More on Clashes in Amir Kabir University
Posted by KamangirMay 1
More news is coming out of Amir Kabir University (AKU) (for the background see this post).
The whole story began when three articles were distributed on the campus, published on papers which held logos of student publications. The titles of these stories were “No One is Sacred”, “Black Crows [referring to Chador-wearing women]“, and “Where You can find More Prostitutes”. There is a strong belief that the four publications which carried these articles were fake, manufactured by Basij to produce a pretext for attacking student movement (remember how AKU students treated Ahmadinejad last December). According to the personal blog of a person close to Basij, the first article includes these sentences,
Democracy and freedom are not cheap and will not happen just by themselves. Today is the time and tomorrow is too late. We have to rise and we have to overthrow those who fool people in thinking they are sacred [referring to the supreme leader]. Yes! We must rise and we must establish a pure democracy!
This article has reportedly included the cartoon shown to the right. The picture shown here is adopted from a pro-Basij website which has blurred the scan. The author of the second article writes,
I believe too that Chador-wearing girls are not acting reasonably. What is the reason behind covering yourself up in black cloth…This outfit however has a psychological meaning because these girls are quite frequently very ugly…they envy other beautiful girls and so push them to wear the Chador.
The third article reads,
These days the streets of the capital city of the Islamic Republic are quite fascinating. Wherever you go, there are policewomen who argue with girls whom are wearing outfits which the administration does not like. When the policewomen fail to argue with the girls they transfer them to police stations….Before they start to search into our underwear we have to come up with a solution.
Many sources, including Baztab, which has no affiliation to the student groups, have called the event suspicious. A short while after the copies were distributed, Basij members attacked the students and the offices of the publications. The also published a statement which ends with,
There is no doubt that the ineffective administration of the university and the ministry of science have to expel, arrest, and announce the names of those who have committed these actions, as well as their aides, to the Judiciary and all anti-revolutionary publications have to be banned. Any failure in doing so will result in martyr-seeking engagement of Muslim and revolutionary students in the scene of this religious war [translation of a Shia phrase the statement uses].
Following these events, the university administration banned all student publications and promised to prosecute the students. AKU student sources say the administration is working on one of their members they have arrested last week to show up in a television show and confess that they had planned what a pro-Ahmadinejad website calls a political suicide. Kayhan, the state-run ultra-right newspaper, has already started talking about conspiracies. According to student sources, Intelligence personnel have confiscated a computer which belonged to the activist students. If this goes according to the typical pace of events in the IR, we have to wait for more arrests or even an announcement of “enemy conspiracies”. Pictures of the event can be seen here, here, and here.
In the latest development, Fars reports that today has been announced as a public mourning day in AKU and all classes are closed. Also, groups of “students” are approaching AKU for protesting the articles. Finally, the Iranian cartoonist, Nikahang Kowsar, has found the source of the cartoon. What is called to be a cartoon of the supreme leader is in fact one of his drawings of Ayatollah Jannati (seen to the right).
“Violent-seekers have conquered the university”
“Down With Dictator”
“Freedom Must Survive”
“They want to destroy Freedom”
“The School is behind the Bars”
Nice observation, thanks.
Nice report, good job.
Good informative post! Keep it up.
Thanks so much for referring to the main source of the cartoon and thanks to Nikahang. Hope this would help the students. I know I as an Iranian am so pro conspiracy theory, but what’s going on is so strange that I can not stop thinking may be someone does all this to overthrow Ahmadinejad. I can not believe him to be this fool and make mess everywhere.
Thanks so much for referring to the main source of the cartoon and also thanks to Nikahang. Hope this would help the students.
City Boy,
Thanks.
potkin azarmehr,
Thanks.
Great round up of news!
Hundreds of Iranians took part on Tuesday in a demonstration in Tehran to mark labour day, accusing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government of failing to improve their working conditions.
The workers converged on a stadium in central Tehran in the officially sanctioned demonstration to mark May Day but were dispersed by anti-riot police when the march moved out into the street, witnesses said.
“Some 600 workers demonstrated at the exit to the stadium and shouted slogans against the minister of labour,” Mohammad Jahromi, the semi-official labour news agency Ilna reported.
“Incapable minister. Resign!”, “Government, parliament, stop your slogans and act,” and “Death to the oppressors”, the protestors shouted, according to the agency.
Scuffles followed when anti-riot police dispersed the demonstration as people moved into the street outside the stadium, just south of Haft-e Tir Square, a major Tehran traffic nexus.
Witnesses told AFP that they hoisted a coffin symbolising their demands which the police then tried to break but the demonstration dispersed without any major clashes.
State television’s main afternoon news bulletin also reported that hundreds of people took part in the march and broadcast comments from unnamed workers complaining about their conditions.
“We are pursuing the workers’ legal demands. We expect the officials and the government to follow up on our demand,” said one, while another fumed: “I have worked for 21 years and am now unemployed, what should I do?”
“This is the workers’ situation: no job security, very low wages and numerous problems,” said a third man.
Low-earning workers and civil servants in have been especially hard hit by a sharp rise in prices of staple foods and services over the past months.
Ahmadinejad rose to power in elections two years ago on the back of a wave of support from poorer sector of society generated by his promises to make all Iranians benefit from the country’s oil wealth.
But the country continues to be dogged by low salaries and unemployment for its overwhelmingly youthful population.
A member of parliament’s social commission, Moussal-Reza Servati, said earlier this week that the number of Iranians living under the poverty line had increased by 13 percent to 12 million — more than one in seven people.
The demonstration came after hundreds of teachers held three protests outside Iran’s parliament in April, resulting in the arrest of a dozen education union leaders from Tehran and the central city of Hamedan.
Iran’s teachers are due to mark their national day on Wednesday and Ahmadinejad at a ceremony in Tehran called on the education ministry “to remove teachers’ problems”, state television reported.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070501/wl_mideast_afp/iranmaydaylabourdemo_070501121802
On Poverty in Iran and new Draconian Labor laws in Iran
[...] reports that more news is coming out of Amir Kabir University (AKU).The whole story began when three [...]
Interesting. Thanks for the well-written post, Kamangir.
[...] including Basij, did try to interrupt the elections. The elections come right after the recent phony article crisis in the most political university of Iran, Amir Kabir. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social [...]
[...] 2: Kamangir has a rather comprehensive report of what has been going on behind the [...]
Thanks for the information. I believe that this is referring to the same event that was covered by Inter Press Service on 5/11/07, Politics-Iran: Campus Cartoons Trigger Wave of Suppression (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37693). This is now posted, along with the IPS article, on If You Knew… on GNN (http://www.gnn.tv/articles/3086/If_you_knew) and at the This is Hell radio show’s website, http://www.thisishell.net/
[...] May, a group of students were arrested in Amir Kabir University (AKU), following the suspicious distribution of student newsletter which [...]
At the age of shah people said that Shah put one policeman for every Iranian . That was exaggerated; actually our government wants do that really for students. They want to put 40% bassigis in universities. That means one policeman for one student.
This is because they think students do not follow up what they dictate. They see that they have too much initiatives that can be controlled by officials authorities. They see they change when entered in University.
But what they do not understand is that is the nature of science, the nature of thinking and the force of logic that make students change. The basgigies also will change by the same means. And they will bring the new ideas of change into their families; what will destroy the army of old fashion thinking.
As you know Amikabir University had always Amir Kabir sprit with him. You can fill Ami Kabir spirit in every part. Every Amirkabir student is a small Amir Kabir. Every student stands to defend his country, his interest his values his personality.
When our dear bassigies come you welcome them. You explain that all you are children of the same country be kind with them. Explain that you all want the best for all Iranian people and all bassigies. We are not 2 nations. Our deference is only deference of some knowledge. In University we will have the same knowledge we will have same instrument of science and logics. And at the end we will be all a little Amir Kabir and we will in the service of our country and people.
The governments can put one basigies for every students but can not make a wall between them. He can not put every student chair in a cage there is no impermeabilities for ideas. No body mind is impermeable to new ideas.
My dear Molaahs we did every think to make you happy. Do you like all tasty food that we prepared for you. We do not have enough food at our tables. Do you like the beautiful houses that we bought for your children in Canada, London , Los Angeles. We do not have 2 rooms to get married. Do you like all that we did for you. We are now all poor. But we are sorry this time problem dose not come from us. Comes from every mathematic equation. Every geometry problem, every particle in an atoms … every thing that has some how a logic any things that made by logic of god.
My dear Molahs you should now be able to put every mathematic equation in prison.
every geometry problem in prison,
every atom in prison
every thing that have relation to logic in prison,
You should put every logic thing in prison
you should put logic of god in prison
You should put god in prison.
Prepare now your prisons…