AKRON, Pa. – A delegation from six U.S. and
Canadian Mennonite universities visited Iran from Oct. 4 to 10 to explore
opportunities for academic collaboration with Iranian universities.
Iranian university officials expressed particular
interest in academic exchanges related to peace, justice, conflict and religion,
according to several members of the delegation.
Sommer said she hopes that such exchanges can
contribute to peace between Iran and the U.S. despite high tensions between
governments. She noted that many Iranians fear a military attack by the U.S. or
its allies, and many Americans would be afraid to travel to Iran.
"There's nothing scary about going there," she
said.
The delegation's visit is part of MCC's ongoing
work to build relationships between people in Iran and the West.
Iranian educators are
particularly interested in fostering future interactions between Iranian and
North American students. Part of the rationale is to combat harmful stereotypes
between Iran and the West
clipped from: www.payvand.com 
