Head of Allameh University: Students No Longer Interested in Political Activity

The head of one of Iran's largest universities, located in Tehran, believes that students in Iran are no longer particularly "interested" in political activity. According to him, the lack of freedom of expression may be one of the reasons for this. Hossein Salimi, the president of Allameh Tabatabai University, cited multiple factors contributing to this disinterest, one of which may be "concern over freedom of expression." He stated that at Allameh Tabatabai University, there is no longer the "necessary desire for political activities" and that "about 60 to 70 percent of the programs of student organizations that receive permits from the supervisory board do not take place." This university official explicitly mentioned that despite permits being issued for "almost all" requests from various student organizations, "less than half of the permits granted to student organizations lead to actual programs." Salimi explained that it seems a specific type of political activity has run its course in the social atmosphere, and expressing political issues in an emotional and crisis-driven manner is not in high demand in social arenas. He also pointed out that "social and public problems" and "concern over freedom of expression" influence this issue. He added, "However, experience has shown that if the red lines of any society are respected in political activities, no problems arise for anyone in this regard." Salimi claimed, "Experience has shown that when some of the red lines in students' political activities are crossed, the situation slips out of the university's management and into the hands of other institutions, creating problems in the future." Student organizations in Iran were particularly active during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, but the security forces' crackdown on student activists under the pretext of crossing these "red lines," issuing heavy judicial sentences against them, and strictness in the university environment have cooled the academic atmosphere in Iran. Over the years, a significant number of active students have been "starred" due to their activities and have been barred from continuing their education, although efforts were made to reinstate them in universities with the coming of Hassan Rouhani's government. In the most recent widespread security crackdown on students in Iran, which coincided with the widespread protests of the people in December 2017, many students who did not even participate in protests within the university were arrested under the guise of "preventive detention." Judicial sentences have been issued for some of these individuals, while others are awaiting trial. Recently, the "Justice-Seeking Student Assembly of Tehran University," composed of students loyal to the Islamic Republic, sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asking him to participate in the "Student Day" ceremony at Tehran University to answer students' questions about the regime's forty-year performance and main policies. However, pressures on this aligned organization increased to the extent that they retreated from their request.