My fight for academic freedom for every Iranian woman

This story is not about me. It is about all Iranian women. It is about all women who face harassment, repression and censorship for pursuing their human right of education.

I was born in Bardsir, Iran in Kerman province. At age 18, I decided to continue my education at a university in political science. Most of my family friends warned against it. They told me that this is a completely male-dominated major, and I wouldn’t be able to find a job.

They told me to become a physician or a surgeon. I knew as a doctor I would be able to help many people, but if I became a specialist in political science, religion and sociology, I would be able to help a nation.

I believe that without comprehending religion and its impact on our life, it is impossible to understand the political process in the Middle East, surely in Iran.

After completing my dissertation, I came back to Iran to teach at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman as a professor of political sociology and psychological politics. I encouraged my students to think critically about our world, to challenge their realities and to understand that there is nothing essential in our society. Even students from other departments within the university would come and sit in on my lectures, discussing social constructionism.  

However, I continued to face intense suppression from Iranian security forces while teaching. During the seven years I taught there, I was prevented from being promoted to an associate professor, and I was blocked from pursuing tenure.

Later I joined the strike during the Women, Life, Freedom movement, a series of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who was arrested and detained by Iran’s “morality police” for failing to properly cover her hair and later died in police custody. I was the one of the only professors in Iran who shut down their classes in support of the protestors and young women.

I knew I was putting myself at risk, but I could not stay neutral in such a situation. This wasn’t new for me. Over the span of my seven years teaching in Iran, I was interrogated repeatedly by the Ministry of Intelligence in Kerman. Finally, I was fired according to the revolutionary court and the order of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence.

As a result of the protests, tens of thousands of protesters were arrested and hundreds were killed. Other professors, teachers, activists, lawyers, journalists were arrested, their homes were raided, and their loved ones were threatened.

But despite fears of going to jail, or worse, I, like many others, did not want to leave Iran.

When I walked down the street or went to my coffee shop, many young people, former students or others, recognised me. They would show their respect, support and solidarity. Students in Iran started to make my name as a hashtag on Twitter, and this encouraged me to continue fighting; to stay and to resist.

Eventually, the situation became too dangerous – not just for me but for my family, and particularly my parents. When I realised I could no longer teach, write, or continue my academic work, I knew it was time to leave Iran. I started applying for scholarships and I found IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF). IIE-SRF not only enabled me to continue my career and my life, but it gave me the opportunity to represent the voice of Iranian women.

But despite fears of going to jail, or worse, I, like many others, did not want to leave Iran

The program arranges, funds, and supports fellowships for threatened and displaced scholars at partnering higher education institutions worldwide. Since 2002, IIE-SRF has supported 1,134 scholars from 62 countries in partnership with 511 host institutions in 59 countries, including my own. 

In May 2023, I was awarded the IIE-SRF fellowship, and I am currently undertaking my fellowship appointment at the University of Chicago as a visiting assistant professor of political sociology.

Here, I teach political sociology and sociology of religion to graduate and undergraduate students. Since being here, I have submitted more papers to American political science journals, as well as my new book proposal. Last spring, I taught a course on political religion and the university graciously provided me with a Zoom link so my former students in Iran and Europe could join.

Although I am no longer living in Iran, I still feel deeply connected to my former students and all Iranian women fighting for their rights. Even in the wake of the protests in 2022, we continue to witness horrific violence against women and young girls who want an education.

Beginning in January 2023, there were a series of chemical attacks, deliberate poisoning and targeting girls’ schools in what appeared to be a coordinated campaign to punish them for removing their mandatory hijabs during the 2022 protests.

In September 2023, the Iranian parliament approved a draft Hijab and Chastity Bill with 70 articles proposing additional penalties, such as fines, increased prison terms up to 10 years for expressing opposition to hijab regulations, and restrictions on job and educational opportunities for hijab violations.

In my classes and beyond, my greatest advice for all of my students and for all Iranian women around the world is to read, read, read! If we want to have any impact on our society, we must be equipped with the knowledge and analytical skills to fight oppressive systems. I want my students to know they have the right to learn. They have the right to move and grow. They have the right to promote their knowledge. This is the way we will break dictatorship systems. Education is the pathway to freedom.

I will always advocate for women’s academic freedom and liberation, and encourage my fellow teachers, Iranians, and citizens of the world to do the same. This past year, I was honoured to be named the IIE-SRF Beau Biden Scholar. Thanks to IIE-SRF, I have the opportunity to continue to share my knowledge with other women and fight for our economic, political, psychological, religious and social freedom in Iran and around the world.