A More Intense Cultural Revolution

Universities under Fire by Ay Mesbah Yazdi

As the government’s pressure on university students takes new forms every day, ‎ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi who is considered by some to be the spiritual force behind the ‎current administration of president Ahmadinejad, in his most recent remarks said students ‎‎“are learning nothing other than how to bash the regime and at times Islam.”‎
In its report on the meeting between the central council of Imam Khomeini Aid ‎Committee (Komiteh Emdad Imam Khomeini) and ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, the news ‎unit of Qom’s Theological Center quotes the head of the director of Imam Khomeini ‎Educational and Research center Mesbah Yazdi, “The future generation is under threat ‎because neither traditional and classical ethics nor Islamic values dominate their training. ‎They are being trained by Western culture, television and university classes in which they ‎are learning nothing other how to bash the regime and at times Islam.”‎
To correct the situation, the ayatollah recommends, “Authorities must acquire the ‎necessary skills and learn of better methods, … and analyze the cultural and international ‎position of the country scientifically (rationally).
We must strengthen this new generation ‎and have a role in their religious education. Islamic and modern teaching methods must ‎be used to train the young generation because if these two elements are not used there ‎would be conflict.”‎

In its report on Yazdi’s comments, Advar News website which is run by a group of ‎dissident students writes, “Mesbah’s comments come at a time when the current ninth ‎administration launched intense efforts to suppress universities from day one. Forced ‎retirement of university teachers, their firings, and efforts to keep students critical of ‎university policies outside the institution or imprisoning them are the examples of the ‎administration’s policies regarding universities and students.”‎

According to this news site, “the criticism over teaching content and what is said in the ‎classrooms is an indication of the displeasure of the spiritual leader of the current ‎administration, an issue that has been mentioned repeatedly by the press under the guise ‎of the second Cultural Revolution.”‎