In Iran, a New Year Begins, Amid Old Patterns

We are glad to hear from Odi again. Thanks, Odi, for this important message:

On Thursday, March 13th at 5 p.m., families and friends gathered together outside the walls of Evin Prison in Iran, to celebrate the Persian New Year, the Nowruz. However, it was not a celebration, rather a medium through which to tell the people that they are not forgotten.

Evin Prison is particularly famous because of its political prisoners. It is a place of detention, torture and execution, where people are continuously beaten, and from where some never come out. Bodies of dead detainees are not even given back to their families; instead, they are displaced in the so-called “unknown places,” whose address is made known to the families only at a later moment when they can go there to grieve, but not give them a proper funeral. 

Despite the campaign promises of the new president, Hassan Rohani, since his election in 2013, human rights violations are worsening in Iran. Stirring hope and expectations, Rohani said he would give freedom to political prisoners, but in the 10 months since he came to power, more executions have taken place than during the entire presidency of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was in charge from 2005 to 2013.  

It has not always been this way. Actually, there was a time when Iran was a leader in promoting and protecting human rights. Indeed, it was Cyrus the Great, the first Achaemenid Emperor, who set the world’s first Charter of Human Rights. His words, carved in stone more than 2500 years ago on the Cyrus the Great Cylinder, express his respect for humanity, promoting religious tolerance and freedom. 

Hopefully, this will not be the last testimony of such a great past.

The Forum - What It Can Do for You

We are grateful to Dave for sharing this personal account of how he came to learn about The Forum, as well as his first impressions of the organization. 

A friend of ours enthusiastically and positively spoke about an organisation named "The Forum." He explained how this organisation helped his relative whose condition was desperate. After getting in touch with The Forum, he received practical help and advice and was finally enrolled in school. Because of the hardship that we are going through, our friend suggested that we get in touch with one of the staff and passed onto us the contact details. He added as a way of concluding: "Do not hesitate! Go there. You will see, and you will say I was right!"  

So, we said, "Let's give it a try and see what will happen." Therefore, we sent an email and called The Forum. Straightaway, we were given an appointment! On the very day, at that first meeting, we saw that The Forum was more than a charitable organisation. Rather, it is a place where you can express yourself and meet for a discussion. And at the second appointment, we discovered that they have an Internet discussion group for participants with common interests! 

People here are friendly and very helpful. They do not tell you, "Go, we will do this and do that…." What was so impressive for us was that they act straightaway. At once, they start their advocating work, making calls to different services. 
We were to attend an assessment at Atos, and they sent someone to accompany us there to make sure the assessment was fair!
    

Our problems are not yet resolved, but we at least have a relief knowing that out there, there are people who really are devoted to helping migrants, refugees and other asylum seekers. We do not feel alone anymore in our struggle! 

2014 Kicks Off with a Slew of Activities

Thanks to Bamidele for telling us about the activities that have been keeping members of The Forum busy these last few months.

Recently, there have been a lot of heart-warming activities at The Forum, located at 2 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove in West London, welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to London.

Among these activities are Poetry Group on Wednesdays and Cultural Fridays with Camila and the Evropska Duo (a talented classical violin duo) for live world music. But the most fascinating to me is poem and stories time, which is dished out to heartbroken and low-mood refugees and asylum seekers every Wednesday between 12 and 1 p.m.

I have enjoyed a lot of poems and stories from the co-ordinator and presenter of this incredible poetry group, Mr. Valentine, and I believe other people that have been attending have also had a good taste in the wonderful sixty minutes with him.

One of my most wonderful times spent was towards the beginning of this year, when I attended Poetry Group, and Eternity by William Blake was one of the first poems that has ever touched my heart.

Eternity by William Blake

He who binds himself to a joy

Does the winged life destroy;

But he who kisses the joy as it flies

Lives in eternity's sun rise

This four-line poem teaches us that human beings should not be expecting that life will be perfect and ideal; there is always a danger associated with constant joy. But anyone that takes life as it comes will definitely live longer and witness a good part of it.

Sharing the Stage with the Ancients

Louie had this photo taken at the V&A Museum. 
He says that he is "sharing the stage with the ancients." 
These European emperors are here because they achieved something. 
It's nice to think about what we can do in this world to make a difference.  

What Is Real Freedom?

This photo was taken by Mohsen by a small park in Hammersmith. 
This man did not move for half an hour, and Mohsen wondered what caused 
him to be so lost in contemplation. The photo tries to explore what is real freedom.

Christmas and New Year's at The Forum:

Thanks to Volunteer Advisor Nyla for sharing with us this account of The Forum's uplifting holiday party: 

Monday, 16th December, 2013 was a joyous day at The Forum. We celebrated Christmas and New Year's together with our members, who joined us on this festive occasion. It was a day filled with fun, food and laughter, and also a brilliant choir performance from our music group. 

The choir was not restricted to the members of the music group, but all members of the Forum were welcome to join in and sing along with the band. Many people actually did join in, and it was really good to see them smiling and performing together. 

We also had a large variety of food and drinks, which everyone relished, as well as goody bags, as a thank you gesture for each member. It was a nice and warm atmosphere, where everyone was wishing each other well and getting to know each other better.

It was a great event that served as the perfect excuse to catch up with friends at The Forum, as well as to share happiness during this festive period of the year.

How Islam Made Me a Feminist

Many thanks to the talented Zena Agha, daughter of fellow Home Away From Home contributor Jeena, for sharing these personal and insightful reflections on Feminism and Islam as part of a recent TEDxTalk at Warwick Salon. 

YouTube bio: At 17, Zena was the youngest member of Operation Black Vote's MP Shadowing Scheme, campaigning for a boycott of Israeli Settlement foodstuffs in Westminster, as well as Deputy Member of Youth Parliament. Part of her extensive community work includes running poetry workshops, and she was shortlisted for the London Mayor's Young Person Peace Prize. Zena founded and co-ordinates Warwick University's biggest spoken word collective 'Shoot from the Lip,' running poetry slam nights, and was awarded funding from the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund. Media credits include BBC Arabic and the BBC World Service, and she created and produced Operation Black Vote's Power of Poetry project. 


In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = an independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations).