Tehran University President: No Professors Have Been Dismissed; One Professor: They Play with Words, I Have a Suspension Order

While the President of Tehran University has once again claimed that no protesting professors have been dismissed or removed from the university, a university professor has reported receiving his "suspension order" and has denied the claims made by the Islamic Republic's educational authorities. Azin Mohadd, a professor at Tehran University who has been given a "suspension order," told the "Khabar Online" website: "Mohammad Moqimi, the President of Tehran University, claims that 'no one has been dismissed.' Very well, perhaps they have correctly stated that no one has been dismissed, but one must ask him about the professors who have been 'banned from work, suspended, separated from service, and had their contracts terminated.'" This former professor of Tehran University addressed Mohammad Moqimi, stating that he is willing to engage in a "debate" on this matter, saying: "Is the faculty body, as it was before Shahrivar 1401, still fully employed? I am not." In an interview published by the Mehr News Agency yesterday, the President of Tehran University stated regarding the dismissal of professors from this university: "I have always said that we have no dismissed professors at Tehran University, because dismissal has its specific meaning. When the claim of a professor's dismissal is mentioned, it means that a professor's contract with Tehran University has been unilaterally terminated for various reasons, which has not happened in the past 2.5 years at Tehran University." Moqimi also mentioned in part of this interview: "A small number, around three or four, are making noise in the virtual space with the help of some known media outlets, claiming that due to their political stance, Tehran University has cut ties with them; coincidentally, some of these individuals have had ethical issues." Azin Mohadd, the "suspended" professor from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University, holds a post-doctorate in music from Harvard University and was among the professors who supported the student protests during the nationwide protests in Iran last year. He has been a member of the faculty at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University since 1993. He has also been a visiting professor at Portland University and Ionian University in Greece and has performed concerts in various cities around the world with his specialized instrument, the flute. He emphasized that "based on the law, universities do not have the right to dismiss professors; a full-time official professor cannot be dismissed unilaterally." Azin Mohadd obtained his PhD in music with a specialization in "performance and artistic practices" from the University of Illinois in the USA, and after that, he conducted his post-doctoral research in "performance sciences" at Harvard University, returning to Iran after teaching at the University of Illinois and California State University. According to the legal consulting center "Dadban," as of February 9, more than 66 university professors have been "dismissed, suspended, or forced to resign" in the past two years. In this context, members of seven scientific associations in the country issued a statement on September 10, warning about the "widespread dismissal of professors and security confrontations with students," stating that the gradual and currently accelerating "dissolution" of the scientific institution exacerbates the current disastrous inefficacy of the governance system. Following the nationwide protests last year that began after the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, many students joined the protesters in various cities, and some university professors also supported this action and condemned the bloody crackdowns. Exclusive; Mohammad Saadati, a dismissed professor from Birjand University: I was dismissed for criticizing the suppression of protesters. Punishment of protesting academics; the council under Ali Khamenei has made "the right to seek justice and redress" for students and professors impossible. A sociologist's account of higher education in Iran today; we have entered a "winter of the university." Cooperation between the Elite Foundation and the passport police; migration has also become security-related. The sidelining of dozens of university professors in Iran over the past two years. Continuation of "self-building" in universities; the dismissal of 25 professors from Tehran University in two years focused on the humanities. Continued pressure on professors supporting protesters; Mostafa Azarakhshi, a theology professor at Beheshti University, was dismissed. Hassan Bagherinia, a dismissed professor, after being summoned to the court: This is the "decline of the university in the sacred Islamic system." A theology professor at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad was dismissed for "supporting students' rights."