Zanjan University physics professor Ansieh Erfani’s resignation in support of the protesters
Aryaei Community News Agency – Ansieh Erfani, a professor of physics at Zanjan University, resigned from teaching at Zanjan University in support of the protesters to the Islamic Republic.
According to the report of the Aryaei news agency, quoted by Radio Farda, Ansieh Erfani, a retired physics professor at Zanjan University, says that when the streets of Iran are “drenched in the blood” of protesters, I could no longer continue as a part of this “system”.
Mrs. Irfani, professor of physics department of Zanjan University of Basic Sciences, resigned on the first day of Mehr, at the same time as the beginning of the academic year in Iran, due to the suppression of protests against the death of Mehsa Amini in the custody of the moral security police, by publishing a message from the faculty of this university.
In an interview with the scientific journal Nature, which was published on Wednesday, October 20, she considered the silence of professors in the conditions of student repression as a source of “shame” and said: “The streets are covered in blood and our professors are silent. “As a faculty member, I teach students and I could no longer remain silent.”
This university professor cited his “good memories” of this day from his childhood as the reason for his resignation on the first day of the academic year and added: “I told myself that if I want to resign, I should resign on this very day. It makes no sense to continue.”
He reminded that the universities in Iran are under the supervision of the “sovereignty”, the presidents of the universities are also selected by the Ministry of Science, and the members of the faculty and professors are also evaluated by the “mullahs” in terms of politics and family history, etc., and then They are hired.”
This university professor considered the pressures on women in Iran’s academic environment to be more difficult due to the hijab issue and the need to comply with dress standards and added that there is sexual harassment in these spaces as well, “but no one cares about it”.
She added that for years she worked for a government that is a “barbaric dictatorship” and she was never able to do “positive work” in this system because she had to “keep silent” about everything.
Ms. Irfani continues to emphasize that in Iran’s academic environment, “when blood is spilled in the streets, professors cannot speak”.
According to her, the professors “are largely silent because the heads of the universities are with the government and if they join the students, they will be fired.”
Except for Ansieh Irfani, other university professors, especially at Sharif University, which was attacked by special forces and security forces, have protested the violence against people and students, as well as the police entering the universities, and some of them have also resigned.
In contrast to the silence of some university professors and their efforts to continue teaching despite the protests and repressions, some students have protested and they have protested this action with the slogan “The streets are drowned in blood, our professors are drowned in blood”.
After the death of Mehsa Amini, Iranian universities have been the scene of widespread protests and an unknown number of students have been arrested.
One of the characteristics of this period of student protests is the removal of hijab by many female students.