A Talk by Dr.Abdolkarim Soroush: "Shi'ism in Need of Reform"

Iranian Student Alliance in America-ISAA
proudly presents:

Abdolkarim Soroush is an Iranian thinker, reformer and Rumi scholar. He is a well-known figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at George Washington University in Washington D.C. He was also affiliated with other prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, the Leiden based International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) and the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin.
Soroush is primarily interested in the philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, the philosophical system of Molana Jalaleddin Balkhi (Rumi) and comparative philosophy. He is a world expert on Rumi and Persian Sufi poetry.
The philosophy of Abdolkarim Soroush can be summarized as follows:

• Distinction between "religion" and our "understanding of religion".
• Distinction between "essential" and "accidental" aspects of religion.
• Distinction between "minimalist" and "maximalist" interpretation of Islam.
• Distinction between values and morals that are considered internal in respect to Islam and those that are external.
• Distinction between Religious "belief" and Religious "faith".
• Distinction between religion as an ideology/identity and religion of truth.

Some of Soroush's honors include:

• 2004 Erasmus Prize
• 2005 Time 100 most influential people
• 2008 Prospect magazine's 7 of 100 most influential intellectuals in the world
• 2009 Foreign Policy magazine's 45 of 100 world's elite intellectuals
• 2010 Foreign Policy magazine's 40 of 100 top global thinkers

Co-Sponsors:

• Center of Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley
• The Graduate Theological Union

Time: Thursday, January 20, 2010 at 6:30pm

Location: Tilden Room, MLK Student Union, UC Berkeley Campus, Berkeley, CA 94720

Dr. Soroush Page on Wikipedia | Foreign Policy's 2010 Top 100 Golbal Thinkers | Campus Map

Resolution in Commemoration of Iranian Students Day on 16 Azar

Students for Civil Rights in Iran- UC San Diego

endorsed by Iranian Student Alliance in America - ISAA

دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران قطعنامه ای جهت بزرگداشت روز دانشجو در ایران ارایه کردند

جهت بزرگداشت “روز دانشجو” در ایران قطعنامه ای جهت محکوم کردن حکومت جمهوری اسلامی ایران برای ادامه نقض حقوق بشر به انجمن دانشجویی دانشگاه کالیفرنیا در سن دیگو ارایه گردیده است. در این قطعنامه با گرامی داشتن یاد و خاطره کلیه فعالان دانشجویی، سرکوب شدن آنها توسط حکومت محکوم می شود. در این قطعنامه دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران در دانشگاه کالیفرنیا- سن دیگو از دولت جمهوری اسلامی می خواهد از سنت همیشگی خشونت ورزی خود علیه فعالان دانشجویی دوری کند. با توجه به حوادث اخیر از جمله درز اطلاعات در سایت Wikileaks و خطر بالقوه جنگ علیه ایران، این قطعنامه هرگونه تهدید نظامی و تحریم اقتصادی علیه مردم ایران را محکوم می کند. علاوه بر این، قطعنامه دانشجویان طرفدار حقوق شهروندی در ایران حمایت خود را از تصویب نقض حقوق بشر توسط حکومت جمهوری اسلامی در مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل در ماه دسامبر اعلام می دارد. این قطعنامه توسط همبستگی دانشجویان ایرانی در آمریکا در دانشگاه برکلی کالیفرنیا و دانشجویان کلیمی حامی صلح و دانشجویان طرفدار توسعه پایدار در دانشگاه کالیفرنیا – سن دیگو حمایت شده است

1. WHEREAS, the Associated Students of the University of California, San Diego (ASUCSD) is an institution dedicated to promoting peace in all aspects of student experiences; and

2. WHEREAS, on 2 June 2010 the ASUCSD passed a “Resolution in Solidarity with the Iranian Non-Violent Student Movement for Democratic Reform in Iran” declaring its solidarity with the Green Movement in Iran and condemns the oppression of students, activists, and protesters by the government and security forces of Iran; and

3. WHEREAS, on 13 January 2010 the ASUCSD passed a “Resolution in Support of the Victims of the 12 January 2010 Earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti” stating that the ASUCSD “as global citizens are obliged to play a role in concurrent world events”; and

4. WHEREAS, on 8 June 1989 the ASUCSD unanimously passed "Protesting Chinese Students Solidarity Resolution", which expressed solidarity with the protesting students and the victims of the Tianamen Square massacre, and expresses support for the democratic reform movement in China; and

5. WHEREAS, there have been numerous violations of Iranian citizen’s right to free expression as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution, including:

a. Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations,

b. The continuing high incidence and dramatic increase in the carrying out of the death penalty,

c. The continuing imposition and carrying out of the death penalty against persons who at the time of their offence were under the age of 18,

d. The imposition of the death penalty for crimes that lack a precise and explicit definition, e. Stoning and suspension strangulation as a means of execution,

f. women’s human rights defenders, arrests, violent repression,

g. Continued discrimination against persons belonging to ethnic, linguistic, recognized pervasive gender inequality and violence against women, and a continued crackdown on religious or other minorities,

h. Increased incidents of persecution against unrecognized religious minorities,

i. Ongoing, systemic and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression,

j. Continued harassment, intimidation and persecution, including arbitrary arrest, detention or disappearance,

k. The continued use of State security forces and Government-directed militias to forcibly disperse Iranian citizens engaged in the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and of association,

l. Severe limitations and restrictions on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, including arbitrary arrest, indefinite detention and lengthy jail sentences, for those exercising this right, and the arbitrary demolition of places of worship, m. Persistent failure to uphold due process of law, and violations of the rights of detainees, n. Continuing arbitrary or unlawful interference by State authorities with the privacy of individuals in violation of international law;1 and

6. WHEREAS, Since 12 June 2009, the date of the presidential election in Iran, thousands of citizens have been arrested for participating in or supporting the non-violent protests, known as the Green Movement, against voter fraud and speaking out for their civil rights, as well as hundreds have been killed, raped, tortured, and beaten by government police forces; and

7. WHEREAS, student activists in Iran have been on the forefront for advocating for reforms in Iran and respect for their civil rights, many have been arrested, imprisoned, or even killed for voicing their opinions:

a. Majid Tavakoli, a student at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, was arrested 7 December 2009 during a protest for democratic reforms, is currently being held in the notorious Evin prison without charges, or a proper trial according to the Iranian constitution, he participated in a hunger strike to protest his solitary confinement, continues to be a leader in the movement,

b. Sohrab Arabi disappeared 15 June 2009 during democratic reform protest, was shot during the protest and his body was kept by the government for a month to cover up the incident3, c. two more students, Bahareh Hedayat and Milad Asadi, have been sentenced to 9 and a half and five years respectively in prison for speaking out against the government, which is a violation of their rights under the Iranian constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 18, 19, and 20)4; and

8. WHEREAS, December 7th (16 Azar) symbolizes the plight of students who were killed by the Shah of Iran's forces in 1953. It is a day in which various generations of the student movement come together to defend the autonomy of the universities and foster democracy, freedom, human rights and justice; and

9. WHEREAS, there are Iranian Americans and Iranian national students at UCSD with family and friends in Iran, and are concerned with the civil and human rights violations occurring there; and

10. WHEREAS, the United States Congress, European Union parliament, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the President of the United States, Barrack Obama, all express their solidarity with the Iranian Green Movement;

1. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the ASUCSD again expresses its solidarity with the Green Movement in Iran, noting their struggles for human and civil rights; be it further 2. RESOLVED, the ASUCSD calls for:

a. The unconditional and immediate freedom with dignity of more than seventy imprisoned students,

b. Abolishing disciplinary committees responsible for the temporary and permanent expulsion of students from their right to education,

c. Academic freedom and an end to human and civil rights violations within universities,

d. An end to ideological, governmental intervention in the research and teachings as related to the field of Humanities,

e. Defense of the autonomy of universities,

f. An end to governmental interference in the management of universities,

g. and their replacement with less qualified henchmen,

h. Nullification of the dissolution of Iran's University of Medical Sciences,

i. An end to government intervention in the structure and fabric of universities,

j. An end to political, ideological, sexist and religious discrimination in the student admission process,

k. Reflection of the views and philosophy of Iran's student movement in matters pertinent to the country,

l. Mobilization of Iranian student associations abroad, m. Supporting international sanctions against state officials who have engaged in the systematic human rights abuses and violations against the Iranian people; be it further

3. RESOLVED, the ASUCSD condemns all war, military actions, sanctions, and all other international or unilateral actions that target the people of Iran; be it further

4. RESOLVED, the ASUCSD calls for the passage of United Nations General Assembly Draft Resolution A/C.3/ 65/L.49 and will write a letter to the body expressing its support; be it further

5. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the ASUCSD recognizes the importance of civil and human rights for all peoples.

Sources:

1. UN Draft Resolution A/C.3/65/L.49

2. Amnesty International, "Iran Free Imprisoned Student Leader", http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/044/2010/en/4fc7792e-08e2-40af-9462-3d3f59b951f7/mde130442010en.pdf. An end to the widespread dismissal and early retirement of independent university professors

3. Los Angeles Times, "Slain Iranian teenager becomes symbol of protests", http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/14/world/fg-iran-sohrab14.

4. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, "Draconian Prison Sentences Doled Out for Activists" http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/05/hedayat-asadi-sentenced/

Endorsed by:

Iranian Student Alliance in America" at UC Berkeley

Student Sustainability Collective at UCSD

Jewish Students Taking Action for Peace at UCSD