Renowned Iranian-Canadian scholar Ramin Jahanbegloo was arrested in Tehran by Iranian authorities this past May under suspicion of espionage. He has been in detention for close to two months now without access to a lawyer and without any formal charges being laid against him. Jehanbegloo had returned to Tehran just days before his arrest after completing a four month professorship at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in New Delhi.
Canadian authorities have thus far been unable to secure Jahanbegloo’s release:
OttawaÂ’s campaign to have him either formally charged or released has consisted mainly of stern letters from Foreign Minister Peter MacKay to the Iranian minister of foreign affairs, and futile entreaties. A letter co-signed by the EU, which has greater diplomatic and economic ties to Tehran, protested the lack of due process, the fact that no charges have been laid, and that he has not been granted a lawyer. But it has made no difference. Canada has not been allowed consular visits. “Iran does not recognize joint citizenship, so theyÂ’re not in any way acknowledging his Canadian citizenship or connection,” MacKay said. “In fact, by some bizarre assessment, having Canadian or American or any other foreign connection is feeding perhaps the reasons for his detention.” [Link]
In addition to his visiting professorship at CSDS, Jahanbegloo recently published a book of dialogues with Indian thinker Ashis Nandy. Given his close ties to India, Jahanbegloo’s arrest has raised serious concern among his colleages there. CSDS director Suresh Sharma wrote an appeal to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in May:
The letter recalled that Jehanbegloo was invited by CSDS, a constituent of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, as part of its project “to formulate and reflect alternative imageries concerning politics, political-social theory and democracy,” in particular, democracy “as a universal human questà and not as something that simply could not belong to the world beyond Europe-America.”
The letter says that Jehanbegloo “immensely enhanced our sensitivity and knowledge of Iranian society and civilisation. Our engagement and concern for Iran goes beyond and deeper than the exigencies of current politics. The presence and participation of Ramin Jehanbegloo in intellectual life in India has brought to bear a civilisational vantage of rare quality. It has helped create the basis of a conversation between civilisations upon some of the most difficult and grave questions of our time.” [Link]
Iran’s response to this letter was disheartening:
“When we talked to them they said, ‘We don’t want to take a harsh view of it. We are aware of his contribution as an intellectual.’ But it’s double-talk because at the same time they talk about the security interests of the Iranian state. To which I say everything he has done has been in the public domain. There is nothing secretive and nothing conspiratorial about Ramin Jahanbegloo,” said the coordinator of the centre’s efforts, Suresh Sharma, who is now mobilizing colleagues in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Tibet. [Link]
In 2003 Zahra Kazemi, also an Iranian-Canadian, was arrested for taking pictures during a demonstration in Iran. She was raped, tortured and ultimately beaten to death in the same Evin prison where Jahanbegloo is now imprisoned. Canada-Iran relations are currently rough at best. So it is a small relief to see Jahanbegloo’s friends in South Asia being vocal about his arrest. Not only is Iran’s accusation that Jahanbegloo kept improper “foreign contacts” unacceptable from every angle but it is also insulting to all those he worked with around the world.
add – the reason the relations are at an ebb is because the prosecutor general who was accused by the previous iranian administration for ordering kazemi’s arrest and instigating her murder was recently appointed to the human rights commission in geneva.
i know mackay means well – but he’s not doing his job very well – all the rant and fume may buy him votes, “o that pete is such a fine guy, eh?”, but this is not very effective in dealing with the pigs.
Good post Neha, this reminds me of the memoir I read recently titled – Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Apparently it’s not just Canada-Iran relations, but entire Western-Iran relations that are rough all together.
The Zahra Kazemi story made for disturbing reading. I hope Ramin Jahanbegloo ‘s case has a less disgusting resolution.
How surreal this is. The contradiction is so blatant — we don’t recognize his status as a Canadian, but we suspect that he’s working for the Canadian government in the capacity of a citizen. Let’s hope that in some way Ahmedinejad’s need of working relations with the EU augurs better for Jahanbegloo than it did for Kazemi under Khatemi’s govt!
I may be doing the mutineers an injustice but this is the first time that you are blogging about Dr Jahanbegloo right?
How lucky for him that you found the ‘desi’ connection after two months and deigned to make the effort!
Anyways here’s the blog set up to keep track of just this issue.
Here’s something the man wrote , so that you can get an insight into what sort of man is deemed an enemy of the Iranian state.
I was glad to read that a petition had been signed by nearly a hundred muslims and arabs – good for them but one would hope that the Iranian response is somewhat more forthcoming than similar appeals signed by such as Juan Cole (who took so much effort to explain away and excuse the Iranian president’s threat to wipe out Israel) and many hundreds of N American academics and luminaries. I saw one petition addressed to the EU, asking it to intervene. This was signed by about 40 French academics (there is a convoluted ‘desi’ angle but pleasure of discovering it should be yours) and other persons. What alarmed me was that the very first signatory was by a Bahai community rep – the mullahs had better not see that one!- and I fervently hope that for his own sake, Dr Jahanbegloo is muslim.
That’s a relief! Wouldn’t want said reluctant muslim scholars to be confused with real intellectuals.
If you want to have a constructive discussion, leave the sarcasm at the door. Thank you!
Mirax – Is the snark necessary? I assure you that the weight of Jahanbegloo’s situation is not lost on any of us. If you are confused as to why this specific blog did not post of Jahanbegloo’s arrest in May then I can refer you to a crucial portion in our FAQs:
Peace and thanks for the links.
I find it absolutely incredible that, as a Canadian journalist, I have seen very little of this story in the mainstream (read — CANWEST) daily news and on the wires. We can’t even argue that the issue is somehow too ‘international’ for local audiences – our news is regularly peppered with, for example, stories of Palestinian abductions of Isreali soldiers and citizens. Not that these aren’t important stories to report on continually (with our trademark Western bias of course)…but come ON. Do our agenda’s have to be so obvious? We are so blatant about the fact that news is created by and for an “in” group. Any news that doesn’t fit in this and into the media’s disgustingly obvious corporate agenda gets axed right away, if it’s even considered at all. I see it on a daily basis although I haven’t fully yet figured out who is considered newsworthy and who isn’t. Somehow though? I don’t think my demographic is. The fact that Jahanbegloo isn’t a terrorist trying to blow things up possibly disqualifies him as well from the elusive concept of newsowrthiness. Neha, thanks for this story.
Yes! In fact he’s the exact opposite – a distinguished Middle Eastern intellectual with a conciliatory approach. Interesting to compare his political marginalization with Tariq Ramadan’s. Folks like this need to get a little more air time in the media!
Disturbing news, yes, but not very suprising really for those who are familiar with the kafkaesque hold “conservative” clerical wing has over the intelligence, courts and legal affairs pie of the Iranian goverment. Also, since the desi-Persian connection has always been historically present – as I was reading Ghalib last night, Ghalib began his literary production in Persian – I am glad SM has brought this to the larger desi attention. Let’s hope he comes out of Ervin, without too much damage.
PS: I had actually encountered Mr. Jehanbegloo previously this summer, via this exchange of letters on the “American Dream”.
Disturbing news, yes, but not very suprising really for those who are familiar with the kafkaesque hold “conservative” clerical wing has over the intelligence, courts and legal affairs pie of the Iranian goverment. Also, since the desi-Persian connection has always been historically present – as I was reading Ghalib last night, Ghalib began his literary production in Persian – I am glad SM has brought this to the larger desi attention. Let’s hope he comes out of Ervin, without too much damage.
PS: I had actually encountered Mr. Jehanbegloo previously this summer, via this exchange of letters: http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-letterstoamericans/article_2067.jsp on the “American Dream”.