Hassan Alizaden and Amir Hossein carry a scrapbook of newspaper clippings wherever they go. Inside, there are articles in many different languages, from many different countries. They\'re written in Arabic, Spanish, French, and English, but each one tells the same tale of heroic perseverance.
Two years ago, these two Iranian men began a long journey to celebrate peace and understanding. They have pledged to ride their bicycles around the world to bring awareness to their cause. In Alizaden\'s words, \"I want to make a small contribution. People will see us and be reminded of peace.\" On September 11, 2002, they were in New York City, trying to bring some solace to a city still racked with painful memories.
Two years into their monumental trip, Alizaden and Hossein have pedaled more than 23,000 kilometers, or approxamately 14,000 miles. Starting from their home in Tehran, Iran, they have ridden through Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and Canada, finally arriving here in the United States. Local Iranian communities donated what they could to fund the project, but when it ran out, the men had to find more creative ways to continue their journey. Alizaden said, \"In order to get by, we sometimes had to work in different countries.\"
The pair has received warm welcomes wherever they\'ve gone. And then, while riding through San Diego, they received the news that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center. As Hossein recalled, \"September 11th effected the project in terms of publicity. No one wanted to cover us anymore. I think the newspapers didn\'t want to contradict themselves.\"
Despite the current war drive, Alizaden says, \"American reaction is very good. I think that most of these tensions are between states, not people.\" But they could not deny that there was a dramatic shift in the way the world looked at peace. \"The world has deteriorated since September 11. We saw civil wars on our way, and very serious problems in Pakistan and Indonesia, and now there are new tensions in these countries.\" Alizaden said. \"But we will not be discouraged. Victory belongs to those who persevere.\"
Recently, a new obstacle to their mission has arisen. Bush\'s drive for war against Iraq (See article on page ##) has greatly intensified. Despite Iran and Iraq\'s tragic history of war, the peace cyclists still look at the situation as a crisis between states, not people. Hossein put the issue in perspective, saying, \"Saddam Hussein is a criminal. He caused death on both sides, and he must be removed. But I hope that as this is done, there should be no harm to the Iraqi people.\" The cyclists believe that war is not the answer.
Soon, they will ride out of the US, on to Mexico and South America to continue to spread awareness of peace. They have two more years before they return to Tehran, and a well-deserved rest, but they left us with a few words. \"I truly hope you can help build a society that will cause the rest of the world to love America.\" Alizaden said. Hossein echoed these sentiments, saying, \"regardless of religious differences, we are all humans. We should not allow these differences to divide us.\"
And another article is added to their scrapbook. They will be adding more words, in more languages as they move through South America and Africa, and in the end, the book will look a lot like what the world should be. All different languages, all talking about a peaceful world.
Bio: Christopher is treasurer of the Borough Manhattan Community College Club and Contributing Editor of Dynamic.
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