Academic isolation

Defending freedom in Iran's universities

Balatarin
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Academic isolation
by Ali Gorji
04-Nov-2009
 

On 15 June 2009, riot police and militia attacked the University of Tehran student dormitory, causing extensive damage, injuring 150 students, and killing at least one. This was just the latest example of brutal repression by the governments in power as a response to civil rights activism at Iranian universities.

In the first prominent example of this repression, three students were shot dead in December 1953 after protests against the visit by then–vice president Nixon to Iran (this event occurred after the CIA-backed coup in August of that year, which overthrew a democratically elected government and reinstated the Shah). Similar repression occurred at Iranian universities in 1978. In 1999, after a peaceful demonstration protesting the banning of a pro-reform newspaper, several students were sentenced to death for provoking civil unrest (the sentence was commuted to 15 years imprisonment following domestic and international outcry).

The latest attack on Tehran University dormitory was followed by attacks on other universities such as Esfehan and Shiraz; arrested students remain in custody and information about those who were wounded or detained is unavailable. After about 4 months, Iranian authorities failed to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the attacks and leaving the issues in a haze of ambiguity. Recently, they expelled many students from Tehran Dormitory.

Over the past 4 years, Iran’s universities have grown increasingly unhappy with the rigid academic as well as social restrictions established by the fundamentalists who run the government. Iran’s university movement remains largely frustrated due to lack of leadership, and lack of support from the universities themselves (most senior officials of which are appointed by the government).

Iranian student and academic movements have been pessimistic as to the support they might hope for from Western colleagues. Western universities and international scholarly societies should grasp the opportunity to rebuild trust with their Iranian colleagues by expressing their solidarity and support for Iran's universities and condemning the government's violence against them. However, nothing is more important in the days and weeks ahead than for Western governments to refuse to recognize conservative and fundamentalist

Ahmadinejad as the next president of the Iran. If Western governments recognize him, as they did with the Shah, it will be a major setback to the current civil rights movement and lead to the further isolation of Iran's scientists and academics. If the West shakes Ahmadinejad’s hand now, it will be decades before Iran's scientists and students will be able to freely shake the hands of their counterparts in the West.

After overwhelming pressure on universities in last few months, hundreds of students have staged an anti-government demonstration at several universities in Tehran last week. This shows that freedom movement of Iranian universities is still alive.

AUTHOR

Prof. Ali Gorji, Institut für Physiologie, Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany. E-mail: gorjial@uni-muenster.de. This essay was first published in Science, 23 October 2009.

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Passing Through

Dear yolanda

by Passing Through on Thu Nov 05, 2009 09:51 PM PST

I would like you to know that I appreciate greatly the wonderful and kind spirit that you demonstrate at this site.

I have read many of your comments all across this site. I have noticed that you always have a kind word to say, and that almost always, you try to lift people's spirits up.

As an Iranian man, I wish more of my Iranian Brothers And Sisters Demonstrated such an approach. Anyway, after reading your kind comment, I decided to write this piece:

The Value Of Conviction – Standing Up For One’s Principles

It's very much in accord with what Professor Gorji is saying - I Hope You Enjoy It :)

Tks Again

 

 


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yolanda

.......

by yolanda on Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:59 PM PST

Thank you, Passing through, for your super kind words. I did the least work, only sending some e-mail, which did not even burn any calories! :O))

Thank you!  You are a great poet or poetess. I read your beautiful poems before. Thank you!!!

yolanda


  •  
yolanda

.......

by yolanda on Fri Nov 06, 2009 01:07 AM PST

1) Thank you, Professor Gorji, for taking time away from your busy schedule to write this beautiful letter. Fighting IRI requires multiple measures and from multiple fronts: on the streets, in the media, on the Internet, etc

2) Thank you, Bahram G, for recommending this letter to the Iranian.comers. Science magazine is a super technical journal. For me, personally, I don't have enough education to understand the content of the journal.....apparently, you are a thorough reader, you read everything including the "Letters to editor" section, so you spotted Professor Gorji''s letter, and you heard the calling to bring the letter here to the Iranian.comers....thank you!

3) Thank you, JJ. I learned something about you from the last few days that you do keep your promise! That is a great attribute!! :O)))

4) Thank you, Science magazine, for publishing Professor's letter for free! Your support for the brave iranians means the world to us!!! Iranian people did not get the respect from their own government and their people are brutalized. Thank you for giving them for a voice to speak out the injustice in their homeland!

thanks,

yolanda


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Passing Through

Dear Bahram and yolanda

by Passing Through on Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:00 PM PST

I would like to thank both of you for making the Publication of this wonderful letter possible. I remember reading in Bahram's blog during the past weekend, regarding your  combined and absolutely admirable efforts of first securing the letter itself, and then requesting and convincing Jahanshah Javid, the Publisher,  to publish it.

Well Done To Both Of You, And Also Thanks To Jahanshah For Its Publication,

Sincerely,

PT

 


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Passing Through

Dear Professor Gorji

by Passing Through on Thu Nov 05, 2009 02:18 PM PST

I would like to thank you for this well-expressed letter, outlining in detail the plight of the Iranian Students.

As many know, this regime in Iran is Totally And Completely Illegitimate. For the past several months, Ahmadinejad and the rest of the bunch, have tried incessantly to show the World that everything is normal in Iran - All To No Avail!

I would like to state emphatically that their desperation is obvious. That, together with the breach and division that has occurred among the leadership of the Islamic Republic, fueleed by the anger of the people due to the Fraudulent Elections, will ultimately lead to the downfall of this regime.

The Genuine Grass-Roots Movement in Iran That Came About After The Fraudulent Elections, is demanding Human Rights, together with the Establishment Of A Secular Democracy. The initial demand for their votes to be properly counted, has been transcended by these other issues.

Let's Hope And Pray That Their Dreams And Demands Would Indeed Come To Pass. Our Brothers And Sisters In Iran Indeed Deserve Much Better Than This,

Again, Tks For This Letter,

Sincerely,

PT

 

 


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Bahram G

Thanks to you, Yolanda, and JJ

by Bahram G on Thu Nov 05, 2009 06:38 AM PST

Yolanda. Ali Gorji definitely needs to be thanked. Getting a letter of that size published gratis in Science is almost impossible. Millions of people, all over the world, would get to read this well-composed and moving plea. It is bound to have a significant impact. So, Ali Gorji  and all people of influence must speak up on behalf of our people in Iran.

Now, you must be thanked for taking what I had spotted to the next level. And it was you who got the letter to JJ to place it prominently here on IC. So, all three of you have my gratitude and the gratitude of our greatly-suffering Iranian academics.

JJ, thanks for pushing the work of freedom for all.

Bahram G


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yolanda

......

by yolanda on Wed Nov 04, 2009 04:41 PM PST

Thank you, Bahram G, for spotting this letter on Science magazine!

thanks,

 


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