Pedals to petals
Iranian couple bikes the world to plant seeds of peace

By GRETCHEN R. CROWE
Catholic Herald Staff Writer

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Thanks to the efforts of Iranian bicyclists Jafar Edrisi and Nasim Yousefi, the blossoms of a newly planted Yoshino Cherry tree will bloom and flutter to the ground outside St. Martin de Porres Senior Center for springs to come. Planted on a small embankment, the tree will serve as a constant reminder of the desire for peace and the concern for the environment the Iranian couple is traveling around the world to promote.
Husband and wife Edrisi, 30, and Yousefi, 28, have been on a bike trip since leaving Iran last April, and have cycled more than 6,500 km (4,038 miles) through nine countries. Their mission: to spread a message of peace and environmental conservation to all the nations they visit and to plant at least one tree at every stop. Those stops have included Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and finally, the United States. Edrisi and Yousefi crossed the U.S. border via Canada in mid-November.
At the Alexandria center last Tuesday morning, Edrisi broke through the cold January ground with a pick axe while Yousefi shook hands and addressed the gathered crowd, explaining their mission to the center’s participants.
They are bringing “a message of peace and friendship from the people of Iran to other countries,” Yousefi said. “We are so happy that (St. Martin) is a part of our green line around the world.”
The cherry tree, similar to those around the Tidal Basin in Washington, was donated by Merrifield Garden Centers.
Edrisi and Yousefi have planted trees all along the East Coast, including New York, Philadelphia and Washington. They have hosted events and workshops at universities and high schools, and have joined peace and interfaith communities in peace walks, vigils and gatherings.
Traveling via bikes helps attract attention, Yousefi said. The couple bike about 70 miles each day, depending on the weather and terrain. Everything they need is carried with them, including their clothing, food and a tent. They avoid using hotels, and any kind of gas or other energy.
“We can travel very cheaply to promote peace,” Yousefi said.
While in the United States, Edrisi and Yousefi are being supported by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), which is helping to connect the pair with people in different communities as they travel. For nearly 90 years, FOR has worked to prevent war and support peace, said Ethan Vesely-Flad, co-director of communications.
“At this time when there are great tensions between our two governments … we want to counter that by building relationships with people,” he said. “There’s nothing that really changes people’s hearts like meeting people like Nasim and Jafar. It’s really these types of experiences that make the difference in terms of letting people know that Iranians … are people like you and me who care about peace and a safe environment to live in.”
The cyclists’ local contact was Amad A. Avin, the owner of an Old Town Alexandria toy store who happened to see Yousefi and Edrisi’s story on TV. He immediately went online to make contact with them, and has been in constant communication with them for the last few months.
“I fell in love with these guys,” Avin said.
Avin’s in-laws are participants of the senior center, which put him in touch with Carol Augustine, program director of St. Martin. Augustine described the center as a “mini United Nations,” where people from more than 40 countries come together for events.
“Our center exemplifies the world and the love that can actually be generated throughout the world,” Augustine said. “We’re all God’s children. We’re all praying for peace.”
Following their stop in Northern Virginia, the couple heads south and west (including stops in Richmond and Virginia Beach), then across the Pacific to Japan, Korea, China, India and Pakistan before finally returning to Iran.
Gretchen R. Crowe can be reached at gcrowe@catholicherald.com.

On the Web
rmc4peace.com
Forpeace.net

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