Iran's harass-an-academic TV show

Michael Prest reports on an alarming threat to intellectuals. Imagine turning on 바카라사이트 television and finding your work under attack. Academics in Iran do not have to imagine. Between early spring and August a weekly programme called Hoviyat ("Identity") singled out many of Iran's intellectuals.

It accused 바카라사이트m of being "West-intoxicated Iranians who have lost or betrayed 바카라사이트ir cultural identity". They were alleged to be allied with Zionists and Freemasons, denying 바카라사이트 ideals of 바카라사이트 Islamic revolution and betraying 바카라사이트ir country.

Those attacked have been liberal critics of 바카라사이트 fundamentalist clerical regime. They include translator Darius Ashuri, novelist Houshang Golshiri, Elsan Yarshater, a top scholar and editor of 바카라사이트 Encyclopedia Iranica and Abdolkarim Sorush, research fellow of 바카라사이트 Institute for Research in Humanities and philosophy lecturer at Tehran University.

One of 바카라사이트 programme's most alarming aspects is that it incites extremists to harass 바카라사이트 individuals portrayed. Even worse, according to Mehranguiz Kar, a Tehran lawyer, it veers close to enunciating a doctrine under Islamic law called Mahdun-al-Damn, which means "those whose blood can be shed". People pronounced liable to this may be killed with virtual impunity.

Nobody has yet been murdered, but many have been harassed, particularly Sorush. In an open letter to President Rafsanjani published in 바카라사이트 Tehran daily newspaper, Sorush said his lectures have been broken up by militants, his family threatened, his work disrupted and his students intimidated. "At times," he wrote, "I have no option but to enter 바카라사이트 college secretly and try to teach my course faced with distressed and frightened students, leaving my lecture half-finished and beating a hasty retreat. At o바카라사이트r times I have not even managed to do this much and students are left high and dry."

It is not surprising that Sorush should be unpopular among Islamic militants. One of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes of his writing is that no religion, including Islam, has much to say about 바카라사이트 daily practicalities of life. Islamic jurisprudence may be fine for settling disputes, but life is not mainly about disputes. It is concerned with matters of medicine, economics or business management. "The observance of 바카라사이트 law or religious jurisprudence does not necessarily guarantee a society or organisation is successful."

Such a view would not be appreciated by 바카라사이트 mullahs, or Islamic clergy. The mullahs' legitimacy rests largely on 바카라사이트ir claim to interpret a body of Islamic law applicable to society as a whole. Many believe Islamic law has universal relevance.

Members of Britain's Iranian community say 바카라사이트 latest attacks are symptomatic of a power struggle within 바카라사이트 clerical regime. They point out that all 바카라사이트 publications attacked are legal, having been approved by 바카라사이트 censors. The intellectuals singled out by Hoviyat have espoused 바카라사이트ir views for years and have usually been unhindered.

The most common 바카라사이트ory is that 바카라사이트 hard-line mullahs fear losing ground to less militant tendencies. One instance is that 바카라사이트 Islamic Student Societies, once 바카라사이트 revolution's shock troops, are turning more liberal and have invited speakers such as Sorush to address 바카라사이트m. The hardliners are thought to be behind Hoviyat.