Registered Scottish Charity number SCO19883
► Twitter Updates
Twitterfeed is currently unavailable, check back later!
Twitterfeed is currently unavailable, check back later!
We're 20 people away from
having 1000 likes for our
Facebook Page... http://bi
t.ly/b0nPwh (StAndrewsUnion)
Final proofs of The Book
2010 before it goes off
to print! (Thanks for all your
comments on TheBook2010 -
changes now uploaded http://bi
t.ly/clx12O (StAndrewsUnion)
Busy day today - shifting
set and then discussing
@ontherocksfest with The
Byre this morning and
then budget meetings this
afternoon. (barrontheatre)
Library progress:
encouraging. Union
redevelopment
next...another meeting
with head of fundraising
at the end of the week. (StAPresident)
Help on yourunion.net
Advertise
Reach our students with your message - contact us
We work with BAM network and we can help you advertise to all UK students.
►The Students' Association stance re: Recent National and International news items regarding HE Mohammad Khatami
|
12th October 2006 9:18 am
|
The Sunday Times published an article on the 8th October stating that students were going to protest against the decision by the University of St Andrews to award an honorary degree to the former president of Iran HE Mohammad Khatami. The Foxnews network in the USA also ran a story on Monday 9th stating that ‘students at St Andrews University in Scotland are promising a mass protest’ over the same issue.The purpose of this statement is to clarify the position of the University of St Andrews Students’ Association. There are two points we wish to clarify:
Firstly, the University of St Andrews Students’ Association fully supports the decision to award HE Mohammad Khatami an honorary degree. Secondly, the student leaders who are calling for protest represent the National Union of Students (NUS) – a body which is in no way affiliated to St Andrews, and which the student body of our institution have repeatedly voted not to join. The decision by the University of St Andrews Students’ Association to support the award was one that was not reached on a whim – but was made after full consultation and debate with several prominent independent experts, academics and, most importantly, St Andrews students, who attended the student forum where our response was discussed. For your information, I attach a copy of the official statement the Students’ Association released after that forum at the bottom of this statement.
Our conclusions were as follows: the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws which is being conferred is to recognise HE Mohammad Khatami’s work in building interfaith relations – principally between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. His work in establishing a Foundation for the Dialogue of Civilisations and the role he plays in Kofi Annan’s Alliance for Civilisations are especially notable. Considering current global tensions relating to these faiths, the Students’ Association of St Andrews considered such work particularly commendable; in our opinion, they are clearly grounds on which to award an honorary doctorate.
The criticisms often levelled against Khatami are mainly for his failings as a President, although there are two things to note here. We are advised that, firstly, Khatami himself strove for moderation and liberalisation whilst in office. He was a proponent of civil society, Islamic Democracy, and human rights – despite having to work under exceptionally difficult circumstances. His political advisor, Saeed Hajjarian, for example, was shot in the head by an extremist who opposed the liberal reforms that were proposed by Khatami and the 2nd of Khordad Front. This leads us to the second crucial point – that is that Khatami was never the highest ranking political or judicial authority in the land, and held minimal influence when it came to deciding who should and should not be in prison. That role was, and still is, played by the Ayatollah Seyyed Khamenei – and it was he who imprisoned Ahmad Batebi – the man who the NUS have made an honorary vice-president. The Ayatollah is the highest political and judicial authority in Iran, and Khatami has very little influence over him on judicial matters – this can be demonstrated by noting that the extremist who shot Khatami’s political advisor in the head, Saeed Asgar, was freed from jail after serving only a fraction of his total sentence. To call upon Khatami to ‘use his influence’ to release Batebi is a request that is as naïve as it is futile, while organising a protest against him in support of the ‘democratic opposition in Iran’, as the NUS are attempting to do, is ludicrous – because Khatami himself was part of that opposition, and still is one of the key players trying to bring democracy to the Middle East.
Having actually taken the time to research the issues, the University of St Andrews Students’ Association calls upon the NUS to cancel any protests it may have planned, and to examine thoroughly and honestly both the facts, and its own political agenda. Such poorly researched campaigns on very important topics do nothing to enhance the reputation or the credibility of the NUS – and this whole incident appears to be nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt grounded within what is, in fact, a very serious issue. It is precisely for reasons such as this that the University of St Andrews Students’ Association is proud not to be currently associated with the NUS in any way.
