Exiled Iranian poet in Israel: This is the best place on Earth
Exiled Iranian poet in Israel: This is the best place on Earth
The exiled Iranian poet, Payam Feili, arrived in Israel on Sunday to launch the Hebrew version of his new book “Three Reasons” and to attend the premier of an Israeli-produced adaptation of the work.
In an interview with Channel 10 Monday, Feili, who sports a tattoo of a Star of David on his neck, said he has an inexplicable attraction to Israel.
“For me, this is the best place on Earth and the most beautiful,” he said.
“The Iranian people do not hate Israel just like the Israeli people do not hate Iran,” he went on.
Feili was granted an entry visa into Israel by Interior Minister Silvan Shalom last week.
The openly gay 30-year-old has been living in Turkey for over a year, having been forced into exile from Iran after numerous arrests, threats, censorship and run-ins with the Iran’s conservative Revolutionary Guards.
Feili’s final arrest before his departure from Iran consisted of him being forced to sit in a shipping container for 44 days, according to the PEN American Center, a group working to advance free expression and defend writers.
The poet has been known for his support of Israel’s people and society, including the country’s relative openness to homosexuality in a region where gays are frequently persecuted.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/exiled-iranian-poet-in-israel-this-is-the-best-place-on-earth/
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