The recent events in the country- I

Last June, when the presidential election was on the way, many intellectuals (the potential opponents), boycotted it. The reasons were many and diverse either. But the common justification was mostly related to the incapability of the reformists and the former president Mohammad Khatami as their leader, for fulfilling any considerable changes.

Although we (who were against boycotting) agreed on their reasoning, we disagreed the result. For myself, the election was a way (may be the only way) for taking part in determining the fate of the country. Of the reasons that I brought was that, Khatami's time bore some achievements which were undeniable and we had to protect it through electing someone who could follow him and his plans.

Of the achievements we took for granted were the opening (hence slight and not deep) in the political atmosphere of the country.
The recent incidents in the universities are of the events reminding us the value of the freedom we had during the eight year presidency of Mohammad Khatami.

All during our recent history, universities have been a bad headache for ruling powers in the country. In Shah's time (even during the darkest years of his ruling) the student demonstrations were never stopped. Of the members of political groups, many were university students. The universities were the places which illegal books and publications could be found and neither the riot police nor the intelligence service (SAVAK) could ever control them.
Thus, it was not strange to see that Islamic Republic dealt with them very instantly. Just less than two years after the Revolution, during a so-called 'cultural revolution', they expelled all the students and professors which according the standards were considered un-Islamic. The universities were closed for two years and after re-opening were filled with Islamists (both) as students and professors. Those who survived the infiltrations, moved as cautions as possible and all had to go through strict questionings about their beliefs and ideas.
In recent years, the situation changed drastically. The universities were not the dark and silent places we used to see some 20 years ago, any more. The student organizations began to revive, the students dared to mingle with each other, and the situation turned into a much more tolerable condition than my generation's time in universities.

To be continued…