Scientific Jihad and the Major Problem of Unmotivated Basij Students

The 'Martyr Baqeri' headquarters, affiliated with the Basij Student Organization, has published an internal booklet examining the obstacles to the success of 'scientific jihad' in universities despite repeated recommendations from Ali Khamenei to Basij professors and students regarding the necessity of serious attention to this issue. According to the statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, the main culprits of what is termed 'scientific backwardness' in Iran are 'pseudo-intellectuals or certain Westernized elites' who are 'intimidated' by the West and eager to Westernize, with their pens and tongues 'purchased' by Westerners. This information is presented in the strategic-educational booklet 'Scientific Jihad and the Role of Student Organizations' published by the 'Martyr Baqeri' headquarters, which has been formed by a group of officials and activists from recent years of the Basij Student Organization in universities. In addition to publishing this booklet, the headquarters implements many of the programs of the IRGC and Basij in universities and has published numerous texts about the nuclear program and elections. After blaming Iranian intellectuals for the current state of humanities and applied sciences in the country, the 'Martyr Baqeri' headquarters also addresses the 'lack of motivation', 'lack of ideas', and 'laziness' of Basij forces in this situation. The booklet explicitly criticizes the excuses that Basij students use to avoid entering the realm of 'scientific jihad' despite Khamenei's recommendations to take this matter seriously. The authors of this booklet clearly state that their goal in preparing this text is to respond to the excuses of Basij students who are indifferent to 'scientific jihad', such as 'we cannot' and that scientific work is 'beneath the dignity of revolutionary activism'. The strategic-educational booklet 'Scientific Jihad and the Role of Student Organizations' studies and analyzes Khamenei's statements regarding science, scientific work, and student activism from the beginning of his leadership until 2014, and also includes interviews with active student organizations and records of their experiences, discussions with 'experts on scientific jihad' at various levels, as well as analysis and summarization by the authors. The compilers of the booklet introduce the discussed experts as Vahid Jalili (Chairman of the Policy Council of the Ammar Film Festival), Attaollah Beigzadeh (former head of the Basij Student Organization at Imam Sadiq University), Sadegh Shahbazi (student activist and former secretary of the Justice-Seeking Student Movement), Alireza Maadi (former head of the Basij Student Organization at the Faculty of Social Sciences), Ali Hassanzadeh (former head of the Basij Student Organization and CEO of the Industrial Policy Studies Center at Amirkabir University), Mohammad Siyarpoor (scientific head of the Basij Student Organization), and Sajjad Mousavi (head of the Health Center of the Basij Student Organization at Tehran University). The booklet 'Scientific Jihad and the Role of Student Organizations' is divided into seven chapters: 'Historical Causes of Scientific Backwardness in Iran', 'Necessity and Priority of Scientific Jihad', 'Model of Scientific Jihad in Student Organizations', 'Specialized Engagement with National Issues', 'Software Movement', 'Supplementary Notes on the Model', and 'Requirements and Considerations of Scientific Jihad'. In the first chapter, the compilers discuss the 'historical causes of scientific backwardness in Iran' based on the Supreme Leader's statements, starting with issues such as 'the attempt by Westerners to separate science and religion in Iran', 'Western tricks for scientific domination over the world', and 'the role of pseudo-intellectuals in the scientific backwardness of the country'. The key points presented in this chapter, which reflect the Basij Student Organization's view of the concept of intellectualism in the country, include accusations against Iranian intellectuals, such as 'pseudo-intellectuals or certain Westernized elites completing the puzzle for Western domination over nations' and identifying 'intellectuals or elites intimidated by the West or eager to Westernize' as the main culprits of scientific backwardness in Iran. It is also claimed in this chapter that 'the pens and tongues' of some intellectuals and elites have 'essentially been purchased by Western agencies'. The actions of Iranian intellectuals are categorized by the compilers of this booklet as follows: first, 'instilling a sense of worthlessness and self-abandonment in the nation'; second, 'instilling fear and weakening morale'; third, 'promoting the belief that we cannot'; and fourth, 'selling the dignity and identity of the nation for nothing'. All of the above points are prepared based on the opinions and statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. The second chapter of the booklet, which is dedicated to the necessity and priority of 'scientific jihad', explains the importance of this 'jihad' in achieving authority and reference and the reasons for the necessity of student organizations' entry into this field, detailing the 'blessings and benefits' that will arise from it for universities, and addressing Khamenei's criticisms of the performance of Western scientific centers as well as the advantages of scientific work in universities to counter Western scientific texts. Chapter three, titled 'Model of Scientific Jihad in Student Organizations', examines the nature of this type of 'jihad' and attempts to provide a comprehensive model so that each value-based organization in any university or faculty can 'tailor a garment of scientific jihad to itself and design its operational plan by localizing the comprehensive model'. Chapter four, named 'Specialized Engagement with National Issues', also presents practical steps for the 'missions of scientific jihad' and states that specialized engagement with national issues should be advanced step by step. The compilers suggest forming specialized teams of interested students in a field, holding regular brainstorming and critique sessions, inviting deep and specialized individuals, and monitoring events and developments in specialized fields to achieve this mission. The booklet also identifies tools for 'specialized advocacy and public discourse' as 'inviting officials to universities to listen to students', 'media space-making', 'holding university and courtyard programs', 'gatherings', 'sit-ins inside and outside the university', and 'publishing newsletters and producing cultural products'. The 'Martyr Baqeri' headquarters of the Basij Student Organization also introduces the 'software movement' as a precursor to localizing science, stating that student organizations should 'initiate a movement and campaign to critique imported sciences {both in the field of humanities and in applied sciences}', 'break the dogmas and biases of the scientific space', and 'present new ideas and scientific innovations'. The strategic-educational booklet 'Scientific Jihad and the Role of Student Organizations', after presenting a model for organizing the scientific unit of student organizations, also explains the relationship between student work and professional work and the mission of organizations, emphasizing the organization of a scientific unit in these types of organizations to achieve their goals. The compilers of this booklet, in a critical approach to the performance of Basij forces in universities, emphasize that the phrase 'our scientific foundation is weak', the word 'we cannot', the proposition 'we have no money', and the notion 'we have no forces' that is 'often heard from value-based forces in universities' is not a valid reason for inaction. The authors of this booklet have stated that their goal in preparing this text is to respond to the common doubts of 'we cannot', 'we have no ideas, we do not know what to do', 'it is beneath the dignity of revolutionary activism', and 'there is no patience for long-term work' expressed by Basij students. They believe that due to the prolonged vacancy of the 'scientific jihad front', engaging in this jihad seems like a new and novel task, and for this reason, Basij forces may not have thought sufficiently about it and may not have ideas for what can be done in this area. Although they have identified 'Westernized intellectuals' as the main cause of 'scientific backwardness' in Iran, they also consider the lack of appropriate prioritization of tasks by Basij students, which leads to a lack of time, as well as 'laziness' and the preference for 'more enjoyable' matters to be significant in this regard. The compilers have strongly criticized that some Basij students, with 'surprising justifications', claim that scientific work is 'beneath the dignity of us revolutionaries and revolutionaries should engage in cultural work, not scientific work'. This booklet also urges Basij students to abandon 'the craving for variety and being in the moment, which is another affliction' and to step into the path of 'scientific jihad' based on the opinions of Ayatollah Khamenei.