Ramin Jahanbegloo: an open letter to Iran's president, openDemocracy

Tue, 23 May 2006 23:00:00 +0000

Open Letter to President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

CC: Chief Justice, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi

Mr President Ahmadinejad:

We the undersigned appeal for the immediate, unconditional release of prominent scholar and public intellectual, Dr Ramin Jahanbegloo who was arrested at Tehran's international airport in late April 2006. On 6 May, minister of intelligence, Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, confirmed Dr Jahanbegloo's arrest, implying that he is being held in custody for "having contacts with foreigners."

For almost four weeks, however, Dr Jahanbegloo has been detained without a court order, official charges, legal representation and the privilege of family visitation – all basic requirements for the due process of law. Dr Jahanbegloo's arrest and continued detention clearly violate the Islamic Republic's domestic laws and Iran's international legal obligations, particularly as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

News of Dr Jahanbegloo's arrest has reverberated among academicians and other intellectuals worldwide. A philosopher committed to the principle of non-violence, Dr Jahanbegloo has worked tirelessly to foster cultural understanding and dialogue between Iranians and other societies.

Significantly, as director of the Cultural Research Bureau in Tehran, he has conveyed to myriad readers, students and scholars the complexity of Iranian civilisation and its rich contributions to humanity. Dr Jahanbegloo's effort to illuminate and share Iran's culture and history with others has earned him deep respect and admiration among both intellectuals and laypeople from diverse corners of the globe. Not surprisingly, those who follow his work, both in Iran and abroad, are shocked and disappointed by this unlawful treatment of Dr Jahanbegloo. Scholars travelling to and from Iran are especially concerned about this matter and contend Dr Jahanbegloo's arrest will deter such exchanges and scientific research.

In short, we believe Dr Jahanbegloo's detainment demands your intervention as soon as possible to resolve this matter properly, ensuring his prompt release.

Respectfully,

John Abromeit, Collegiate Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, University of Chicago
Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Fellow and Lecturer in International Relations, University of Oxford
Fariba Adelkhah, Directeur de recherchè, Centre d'ètudes et de recherches internationales, Sciencespo, Paris
Janet Afary, Professor of History, Purdue University; President, International Society for Iranian Studies
Mahasti Afshar, Director of Endowment, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Wali Ahmadi, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, University of California-Berkeley
Shahab Ahmed, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Harvard University
Kazem Alamdari, Professor of Sociology, California State University
Nozar Alaolmolki, Professor and Chair of Political Science, Hiram College
Aziz Al-Azmeh, Professor of Humanities, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Farrokh Alemi, Professor of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University
Leila Alieva, Political Analyst and Director of Center for Strategic and International Studies, Baku, Azerbaijan
Jon B Alterman, Director of Middle East Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC
Abbas Amanat, Professor of History, Yale University
Camron Michael Amin, Associate Professor of History, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Fariba Amini, President, Non-Profit Foundation for Educational Progress
Masserat Amir-Ebrahimi, Independent Social Science Researcher, Tehran
Hooshang Amirahmadi, Professor and Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Rutgers University
George Andreopoulos, Professor of Political Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
Kenneth Anderson, Professor of Law, American University and Research Fellow, Stanford University
Maboud Ansari, Professor of Sociology, William Paterson University Kwame Anthony Appiah, University Professor of Philosophy, Princeton University
Celia Applegate, Professor of History, University of Rochester
Jonathan Arac, Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Said Amir Arjomand, Distinguished Service Professor of Sociology, State University of New York at Stony Brook; President of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies
Kamran Arjomand, Middle East Special Collection, State and University Library of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Stanley Aronowitz, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, City University of New York Graduate Center
Ronald Aronson, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Wayne State University
Timothy Garton Ash
, Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford; Director of European Studies Centre and Gerd Bucerius Senior Research Fellow in Contemporary
History, St Antony's College, Oxford, England
Daryoush Ashouri, Freelance author and lecturer
Ronald D. Asmus, Executive Director of German Marshall Fund of the U.S.
Arjang A. Assad, Professor of Management Science and Senior Associate Dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
Sidney Aster, Professor of History, University of Toronto
Touraj Atabaki, Professor of Modern History, University of Amsterdam; Senior Research Fellow, International Institute of Social History

* * *

The subject of this appeal, Ramin Jahanbegloo, heads the department for contemporary studies at the Cultural Research Bureau, Tehran. He was detained on 27 April 2006.

Ramin Jahanbegloo writes in openDemocracy:

"America's dreaming" (August 2004) - an exchange of letters with Richard Rorty

"Iran's conservative triumph" (June 2005) – a contribution to a symposium among Iranian intellectuals about the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"Stronger demands for democratisation" (22 December 2005) – a contribution to a symposium on what 2006 has in store

Ramin Jahanbegloo's website is here

For protests about the arrest of Ramin Jahanbegloo, click here

Julian Baggini, Editor, The Philosophers' Magazine
Bahman Baktiari, Professor of Political Science, University of Maine
Sindre Bangstad, PhD Fellow, International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM), Leiden University, The Netherlands
Ali Banuazizi, Professor of Cultural Psychology, Boston College
Bat-Ami Bar On, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, State University of New York at Binghamton
Anthony Barnett, Editor-in-Chief, openDemocracy, London
Golbarg Bashi, Visiting Scholar, Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University
Subho Basu, Assistant Professor of History, Maxwell School, Syracuse University
Zygmunt Bauman, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Universities of Leeds and Warsaw
Asef Bayat, Academic Director and Professor, International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM), Leiden University
Marrieluise Beck, Member of German Parliament
Maziar Behrooz, Assistant Professor of History, San Francisco State University
Alina Belskaya, Program Assistant of Transatlantic Center – The German Marshall Fund of the US
Caroline Bergaud, Project Manager of Friends of Europe, Brussels
Rima Berns-McGown, Lecturer in Historical Studies, University of Toronto
Richard J Bernstein, Professor of Philosophy, New School University
Michael Bérubé, Paterno Family Professor in Literature, Pennsylvania State University
Rajeev Bhargava, professor of political theory and Indian political thought, University of Delhi
Cyrus Bina, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics and Management, University of Minnesota
Stephen Blank, Professor of Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College
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Mansour Bonakdarian, Assistant Professor of History, Hofstra University
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Daniel Born, Editor, The Common Review, The Great Books Foundation
Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Professor of Political Science and Director of Middle Eastern Studies Program, Syracuse University
Paul Bovè, Professor of English, University of Pittsburgh; Editor of Boundary 2
Peggy Boyers, Executive Editor, Salmagundi
Robert Boyers, Professor of Arts and Letters, Skidmore College; Editor of Salmagundi
Christopher Brooke, Lecturer in Politics, Magdalen College, University of Oxford
Martin van Bruinessen, Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Utrecht University, and ISIM
Donald Burke, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Thought, York University and Instructor at the Ontario College of Art and Design
Ian Buruma, Writer and Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Rights and Journalism, Bard College, New York
Martin Butora, Founder and Honorary President of Institute for Public Affairs, Bratislava, Slovakia
Charles E Butterworth, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, College Park

* * *

Judith Caesar, Associate Professor of English, American University of Sharjah
Peter C Caldwell, Professor of History, Rice University
Colin J Campbell, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Thought, York University, Toronto
Robert L Canfield, Professor of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis
Roane Carey, Senior Editor, The Nation
Taylor Carman, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Barnard College
Dipesh Chakrabarty, Professor of History, South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago
Anthony Chase, Assistant Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs, Occidental College
Ranjit Chatterjee, Professor, Lado International College, Silver Spring, MD
Houchang-Esfandiar Chehabi, Professor of International Relations and History, Boston University
Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Shahram Chubin, Director of Studies, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland
Nicola Clase, Chief Foreign Policy Adviser of Moderate Party, Sweden
Richard Pierre Claude, Emeritus Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, College Park
John P Clark, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University New Orleans
Andrei Codrescu, Editor of Exquisite Corpse; MacCurdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge
JM Coetzee, Writer, Nobel Laureate in Literature, 2003
Joshua Cohen, Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Editor of Boston Review
Juan Cole, Professor of History, University of Michigan; President, Middle East Studies Association of North America
Sarah Conrad, PhD Candidate, York University, Toronto
Gregory B Craig, Attorney, Williams & Connolly, LLP

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Hamid Dabashi, Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Pezhmann Dailami, Independent Scholar, Schwerin, Germany
Fred Dallmayr, Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, University of Notre Dame
Evan Matthew Daniel, Tamiment Library and Robert F Wagner Labor Archives, New York University
Mark Danner, Professor of Human Rights, Bard College
Arthur Danto, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University; Art Critic, The Nation
Mehrdad Darvishpour, Professor of Sociology, Stockholm University, Sweden
Dick Davis, Professor of Persian and Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Ohio State University
Rochelle Davis, Professor of Anthropology, Georgetown University
Natalie Zemon Davis, Henry Charles Lea Professor of History Emeritus, Princeton University
António Borges de Carvalho, Vice-President of Comissã0 Portuguesa do Atlântico
Xavier Decramer, Project Manager of Friends of Europe, Brussels
Vasilikie Demos, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Minnesota
Benj DeMott, Editor, First of the Month
Georgi M Derluguian, Professor of Sociology, Russia
Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Professor of Philosophy, Northwestern University
Thanos Dokos, Director of Studies, Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, Greece
Ariel Dorfman, Walter Hines Page Research Professor of Literature and Professor of Latin American Studies, Duke University
Slavenka Drakulic, Writer and Journalist, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Berlin
Shadia Drury, Canada Research Chair in Social Justice, University of Regina, Canada
Ronald Dworkin, Frank Sommers Professor of Law and Philosophy, New York University Law School; Jeremy Bentham Professor of Law and Philosophy at University College, London

* * *

Shirin Ebadi, Lawyer and the 2003 Nobel Laureate for Peace
Umberto Eco, Writer; President of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Umanistici, University of Bologna
Goudarz Eghtedari, Producer of Voices of the Middle East, Portland, Oregon
Maryam Elahi, Director of Human Rights Program, Trinity College, Hartford
Lazar Elenovski, President of Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia
Jon Elster, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University
Christoph Emmrich, Professor of Historical Studies, University of Toronto at Mississauga
Matthew Engelke, Professor of Anthropology, London School of Economics
Nader Entessar, Professor of Political Science and Law, Spring Hill College
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Writer, Germany
Mohammad Eskandari, PhD Candidate in Geography, Clark University
Mary Selden Evans, Editor and Independent Scholar

* * *

Fataneh Farahani, PhD Candidate in Ethnology, History of Religions and Gender Studies, University of Stockholm, Sweden
Mansour Farhang, Professor of Political Science, Bennington College
Farideh Farhi, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Grant Farred, Editor, South Atlantic Quarterly, Associate Professor of Literature, Duke University
Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmaian, Soudavar Memorial Foundation
Dieter Farwick, Global Editor for World Security Network Foundation
Tarek Fatah, Journalist and the Host of Muslim Chronicle, Toronto
Luc Ferry, Philosopher and former Minister of Education, France
Nathalie Furrer, Director of Friends of Europe, Brussels
Carlos A Forment, Professor, Centro de Investigacion y Documentacion de la Vida Publica, Buenos Aires
James Franklin, Professor of Politics and Government, Ohio Wesleyan University
Ralf Fuecks, President, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin

* * *

Amir H Gandjbakhche, Senior Investigator and Chief of Section on Biomedical Stochastic Physics, National Institutes of Health
Mark Gasiorowski, Professor and Director of International Studies Program, Louisiana State University
Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Director of the W E B Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University
William Joseph Gavin, Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern Maine
Norman Geras, Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Manchester
Hadi Ghaemi, Human Rights Watch
Sasan Ghahreman, Journalist and Publisher, Afra Publishing Co, Toronto
M R Ghanoonparvar, Professor of Persian and Comparative Literature, University of Texas at Austin
Halleh Ghorashi, Professor of Management of Diversity and Integration, De Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Amitav Ghosh, Writer
James C Gibson, Associate Clinical Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University
Joan Gibson, Professor of Arts and Letters, York University, Toronto
Sander L. Gilman, Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Emory University
Carlo Ginzburg, Professor of History, University of California at Los Angeles
Todd Gitlin, Professor of Journalism and Sociology, Columbia University
Joshua Glenn, Journalist, Boston Globe
Anthony Gottlieb, Executive Editor, Economist
Ezzat Goushegir, Playwright and Lecturer, DePaul University
Peter Gran, Professor of History, Temple University
Fuat Gursozlu, Graduate Student in Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy, Binghamton University

* * *

Jürgen Habermas, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Frankfurt
Saeed Hagh, Security Architect, Symantec Engineering, Australia
Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Visiting Scholar, Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Levon Haftvan, Artistic Director, Lemaz Production Co, Canada
Ian Hacking, Professeur au Collège de France; Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Rick Halpern, Bissell-Heyd-Associates Professor of American Studies; Director, Centre for the Study of the United States, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto
Egbert Harmsen, PhD Candidate, International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM), Leiden University
Gita Hashemi, Lecturer in Humanities and Visual Arts, York University, Toronto
Hormoz Hekmat, Editor, Iran Nameh
Agnes Heller, Hannah Arendt Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research, New York and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Jessica Henderson, Project Manager of Security and Defense Agenda, Forum Europe, Brussels
Susan R Henderson, Professor of Architecture, Syracuse University
Isabel Hilton, Editor, openDemocracy
Gur Hirshberg, PhD Candidate, Georgetown University
Richard P Hiskes, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut and Editor of Journal of Human Rights
Stephen Holmes, Professor of Law, New York University
Peter Hudis, Writer and Editor, News and Letters
Lynne Huffer, Department of Women's Studies, Emory University
Alice Hunsberger, Lecturer in Islamic Subjects, Hunter College, City University of New York
Jana Hybaskova, MEP, EPP / ED, Member of the European Parliament and former Czech Ambassador to Kuwait

* * *

Hussein Ibish, Senior Fellow, American Task Force on Palestine & Executive Director of the Foundation for Arab-American Leadership
David Ingram, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University, Chicago
Brad Inwood, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Ancient Philosophy, University of Toronto
Micheline Ishay, Professor and Director of the International Human Rights Program, Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver

* * *

Bruce P Jackson, President of Project on Transitional Democracies, Washington, DC
Mohammad R. Jahan-Parvar, PhD Candidate of Economics, University of North Carolina
Michael Jarvis, Assistant Professor of History, University of Rochester
Jennifer Jenkins, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Modern German History, University of Toronto
Hans Joas, Professor of Sociology, University of Erfurt, Germany
Tony Judt, Professor of History and Director of Remarque Institute, New York University
Neil Jumonville, William Warren Rogers Professor and Chair of History, Florida State University
Mazda Kahnamuyipour, English Literature and ESL Teacher, Toronto
Yahya Kamalipour, Professor of Communication; Managing Editor of Global Media Journal, Purdue University
Mehrangiz Kar, Fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University
Kazem Kardavani, Writer and Researcher
Persis M Karim, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, San Jose State University
Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, Professor and Founding Director, The Center for Persian Studies, University of Maryland
Massoud Karshenas, Professor of Economics, University of London
Malavika Kasturi, Assistant Professor of History, University of Toronto
Linda Karvinen, Senior Manager of Security and Defense Agenda, Forum Europe, Brussels
Homa Katouzian, Editor, Iranian Studies, The Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, University of Oxford
Thomas Keenan, Director of Human Rights Project, Bard College
Craig Kennedy, President of German Marshall Fund of the US
Arang Keshavarzian, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Concordia University
Jeffrey Ketland, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Edinburgh
El-Farouk Khaki, Refugee and Immigration Lawyer and Secretary General of Muslim Canadian Congress, Canada
Mina Khanlarzadeh, PhD Candidate in Physics, Clark University
Nasser Khadjenoori, Chief Operation Officer of Source Code Corporation
Mohamed Khimji, PhD Candidate in Social and Political Thought, York University, Toronto
Laleh Khalili, Lecturer in Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Shahram Kholdi, Graduate Teaching Fellow and Ph.D. Candidate, University of Manchester
Mehdi Khorrami, Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, New York University
Mana Kia, PhD Candidate in History and Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
Azadeh Kian-Thiebaut, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Paris VIII
Mark Kingwell, Professor of Philosophy, Trinity College, University of Toronto
Janos Kis, Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungry
Gavin Kitching, Professor and the Head of the School of Politics and International Relations, University of New South Wales, Australia
Eva Feder Kittay, Professor of Philosophy, Stony Brook University
Leszek Kolakowski, Philosopher, Fellow of the British Academy; Fellow of the Académie Universelle des Cultures; Foreign Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Joachim Krause, Professor and Acting Director of the Institute for Political Science, University of Kiel
Helmut Kremling, Professor of German, Ohio Wesleyan University
Grigorijs Krupnikovs, Board member, Latvian Transatlatic Organisation
Rebecca Kukla, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Carleton University
Ludger Kűhnhardt, Director of the Center for European Integration Studies, Germany

* * *

Habib Ladjevardi, Director of Iranian Oral History Project, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
Abdol-Karim Lahidji, Lawyer and Vice-President of the International Federation of the Human Rights
Ernesto Laclau, Professor of Political Theory, University of Essex
George Lakoff, Professor of Philosophy, University of California at Berkeley
Vinay Lal, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies, University of California at Los Angeles
Tong Lam, Assistant Professor of History, University of Toronto
Stephen N. Lambden, Research Scholar, Ohio University
Joanne Landy, Co-Director of Campaign for Peace and Democracy
Sandra Lane, Professor and Chair of Health and Wellness, Syracuse University
Roland Le Huenen, Professor and Director of Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto
Isaac Levi, John Dewey Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Columbia University
Rick Lewis, Editor, Philosophy Now
Leonard Lewisohn, Lecturer in Persian, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Jeffrey Librett, Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Oregon
Julie Lindhout, President, The Atlantic Council of Canada
John Lloyd, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University
Bert Lockwood, Distinguished Service Professor and Director of Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, University of Cincinnati Law School

* * *

Kenneth Iain MacDonald, Professor of Geography and Program in International Development Studies, University of Toronto
Alasdair MacIntyre, Senior Research Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
Ali Akbar Mahdi, Professor of Sociology, Ohio Wesleyan University
Mojtaba Mahdavi, Lecturer in Political Science, University of Western, Canada
Charles S Maier, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Richard Manning, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Carleton University
Farid Marjaee, Urban Planner, Toronto, Canada
Hamid Marjaee, NGO volunteer and former board member of FoodShare, GreenSaver, East Toronto Green Community, and Regional Council of the Central YMCA, Canada
Gyorgy Markus, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Sydney, Australia
Michael R Marrus, Professor of History, University of Toronto
Mehrdad Mashayekhi, Visiting Professor of Sociology, Georgetown University
Rudi Matthee, Professor of History, University of Delaware
Elzbieta Matynia, Associate Professor of Sociology and Liberal Studies; Director of Transregional Center for Democratic Studies, New School for Social Research
Robert W McChesney, Research Professor of Communications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bill McKibben, Scholar in Residence, Middlebury College
Eduardo Mendieta, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Latin American & Caribbean Studies Center, Stony Brook University
Sarianna Metso, Associate Professor of History and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto
Mihajlo Mihajlov, Vice President of the Democracy International, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Farzaneh Milani, Director of Studies in Women and Gender; Professor of Persian Literature and Women Studies, University of Virginia
James Miller, Professor of Political Science, New School for Social Research; Editor of Daedalus, American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Charles Mills, Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois-Chicago
Kenneth Mills, Professor of History and Director of Latin American Studies at Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto
Margaret A Mills, Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Ohio State University
Nima Mina, Professor of Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Yassaman Mirdamadi, Director of Testing Services, University of Arkansas
Guive Mirfendereski, Lawyer and Independent Scholar
Ali Mirsepassi, Interim Dean and Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York University
W JT Mitchell, Professor of English and Art History, University of Chicago, and Editor of Critical Inquiry
JJ McMurtry, Lecturer, Business and Society Program, York University
Minoo Moallem, Professor and Chair of Women Studies Department, San Francisco State University
Fatemeh Moghadam, Professor of Economics, Hofstra University
Valentine M. Moghadam, Unesco, Paris
Hassan Mohammadi, Professor of Economics, Illinois State University at Normal
Jawid Mojaddedi, Assistant Professor of Religion, Rutgers University
Afshin Molavi, Author and Journalist
Fereshteh Molavi, Yale University Library
Mahmood Monshipouri, Professor of Political Science, Quinnipiac University
Norma Claire Moruzzi, Associate Professor of Political Science and Gender and Women's Studies, University of Illinois
Greg Moses, Independent Scholar, Austin, Texas
Chantal Mouffe, Professor of Political Theory, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster
Cas Mudde, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, University of Antwerp
Ahmad Kazemi Moussavi, Professor of Islamic Studies, International Islamic University of Malaysia
Makau Mutua, Professor of Law and Director of Human Rights Center, State University of New York at Buffalo

* * *

Negin Nabavi, Fellow at Middle East Center, University of Pennsylvania
Steven Nadler, Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Azar Nafisi, Director of the Dialogue Project, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Afsaneh Najmabadi, Professor of History and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard University
Siamak Namazi, Editor, Iran Strategic Focus
Ashis Nandy, Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi
Arash Naraghi, PhD Candidate in Religious Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara
Mohamad Navab, Professor of Cardiology, University of California at Los Angeles
Alexander Nehamas, Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities, Princeton University
Antonio Negri, Political Philosopher, Collège International de Philosophie and the Université Paris I
Astrida Neimanis, PhD Candidate in Social and Political Thought, York University
Mohammad-Reza Nikfar, Independent Scholar and Philosopher, Cologne, Germany
Azam Niroomand-Rad, Professor and President of International Organization for Medical Physics, Department of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center
Mehdi Noorbaksh, Associate Professor of International Affairs, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Lida Nosrati, Graduate Student of Translation Studies, York University
Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago

* * *

Claus Offe, Professor of Political Science, Humboldt University and Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany
Douglas D Osheroff, Department of Physics, Stanford University
Victor Ostapchuk, Associate Professor of Turkish and Ottoman Studies, University of Toronto

* * *

George Packer, Staff Writer, The New Yorker
Michael Palamarek, Instructor at the Department of Sociology, Brock University, Canada
Orhan Pamuk, Novelist, Turkey
Firoozeh Papan-Matin, Assistant Professor of Persian and Iranian Studies, University of Washington at Seattle
Misagh Parsa, Professor of Sociology, Dartmouth College
Trita Parsi, Johns Hopkins University-SAIS
Anja Pistor-Hatam, Seminar fűr Orientalistik, Universität Kiel, Germany
Jean Pedersen, Associate Professor of History, University of Rochester
Rick Perlstein, Freelance writer, Chicago, Illinois
John Perry, Professor of Persian, University of Chicago
Christopher Phillips, Society for Philosophical Inquiry/Socrates Café
Jon Pike, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Open University, UK
Terry Pinkard, Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University
Jo-Ann Pilardi, Professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies and Director of Graduate Program in Women's Studies, Towson University
Robert B. Pippin, Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago
Jaleh Pirnazar, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, University of California at Berkeley
Katha Pollitt, Columnist for The Nation magazine
John P Portelli, Professor at the Department of Theory & Policy Studies; Co-director of the Centre for Leadership & Diversity, OISE/University of Toronto
Danny Postel, Senior Editor, openDemocracy
Moishe Postone, Professor of History, University of Chicago
Nina Power, Middlesex University, London
Hilary Putnam, Cogan University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

* * *

Nasrin Qader, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, Northwestern University
Sholeh Quinn, Associate Professor of History, Ohio University
Emran Qureshi, Wertheim Fellow of Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School

* * *

Sina Rahmani, Graduate Student, Department of Comparative Literature, University of California at Los Angeles
Nasrin Rahimieh, Dean of Humanities and Professor of Comparative Literature and English, McMaster University, Canada
Ahmed Rashid, Journalist and Author, Pakistan
Ali Rahnema, Professor of Economics, American University of Paris
Marcus Raskin, Co-founder and Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies
Asghar Rastegar, Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine
Jonathan Rée, Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Roehampton University and the Royal College of Art, London
James A Reilly, Professor of Middle Eastern History, University of Toronto
Yann Richard, Professeur d'ètudes iraniennes, Institut d'Etudes Iraniennes, Sorbonne nouvelle
Thomas M Ricks, Independent Scholar, Iranian Studies
Andras Riedlmayer, Bibliographer in Islamic Art and Architecture, Aga Khan Program, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University; President, Turkish Studies Association
Monica M Ringer, Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Amherst College
Dona Robati, Poet and Journalist, Shahrvand Publication, Toronto
Bruce Robbins, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Trevor John Robertson, PhD Candidate in Social and Political Thought, York University
Joel Rogers, Professor of Law, Political Science and Sociology, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Richard Rorty, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Philosophy, Stanford University
Herbert Roseman, Graduate student in Philosophy, Columbia University
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Film Critic, Chicago Reader
Jalil Roshandel, Visiting Professor of Political Science, Duke University
Jamie P Ross, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Portland State University
David Rothenberg, Professor of Philosophy, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Matthew Rothschild, Editor, The Progressive
Barnett R Rubin, Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center on International Cooperation, New York University
Bruce Rutherford, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Colgate University

* * *

Nader Sadeghi, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology/Surgery, George Washington University
Shadi Sadr, Human Rights Lawyer, Tehran
Farian Sabahi, Professor of Islamic Studies, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
Ahmad Sadri, Professor of Sociology, Lake Forest College
Mahmoud Sadri, Professor of Sociology, Texas Woman's University
Elli Safari, Film producer and director, The Netherlands
Marshall Sahlins, Charles F Grey Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, University of Chicago
Karim Sadjadpour, Iran Analyst, International Crisis Group
Niaz Salimi, President of Muslim Canadian Congress and Director of Centre for Thought, Dialogue and Human Rights in Iran
Poupak Salimi, IT Consultant , Toronto, Canada
Roger Savory, Professor Emeritus of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto
David Sayer, PhD Candidate in Social and Political Thought, York University
Mohsen Sazegara, Visiting Scholar, Yale University
George Scialabba, Book Critic, Boston Globe
Richard Schmitt, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Brown University
Stephen Schlesinger, Director of World Policy Institute, New School University
David Schweickart, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University
David Scott, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University
Richard Sennett, Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics
Hamideh Sedghi, Associate Professor of Political Science, Villanova University
Omid Payrow Shabani, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Canada
Adam Shatz, Literary Editor, The Nation
Martin Shaw, Professor of International Relations and Politics, University of Sussex
Hassan Shaygannik, Professor of International Political Economy, Florida Atlantic University
M Rahim Shayegan, Musa Sabi Assistant Professor of Iranian, University of California at Los Angeles
Thomas Sheehan, Professor of Religious Studies, Stanford University and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago
Amir Soltani Sheikholeslami, Human Rights Activist, Blue Initiative
Amir Sheikhzadegan, Lecturer and Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Zuich
Scott Sherman, Contributing Writer, The Nation
Faegheh Shirazi, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin
Sussan Siavoshi, Professor of Political Science, Trinity University
Stefano Silvestri, President of Institute for International Affairs, Italy
Marta Simidchieva, Division of Humanities, York University, and the Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada
Margaret Simons, Professor of Philosophy, Southern Illinois University
Peter Singer, Ira W DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, University Center for Human Values, Princeton University; Laureate Professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne, Australia
Peter Sloterdijk, Professor and Rektor, Staatliche Hochschule fűr Gestaltung Karlsruhe
Monika Smetana, MA Graduate Candidate in Social and Political Thought, York University
Jay Smith, PhD Candidate in Social and Political Thought, York University
Naghmeh Sohrabi, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies, Brandeis University
Ebrahim Soltani, PhD Candidate in Political Science, Syracuse University
Lucia Sommer, Artist and Writer, Visual and Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester
Stanley Crossick, Chairman, Belmont
Arian Starova, President of the Albanian Atlantic Association
Ilan Stavans, Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture, Amherst College
Karsten Struhl, Porofessor of Philosophy, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
Zohreh T Sullivan, Professor of English, Comparative and World Literature, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Adam Sutcliffe, Lecturer in Early Modern European History, King's College London

* * *

Also in openDemocracy:

Rasool Nafisi, "The meaning of Ramin Jahanbegloo's arrest" (16 May 2006)

Poopak Taati, PhD in Sociology and Journalist, American University
Ara Tadevosyan, Director of Armenian Mediamax news agency
Victoria Tahmasebi, PhD in Social and Political Thought, York University, Toronto
Kamran Talattof, Associate Professor of Near Eastern Studies, University of Arizona
Mohamad Tavakoli, Professor of History, University of Toronto; Editor-in-Chief, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Middle East and Africa
Charles Taylor, Professor of Philosophy, McGill University, Montreal
Abdulkader Tayob, Professor in Social Processes in Modern Islam, ISIM, Radboud University, Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Sherman Teichman, Director of Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University
Tzvetan Todorov, Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris
Chris Toensing, Executive Director of Middle East Research and Information Project, Washington, DC
Nayereh Tohidi, Visiting Associate Professor of Women's Studies and Keddie-Balzan Fellow, Center for Near Eastern Studies at University of California at Los Angeles
Michael Tomasky, Editor, The American Prospect
John Torpey, Professor of Sociology, City University of New York Graduate Center
Alberto Toscano, Lecturer in Sociology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, New Cross
Nhung Tuyet Tran, Assistant Professor of History, University of Toronto
D Alissa Trotz, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Equity Studies, University of Toronto

* * *

Sanam Vakil, Professor of Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Mehrdad Valibeigi, Professorial lecturer of Economics, The American University
Farzin Vahdat, Post-doctoral Associate, Middle East Council, Yale University
Philippe Van Parijs, Professor of Economic and Social Ethics, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University
Haleh Vaziri, Media & Public Researcher, Independent Scholar
Dusan Velickovic, Editor and publisher, Biblioteka Alexandria, Serbia & Montenegro, Independent Publishing House, Alexandria Press
Andrew Wachtel, Dean of The Graduate School; Bertha and Max Dressler Professor in the Humanities and Director of Center for International and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University
Immanuel Wallerstein, Professor of Sociology, Yale University
Michael Walzer, Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
Victoria Weafer, PhD Candidate in Philosophy, Columbia University
Jeff Weintraub, Political Theorist, University of Pennsylvania
Cornel West, University Professor of Religion, Princeton University
Robert Westbrook, Professor of History, University of Rochester
Melissa Williams, Director of Centre for Ethics and Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
Ellen Willis, Professor of Journalism, New York University
Richard Wolin, Distinguished Professor of History, Comparative Literature and Political Science, Graduate Center, City University of New York

* * *

Santiago Zabala, Researcher in Philosophy, Pontifical Lateran University of Rome
Krzysztof Zanussi, Professor, Silesian University in Katowice; Film Director and President of "TOR" Film Studio, Warsaw
Hassan Zerehi, Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Shahrvand
Linda Zerilli, Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University
Howard Zinn, Author and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Boston University
Slavoj Zizek, Professor and Senior Researcher of Philosophy and Psychoanalysis, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

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open Democracy News Analysis - Ramin Jahanbegloo: an open letter to Iran's president, openDemocracy - Comments

Ramin Jahanbegloo: an open letter to Iran's president, openDemocracy