the Bahais to be a messenger of God. That belief violates the Islamic teaching that God sent many prophets before Muhammad, but none afterward. The Bahai are discriminated against in some other Muslim countries, where they are far less numerous than in Iran.
Unlike Jews and Christians, who have seats in Iran's Parliament set aside for them as religious minorities, Bahais in Iran are considered "unprotected infidels," said Kit Bigelow, director for external affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States. Bahais are not permitted to attend college, work for the government or practice their faith openly.
She called the recent arrests "the latest step in the implementation of a strategy on the part of the Iranian government to eliminate the Bahai community."
Asma Jahangir, the United Nations special rapporteur who monitors freedom of religion for the Commission on Human Rights, announced in March that she had just learned about a confidential letter from the chairman of the command headquarters of Iran's armed forces instructing government agencies to identify all Bahais and monitor their activities.
Ms. Jahangir said the letter was sent on Oct. 29, 2005, on the orders of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ms. Jahangir said in a statement in March that she was concerned that "information gained as a result of such monitoring will be used as a basis for the increased persecution of, and discrimination against, members of the Bahai faith, in violation of international standards."
Mr. Mohammadi, the Iranian press secretary, said he could not confirm whether such a document existed.
Azedah Perry, a Bahai in North Carolina, said that among the 54 arrested in May were 3 of her nieces, ages 17, 18 and 21. She spoke by telephone with her nieces after their release, and said they told her they were interrogated during their six days in prison, but tried to keep their morale up by praying and singing. She said when they were arrested, they were volunteering in a community service project at several public schools. She said they were teaching underprivileged children English, science and mathematics not the Bahai faith and had permission letters from the local Islamic council in their pockets.
Last year, Mrs. Perry's brother-in-law in Shiraz was taken by armed Iranian guards from his home and held for six weeks in a prison in Tehran with several other Bahai men before being released, Mrs. Perry said.
"It's hard to live in such a situation," she said. "You don't know what will happen each day. The day they attacked my sister's house, she was in her bedroom and she saw guards with guns in her backyard."
The United States Congress is considering a resolution that would condemn the Iranian government for repressing Bahais and call on President Bush to make the abuse of Bahais a significant factor in United States foreign policy.
Representative Mark Steven Kirk, an Illinois Republican who co-sponsored the resolution with Representative Tom Lantos of California, said, "My fear is that if the regime leads the country into a confrontation with the West, it will be the cover for a great human rights crime, as happened before."
While the article is long, please take the time to read it:
Iran's Bahai Religious Minority Says It Faces Raids and Arrests
June 1, 2006
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The New York Times
Members of the Bahai religious minority in Iran said this week that the government had recently intensified a campaign of arrests, raids and propaganda that was aimed at eradicating their religion in Iran, the country of its birth.
On May 19, Iranian security officials arrested 54 Bahais in the city of Shiraz who were involved in a community service project, many of them in their teens and early 20's, said diplomatic officials and Bahai officials outside of Iran.
They were not charged and all but three were released within six days, these officials said.
It was the largest mass arrest of Bahais since the 1980's, when thousands of them were imprisoned and more than 200 were executed by the new Islamic government.
The developments have alarmed human rights monitors at the United Nations, who say that since December, the government newspaper in Tehran has published more than 30 articles denigrating the Bahai faith even accusing Bahais of sacrificing Muslim children on holy days. The arrests coincided with raids on six Bahai homes, in which notebooks, documents and computers were confiscated. More than 70 other Bahais have been arrested since January 2005 in smaller clusters, and some are still being held, the monitors said.
"We see a pattern emerging that is quite ominous," said Bani Dugal, who represents the Bahai International Community at the United Nations, where religious and some other groups have consultative status. "It's basically trying to create terror in the Bahai community, and also to win over the Iranian population to accept it."
Mohammad Mohammadi, press secretary for Iran's mission to the United Nations, said he had no information about arrests of Bahais and would not be able to respond until Monday because of an Iranian holiday this week.
The Bahais are the largest religious minority in Iran, with about 300,000 members there. There are five million worldwide. They believe that humanity is one race, that men and women are equal and that all religions and prophets are derived from the same source, God.
They have suffered successive waves of persecution in Iran since their faith was founded there in the mid-1800's by a Persian nobleman considered by the Bahais to be a messenger of God. That belief violates the Islamic teaching that God sent many prophets before Muhammad, but none afterward. The Bahai are discriminated against in some other Muslim countries, where they are far less numerous than in Iran.
Unlike Jews and Christians, who have seats in Iran's Parliament set aside for them as religious minorities, Bahais in Iran are considered "unprotected infidels," said Kit Bigelow, director for external affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States. Bahais are not permitted to attend college, work for the government or practice their faith openly.
She called the recent arrests "the latest step in the implementation of a strategy on the part of the Iranian government to eliminate the Bahai community."
Asma Jahangir, the United Nations special rapporteur who monitors freedom of religion for the Commission on Human Rights, announced in March that she had just learned about a confidential letter from the chairman of the command headquarters of Iran's armed forces instructing government agencies to identify all Bahais and monitor their activities.
Ms. Jahangir said the letter was sent on Oct. 29, 2005, on the orders of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ms. Jahangir said in a statement in March that she was concerned that "information gained as a result of such monitoring will be used as a basis for the increased persecution of, and discrimination against, members of the Bahai faith, in violation of international standards."
Mr. Mohammadi, the Iranian press secretary, said he could not confirm whether such a document existed.
Azedah Perry, a Bahai in North Carolina, said that among the 54 arrested in May were 3 of her nieces, ages 17, 18 and 21. She spoke by telephone with her nieces after their release, and said they told her they were interrogated during their six days in prison, but tried to keep their morale up by praying and singing. She said when they were arrested, they were volunteering in a community service project at several public schools. She said they were teaching underprivileged children English, science and mathematics not the Bahai faith and had permission letters from the local Islamic council in their pockets.
Last year, Mrs. Perry's brother-in-law in Shiraz was taken by armed Iranian guards from his home and held for six weeks in a prison in Tehran with several other Bahai men before being released, Mrs. Perry said.
"It's hard to live in such a situation," she said. "You don't know what will happen each day. The day they attacked my sister's house, she was in her bedroom and she saw guards with guns in her backyard."
The United States Congress is considering a resolution that would condemn the Iranian government for repressing Bahais and call on President Bush to make the abuse of Bahais a significant factor in United States foreign policy.
Representative Mark Steven Kirk, an Illinois Republican who co-sponsored the resolution with Representative Tom Lantos of California, said, "My fear is that if the regime leads the country into a confrontation with the West, it will be the cover for a great human rights crime, as happened before."
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