Statement protesting the sentenced execution of Professor Hashem Aghajari - Iran

Social Research, Winter, 2002

WHILE we strongly oppose the threatened U.S. preemptive attack on Iraq, which is certain to amplify the existing anger and resentment of the U.S. in the region and further undermine the fragile reform movement in Iran led by President Mohammed Khatami, we also are horrified by the recent actions taken by Iran's clerical rulers against Professor Hashem Aghajari, one of Khatami's closest allies.

Professor Aghajari has been sentenced to death on bogus charges of apostasy. In yet another blatant attempt to quash legitimate, non-violent criticism of Iran's clerical rulers, Professor Aghajari was charged in August after a speech in which he courageously rejected demands to "blindly follow" clerical rule. This speech prompted an outcry from hard-line clerics in the religious establishment, who claimed that it was an attack on the Prophet of Islam and on fundamental Shiite Islamic doctrines.

The trial in which Professor Aghajari was condemned fell far short of international standards of due process. It was conducted behind closed doors, and the defendant was given only limited access to his lawyer. In addition to the death sentence, Professor Aghajari has received the medieval punishment of 74 lashes of the whip, 8 years imprisonment and internal exile, and a 10-year prohibition from teaching.

Aghajari's family has expressed concern about his health in prison. He lost his right leg in the Iran-Iraq war, and it is known that he had to undergo surgery on his leg while in prison. The 45-year old Aghajari heads the history department at the Tarbiat Modarress University in Tehran.

We urge the controlling powers in Iran to reverse this sentence immediately and allow Professor Aghajari to return to his family.

Signed,

HAMID DABASHI
Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Chair, Middle
Eastern Languages and Cultures, Director, Graduate Studies,
Center for Comparative Literature and Society, Columbia University

ARIEN MACK
Alfred and Monette Marrow Professor, Department of Psychology
Editor, Social Research
Graduate Faculty, New School University

DAVID BROMWICH, Professor of English, Yale University
NOAM CHOMSKY, Professor, Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
MICHAEL IGNATIEFF, Director, Carr Center for Human Rights
Policy
MARTIN PERETZ, Editor-in-Chief, The New Republic
ROBERT PINSKY, Professor of English and Creative Writing,
Boston University
SUSAN SONTAG, Writer, New York City
MICHAEL WALZER, School of Social Science, Institute for
Advanced Study; Co-editor, Dissent

Additional signatories protesting the sentenced execution of Hashem Aghajari

KAZEM ALAMDARI, Department of Sociology, California State
University, Los Angeles
ANDREW ARATO, Dorothy Hart Hirshon Professor of Sociology,
Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research
TALAL ASAD, Department of Anthropology, Graduate Center-City
University of New York
BETH BARON, City College and Graduate Center, City University
of New York
J. M. BERNSTEIN, University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy,
Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research
AHMED BOUGUARCHE, Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures,
California State University, Northridge
JOSE CASANOVA, Professor of Sociology and Chair, Committee
of Historical Studies, Graduate Faculty, New School for Social
Research
ALICE CRARY, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, The New
School
NILANJANA DASGUPTA, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychology,
New School for Social Research
PETER E. DE JANOSI, Senior Advisor, LEAD International
JAMES DODD, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Graduate Faculty,
New School University
FARIDEH FARHI, Independent Researcher, Honolulu, Hawaii
DUNCAN FOLEY, Professor of Economics, Graduate Faculty,
New School for Social Research
NANCY FRASER, Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Politics
and Philosophy, Graduate Faculty, New School for Social
Research
NANCY GALLAGHER, Chair, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies
Program & Professor of History, University of California, Santa
Barbara
JEFFREY C. GOLDFARB, Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology,
The Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science, New
School for Social Research
MICHAEL HANAGAN, New School University
ELEMER HANKISS, Professor of Sociology, Hungarian Academy
of Sciences
AGNES HELLER, Hannah Arendt Professor of Philosophy, Graduate
Faculty, New School for Social Research
WILLIAM HIRST, Professor of Psychology, New School University
ERIC HOBSBAWM CH, FBA, American Academy of Arts & Sciences;
Emeritus Professor, President, Birkbeck College, University
of London
NICHOLAS HUMPHREY, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and
Social Science, London School of Economics
BABER JOHANSEN, EHESS, Paris
COURTNEY JUNG, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Graduate
Faculty, New School University
NIKKI KEDDIE, Professor Emerita, University of California-Los
Angeles
MARCEL KINSBOURNE, M.D., Professor of Psychology, Graduate
Faculty, New School University
JEROME KOHN, Director, Hannah Arendt Center, Graduate Faculty,
New School University
ROBERT KOSTRZEWA, Assistant Dean, Graduate Faculty of
Political and Social Science, New School University
JERI LABER, International Freedom to Publish Committee, Association
of American Publishers
ELZBIETA MATYNIA, Director, Transregional Center for Democratic
Studies, Graduate Faculty, New School University
BRINKLEY MESSICK, Department of Anthropology, Columbia
University
WILLIAM MILBERG, Department of Economics, Graduate Faculty,
New School
SIDNEY MORGENBESSER, John Dewey Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy, Columbia University
JODY MYERS, Department of Religious Studies, California State
University, Northridge
EDWARD NELL, Professor of Economics, Graduate Faculty, New
School for Social Research
DMITRI NIKULIN, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Department
of Philosophy, Graduate Faculty, New School for Social
Research
ANNE PERETZ, Founder and President, The Family Center
ADAMANTIA POLLIS, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political
Science, Graduate Faculty, New School University
KENNETH PREWITT, Columbia University; Visiting Scholar, Russell
Sage Foundation
POLLY SCARVALONE, Department of Psychology, New School
University
CARA SCHLESINGER, Managing Editor, Social Research, Graduate
Faculty, New School for Social Research
WILLI SEMMLER, Professor of Economics, Graduate Faculty,
New School University
ANWAR SHAIKH, Professor of Economics, Graduate Faculty,
New School University
DAVID SHAPIRO, Director of Clinical Studies, Department of
Psychology, Graduate Faculty, New School University
NANCY SHEALY, Secretary, Department of Political Science,
Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research
CAROLYN SORKIN, Associate Director, King Juan Carlos I of
Spain Center, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Steinhardt School of
Education, New York University
CHARLES TAYLOR, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, McGill
University; Board of Trustees Professor of Law and Philosophy,
Northwestern University
NAYEREH TOHIDI, Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Department, California State University, Northridge
ALAN TRACHTENBERG, Professor Emeritus of American Studies
& Neil Gray Jr. Professor Emeritus of English, Yale University
ELI ZARETSKY, Professor of History, Committee on Liberal Studies,
Graduate Faculty, New School University
ARISTIDE R. ZOLBERG, Walter A. Eberstadt Professor of Political
Science, Graduate Faculty, New School University
VERA ZOLBERG, Professor of Sociology and Acting Chair of
Anthropology, Graduate Faculty, New School University