Academics May Boycott Iran Over Scholar's Detainment

WaPo: Momentum is building behind an academic boycott of Iran to pressure the government to free imprisoned American scholar Haleh Esfandiari, who was jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on May 8 after more than four months under house arrest. "Harassment and detention of scholars is always cause for grave concern, but in this case it should be noted that the scholar in question is widely respected both for her knowledge and ability to provide clear and dispassionate analysis," the letter added. It also charged that Iran's action against the 67-year-old grandmother, who was visiting Iran to help her ailing mother, 93, violates the republic's constitution because she has been denied legal counsel. [...]

MIT professor Noam Chomsky also issued a statement yesterday calling Esfandiari's detention "deplorable" and warned that the action by Iran's intelligence ministry was "a gift" to American policymakers trying to organize support for military action against Iran. "Now is a time for diplomacy, negotiations, and relaxation of tensions, in accordance with the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans and Iranians, as recent polls reveal," Chomsky said. "The intolerable treatment of this highly respected scholar and human rights activist severely undermines the efforts of those who are seeking peace, justice and freedom in the region and the world."

In his popular blog, University of Michigan Middle East expert Juan Cole said that he canceled plans to attend a conference this summer in Iran because of Tehran's imprisonment of Esfandiari and called on other academics to do the same. "Everyone should be outraged about this story. Her arrest should be an issue for everyone who believes in human rights, in academic freedom, and in women's rights," he wrote. Cole also suggested that academics and others protest in front of Iranian diplomatic missions...