Dokument #1119671
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
In a 12 May 1996 report, Deutsche
Presse-Agentur states that
The neo-Islamist Abdolkarim Soroush was
supposed to hold a speech at the Amir Kabir Technical University in
downtown Teheran, but the session was cancelled following threats
by the radical pressure group Ansar Hizbullah (compatriots of the
Party of God) which considers Soroush a secularist. Some 50 members
of the Ansar Hizbullah gathered in front of the university but were
unable to get through tight police controls. Police allowed only
students with official cards to enter the university compound. The
radical group members shouted slogans against Soroush and the
management of the university but no confrontation occurred. The
cancellation of the session was also confirmed later by the daily
Salaam.
According to the attached 7 June 1996
Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) report, members of the
Ansar-e Hezbollah threatened "students at the Amir Kabir University
for inviting Soroush to a lecture on 12 May."
In its 19 May 1996 issue, the Tehran-based
newspaper Akhbar' published an official statement by the
Amir Kabir University public relations department. Part of the
statement reads as follows:
The issue was, however, more complicated as
a result of some sensitivities shown reference to demonstrations by
Hezbollah supporters outside the university. When the two sides --
Islamic society and Hezbollah -- released statements, the
university board of governors tried to reduce tension by writing a
letter to Dr. Abdolkarim Sorush who had been invited by the Islamic
society as a guest speaker, asking him not to attend the Motahhri
martyrdom anniversary ceremony. In view of Dr. Sorush's acceptance
of the request and since no permit had been obtained from the
Cultural Revolution Council, the university announced the
cancellation of the ceremony through the press on 23rd Ordibehesht
1375 [12 May 1996].
In a 12 May 1996 report Reuters states
that
About 300 police in riot gear stood in the
adjacent street, blocked to traffic for two hours, before noon and
guarded the gate of Amir Kabir University in downtown Tehran. About
100 of the militant Ansar-e Hizbollah (supporters of Hizbollah)
chanted slogans against reformist Abdulkarim Sorush and reformist
students who had invited him to the university.
According to an article published on 16 May
1996 by the London-based Iranian newspaper Keyhan,
The Ansar-e Hezbollah also disrupted and
prevented the speech of Dr. Sorush at the Amir Kabir University.
The Ansar-e Hezbollah gathered in front of the Amir Kabir (Tehran
Polytechnic) University several hours before the speech by Dr.
Sorush and announced that Sorush must not enter the university.
According to Tehran Keyhan, a number of Hezbollah members
were arrested in this incident.
The following information was provided
during a 9 July 1997 telephone interview with a representative of
the Iranian Cultural Centre in Montreal.
The source stated that Dr. Soroush was in
Montreal for the last two weeks of July 1996.
The following information was provided
during a 10 July 1997 telephone interview with a specialist on Iran
at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The source
personally met with Dr. Abdol Karim Soroush during his visit to
Fairfax in the winter of 1997.
The source stated that Dr. Soroush has been
living outside Iran for one year and only recently returned to his
country. He still publishes his monthly column in the Tehran-based
magazine Kiyan. The source added that during his meeting
with Dr. Soroush the issue of his treatment by the Iranian
government was discussed. Dr. Soroush did not mention the incident
at Amir Kabir University, but spoke only about the incidents at
Tehran University and Isfahan where he was pushed around by members
of Ansar-e Hezbollah. The source indicated that the Amir Kabir
University seminar never actually took place because of the
disturbances caused by members of the Ansar-e Hezbollah.
For information on the Ansar-e Hezbollah,
please consult the attached 7 June 1996 Middle East Economic
Digest (MEED) report.
For a transcript of the letter sent to
President Rafsanjani by the student basij organ of the Amir Kabir
and Medical Sciences Universities regarding Dr. Soroush, please
consult the attached 26 May 1996 report from Sobh', an
Iranian weekly.
For additional information on Dr. Soroush,
please consult the attached documents downloaded from a website
dedicated to him.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Akhbar' [Tehran, in Persian].
18 May 1996. "Islamic Thinker Sorush Calls on President to Uphold
Freedom of Speech." (BBC Summary 23 May 1996/NEXIS)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 12 May 1996.
"Neo-Islamist Speech in Tehran Cancelled Due to Radicals' Threats."
(NEXIS)
Iranian Cultural Centre,
Montréal. 9 July 1997. Telephone interview with
representative.
Keyhan [London, in Persian]. 16
May 1996. "Ansar-e Hezbollah Attacks Theaters." (FBIS-NES-96-108 16
May 1996/WNC)
Middle East Economic Digest
(MEED). 7 June 1996. Vahe Petrossian. "Iran: A Little Local
Difficulty with the Hizbollah." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 12 May 1996. BC Cycle. "Iran
Militants March Against Islamic Reformer." (NEXIS)
Specialist on Iran, George Mason
University, Fairfax, Virginia. 10 July 1997. Telephone
interview.
Attachments
Akhbar' [Tehran, in Persian].
18 May 1996. "Islamic Thinker Sorush Calls on President to Uphold
Freedom of Speech." (BBC Summary 23 May 1996/NEXIS)
_____. 19 May 1996. "Newspaper Explains
Why Islamic Thinker Sorush's Lecture Was Cancelled." (BBC Summary
23 May 1996/NEXIS)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 12 May 1996.
"Neo-Islamist Speech in Tehran Cancelled Due to Radicals' Threats."
(NEXIS)
Keyhan [London, in Persian]. 23
May 1996. "Iran: Universities to Be Purged of Dissent."
(FBIS-NES-96-144 23 May 1996/WNC)
_____. 16 May 1996. "Ansar-e Hezbollah
Attacks Theaters." (FBIS-NES-96-108 16 May 1996/WNC)
Middle East Economic Digest
(MEED) [London]. 7 June 1996. Vahe Petrossian. "Iran: A Little
Local Difficulty with the Hizbollah." (NEXIS)
Resalat [Tehran, in Persian].
12 May 1996. "Iran: Ansar-e Hezbollah Statement Cited."
(FBIS-NES-96-102 12 May 1996/WNC)
_____. 14 May 1996. Mohammed Kazem
Anbarlaï. "Iran: Sorush Protest Reflects `Hand of Discord'."
(FBIS-NES-96-100 14 May 1996/WNC)
Reuters. 12 May 1996. BC Cycle. "Iran
Militants March Against Islamic Reformer." (NEXIS)
SERAJ: Dedicated to Coverage and
Analysis of the Ideas of Abdol Karim Soroush. [Internet] URL:
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/ac889/seraj.htm
[Accessed 8 July 1997]
Sobh' [Tehran, in Persian]. 26
May 1996. "Islamic Students Say Islamic Thinker Sorush Wants to
Topple System." (BBC Summary 2 June 1996/NEXIS)