The Cultural Revolution (; 1980–1983) was a period following the Iranian Revolution, when the academia of Iran was purged of Western and non-Islamic influences (including traditionalist unpolitical Islamic doctrines) to align them with the revolutionary and political Islam. The cultural revolution sometimes involved violence in taking over the university campuses, as higher education in Iran had many secular and leftist forces who were opposed to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic state in Iran. The official name used by the Islamic Republic is "Cultural Revolution".
Directed by the Cultural Revolutionary Headquarters and later by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, the revolution initially closed universities for three years (1980–1983) and after reopening banned many books and purged thousands of students and lecturers from the schools.Supreme Cultural Revolution Council GlobalSecurity.org The resistance against Islamists' control at many universities was largely unsuccessful. How many students or faculty were killed is not known.
The government's process of censoring foreign influences has not been without consequences. In addition to interrupting the freedom, education and professional livelihood of many, and striking "a major blow to Iran's cultural and intellectual life and achievement," it contributed to the emigration of many teachers and technocrats. This loss of job skills and capital weakened Iran's economy.
Aftermath of the 1979 Revolution
In the early years of the revolution, cinemas were either burned or shut down, and both Iranian and Western pop music were banned (although Iranian and Western classical music, as well as Iranian folk music, were allowed). Public spaces became strictly segregated by gender, and dress codes were enforced for both men and women, with women facing much stricter restrictions. During the Pahlavi period, dress was regulated at the state level, with traditional Iranian dress being discouraged and outlawed as it was thought to be an antiquated practice by the Shah. After Pahlavi abdicated, the men and women of Iran had the freedom to dress how they chose, with many educated women choosing not to wear veils. The Cultural Revolution once again mandated specific dress expectations, most intensely impacted women. The hijab became mandatory for women and girls, beginning at 6 despite previous conservative norms being age 9, which is considered the age of religious maturity. Resistance of these girls and women prolonged the implementation of this demand for several years, although women to this day continue to be shamed, harmed or killed for disobeying the public hijab expectations. The hijab became required for women to access the world outside of their homes, and simultaneously, women's legal rights in Iran were stripped. The demonstrations of school children elicited an aggressive response from the state, where young girls were targeted inside of their schools for their disobedience to behavioral and physical expectations. Men also had requirements regarding their appearance, with Western forms of dress such as neckties no longer encouraged and certain traditional hairstyles expected. The necktie was seen as a declaration of non-Muslim faith and opened men up to intimidation tactics from groups such as the Hezb-Allah party. Censorship was strictly implemented, and schools were required to prioritize religious education, with recognized religious minorities permitted to include their own faith teachings.
Since February 1979, and prior, universities in Iran had been important sites for political and ideological debates. Upon his return, Ruhollah Khomeini praised student activists for their opposition to the Shah. In the early months following the revolution, the Islamic Republic Party (IRP) held significant influence within the universities, winning a dominant position in student elections. However, by early 1980, leftist groups including the MEK had replaced the IRP in these elections.
During the electoral campaign, the Revolutionary Council identified the universities as centers of counter-revolutionary activity. Khomeini asserted that "all the major problems of the last fifty years" could be linked back to the universities, which, he claimed, had been a breeding ground for the "gharbzadegi" (Westernization) virus, spread by academics, "liberals, and other intellectuals." Specific areas of academia were targeted and restricted, such as the rapidly modernized archaeological department at the University of Tehran during the 1970s. Updated practices of archaeology put a focus on comprehensive understanding of past teachings of different ethnicities and had an emphasis on field work during the education process in universities. Archaeologists of the time were viewed by the Islamic regime as being either pro-Muslim Nationalists, or anti-Muslim Marxists, depending on the teachings aligning with the expected Shia law. The field of archaeology was significant because it could be weaponized and intentionally misrepresented to "justify systematic discrimination and oppression". On 18 April 1980, after Friday prayers, Khomeini gave a speech harshly attacking the universities.
His remarks are thought to have "served as a signal for an attack that evening on the Tehran Teachers Training College" by his supporters, the Hezbollahi. One student was reportedly lynched, and according to a British correspondent, the campus was left looking like an "a combat zone." The next day, Hezbollahis ransacked left-wing student offices at Shiraz University. Some 300 students required hospital treatment. Attacks on student groups also took place at Mashad and Isfahan Universities." Attacks continued on 21 April and the next day at the Universities at Ahwaz and Rasht. Over 20 people lost their lives in these university confrontations. Recorded documents written by members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and other organizations, discuss students and faculty at the universities of Iran, categorizing them as Muslim or a problematic non-Muslim, although this label more so identified them as a cooperative Hezbollahi person or not. Increased pressure would be put on non-compliant professors, including the threat of the loss of employment, public violence or death. Extensive documentation was kept on lecturers, manually recorded during frequent meetings by participants such as the Islamic Association of Students. These recordings come from meetings held at the University of Tehran's Faculty of Literatures and Humanities, discussing topics such as the regime and revolution, Shia law, the oppression of students and faculty, and how to engage young people against the "leftists" within the educational space. The universities closed soon after the April confrontation for Islamization. They were not to open for another two years."
Islamization of universities
The Islamization of universities is considered in 3 separate phases. The first is regarded as the Revolutionary Era, beginning with the 1979 Revolution and continuing through the Iran-Iraq war, and included the implementation of policies that resulted in the closing of universities to purify them from Western influences. Institutions transformed during this time, reflecting Islamic values and expectations. The next phase, the "Construction and Reform Era", saw less influence from the State and allowed the universities limited freedoms. During this time, there was an expansion of enrollment in universities as a greater emphasis on qualified lecturers resurfaced with Rafsanjani's government. The expansion of enrollment once again rose again during the Khatami government. Despite these movements forward in education, the opposition from Iran's supreme leader persisted. The final phase, referred to as the "Hard-Liner Era", saw a return of the heavy influence of Islamization required by the state under Ahmadinejad. Higher education continued to grow in number, but restrictions that were withdrawn during the Reform Era saw its return. University presidents were selected by the state, fundamentalist faculty replaced tenured staff, and gender based restrictions were heavily implemented. Students could be targeted by the "ministry of science, research, and technology", MSRT for the activism, and students could be held back if they did not publicly support the regime. This, combined with the purification of curriculum taught in universities, made a significant impact on the quality of education. This era is largely considered the second Cultural Revolution in Iran. Despite the decades long efforts of the regime, the complete Islamization of Universities within Iran is not considered entirely successful. The main theme of the movement was to purify the universities and education system of foreign influences and remains a priority to this day. In his original letter, Khomeini wrote: Set yourselves free from any " –ism" and " –ist" belonging to the East and the West. Be self-dependent and do not expect any help from the foreigners.
After shutting down the universities on 12 June 1980, Khomeini issued a letter, stating:
The "Committee for Islamization of Universities" carried out the task by ensuring an "Islamic atmosphere" for every subject from engineering to the humanities. The headquarters deleted certain courses such as music as "fake knowledge," and committees "came to similar conclusions concerning all subjects in the humanities such as law, political sciences, economy, psychology, education and sociology". In its early stages, the committee included academics such as Abdolkarim Soroush, although he would later become a strong critic of the authoritarian path taken by the Islamic Republic.
The 1979 Revolution gave power to a number of "religious intellectuals" who were charged with redefining educational policies and media within the new Islamic framework. When the institutions reopened, purges continued for five more years with special focus on "Islam’s enemies".Foundation anniversary of the Islamic Propagation Organization (I.O.P) by Khomeini's order Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Students were screened by committees and those found unfit were not allowed to continue their studies. Students in the University instructor program, for example, "were required to be practicing Muslims, to declare their loyalty to ... the doctrine of the vice regency of the faqih. Non-Muslims were required to refrain from behavior 'offensive to Muslims,' and were excluded from all fields of study except accounting and foreign languages."source: advertisement in Ettelaat (2 August 1982), Bakhash, Shaul The Reign of the Ayatollahs, Basic Books, (1984) p.226
In 1981, mobs in Tehran and other provinces began randomly assaulting university campuses. They beat and injured students, expelled leftists from their offices and paramilitary bases, and subsequently took control of the campuses. Outside of the universities, the Cultural Revolution affected some non-academic cultural and scientific figures who it publicly denounced, and the broadcasts of Iranian radio and television, which were now limited to religious and official programs.Keddie, Modern Iran (2003), p,290
Expulsion of Baháʼí students and professors from universities
After the Cultural Revolution, all Baháʼí students and professors were expelled from the country’s universities, and since then, Baháʼí applicants have been prevented from enrolling in higher education or being employed as university faculty. According to a confidential directive of the Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council concerning the Baháʼís, “the system’s treatment of them should be in such a way that their progress and development are blocked,” and furthermore, “in universities, both at the time of entry and during studies, whenever it is established that someone is a Baháʼí, they must be expelled from the university.”