Solidarity with Iranian University Communities
Academic Senate
OF
The California State University
AS-3582-22/FA/JEDI (Rev)
November 3-4, 2022
Solidarity with Iranian University Communities Protesting Violent Repression in Response to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” Movement
Resolved: That the Academic Senate of the California State University (ASCSU) call for the immediate declaration of solidarity with the people in Iran who are engaged in citizen manifestations; and be it further
Resolved: That the ASCSU recognize that, following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Iranians arrived in the United States with over 40% settling in California, specifically in the Los Angeles County. By 2021 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran reported that 1,500,000 Iranians born in Iran lived in the U.S, known as the Iranian Diaspora. This group constitutes the largest number of Iranians outside of Iran, many of whom are members of the CSU as faculty, staff, and students; and be it further
Resolved: That the ASCSU urge the CSU Chancellor’s Office and CSU Campus Senates to support campuses in their support of diverse programs focusing on Middle Eastern Studies which are important sites of community-building and education for all CSU students, faculty, and staff; and be it further
Resolved: That the ASCSU encourage the CSU Chancellor’s Office and CSU Campus Senates to develop formal processes to assist students and scholars in Iran who seek refuge in the U.S. because of the violent responses to their dissent in public spaces; and be it further
Resolved: That the ASCSU exhort the CSU Chancellor’s office leadership and all CSU campuses make public appeals to our representatives and our governments to address the human rights crisis that has incarcerated over 14,000 people
- sentencing many to death with more than 400 people already killed as of January 2023 - and stand in solidarity with Iranian and Iranian American (a.k.a. the Iranian Diaspora) students, faculty, staff, and their community; and be it further
Resolved: That the ASCSU distribute this resolution to the CSU Board of Trustees; CSU Chancellor; CSU campus Presidents; CSU campus Senate Chairs; CSU campus Senate Executive Committees; CSU Provosts/Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs; CSU campus Middle Eastern programs and faculty; California Faculty Association (CFA); California State Student Association (CSSA); CSU Emeritus and Retired Faculty & Staff Association (CSU-ERFSA); Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges; University of
California, Academic Senate; California Community Colleges’ Board of Governors; University of California Board of Regents; Honorable Governor Newsom - Governor of California; California Assembly Higher Education Committee; California Senators Alex Padilla and Diane Feinstein; Chief of the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the United States at the Pakistani Embassy; and the U.S. Department of State.
Rationale: The human rights crisis that erupted in Iran has a deep connection to our campuses and our communities. Human Rights Watch researcher, Tara Seehri Far, reported on September 16th1 “News outlets reported that a 22-year-old Iranian woman from Sanandaj in western Iran, named Mahsa (Zhina) Amini was arrested by Tehran’s ‘morality police.’ Following her arrest, she is said to have been transported to a hospital in a coma dying the same day”. Multiple news outlets report that the Iranian authorities describe the arrest of Ms. Amini as resulting from “improper” hijab attire.
The ASCSU takes this action out of concern and compassion for our colleagues, students, and neighbors2. California and the California State University are home to hundreds of thousands of Iranians who are part of the Iranian diaspora. Many have family connections to Iran and other Middle Eastern nations which harbor asylum-seekers and refugees who suffer the lasting effects of the multiple periods of hostility against dissenters …. California has the largest population of Iranian and Iranian American students outside of Iran.
As of the beginning of November protestors in Iran are being charged with dissent actions that will lead to the death penalty, over 14,000 have been arrested, and put to death with 400 already killed. Moreover, many protestors are being shot on site including children.
Various campuses have passed resolutions supporting Woman, Life, Freedom, including San José State University: https://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/SS-F22-1.pdf, San Francisco State University, https://cids.sfsu.edu/news/academic-senate-resolution- solidarity-women-and-university-communities-iran, Sonoma State University, https://senate.sonoma.edu/resolutions/resolution-regarding- university-response-protest, and CSU Dominguez Hills, Exec 22-10: Sense
1 https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/16/woman-dies-custody-irans-morality-police
2 Article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (by Karin Fischer, in Latitudes Newsletter) about the open letter published 10/19/22: (second article in the newsletter) — please share with
others: https://cids.sfsu.edu/news/academics-urge-solidarity-iranian-protesters
of the Senate Resolution CSUDH Support and Solidarity with Iranian Women and University Communities Manifested in “Woman, Life, Freedom”.
It is imperative that the CSU continue to stay informed on the rapidly changing condition of people in Iran. Resources for updated information are being circulated by Iranian Diaspora faculty members.3 This resolution is a collaborative effort brought out of concern and a need for action by the CSU as in other comparable historical period such as the Holocaust, the deportation of immigrants and refugees, and other global struggles.
3 SF State TEACH-IN (10/7/22): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIONnkaLCmM Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University
Resource list: about the context of protests in Iran that the Center worked on with folks at the Association for Asian American Studies: https://cids.sfsu.edu/news/woman-life-freedom-resources-protests-iran "An Open Letter to Presidents, Chancellors and Provosts of U.S. and Canadian Institutions” penned by Professors Camron Amin, Sholeh Quinn and Persis Karim which is now posted on the Center's website and includes the link to the letter that others can sign - please share the link to the letter with colleagues far and wide! https://cids.sfsu.edu/news/us- and-canadian-scholars-issue-open-letter-calling-university-administrators-take-action
