CONVERSATION WITH FEMALE UNIVERSITY OF TEHRAN PROFESSOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 02686



DEPT FOR NEA/NGA, INR



E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR

TAGS: PGOV, PINS, IR, TU

SUBJ: CONVERSATION WITH FEMALE UNIVERSITY OF

TEHRAN PROFESSOR



1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.



2. SUMMARY. CONOFF SPOKE WITH A 32 YEAR OLD

IRANIAN FEMALE PROFESSOR WHO TEACHES MANAGEMENT

AT AL ZAHRAH UNIVERSITY AND ENGLISH LITERATZE

AT TEHRAN UNIVERSITY. SHE DESCRIBED CONDITIONS

IN TEHRAN AND AT THE UNIVERSITY. DURING ONE

VERY EMOTIONAL MOMENT SHE COMPLAINED THAT THE

CURRENT SITUATION IS THE RESULT OF WESTERN

INTERFERENCE IN IRANIAN INTERNAL POLITICAL

AFFAIRS. END SUMMARY.



3. CONOFF SPOKE BRIEFLY WITH A 32 YEAR OLD FEMALE

PROFESSOR FROM AL ZAHRAH (WOMEN'S) UNIVERSITY IN

THE VANAK NEIGHBORHOOD OF TEHRAN. SHE ALSO TEACHES

AT TEHRAN UNIVERSITY. SHE TEACHES 12 HOURS PER

WEEK AT AL ZAHRAH THE FORMER FARAH UNIVERSITY,

WHICH IS A WOMEN ONLY UNIVERSITY AND 8 HOURS PER

WEEK AT TEHRAN UNIVERSITY. IN TEHRAN UNIVERSITY

SHE IS ONE OF 30 FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS IN THE

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LITERATURE.



4. SHE SAID THAT MOST OF THE STUDENTS ENROLLED

IN COURSES IN THE ENGLISH LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

ARE LEARNING ENGLISH TO ENABLE THEM TO STUDY

ADVANCED COURSE WORK IN OTHER FACULTIES, WHICH

USE TEXTS AND RESEARCH MATERIALS PUBLISHED IN

ENGLISH. ALTHOUGH THE CLASSROOMS AND LECTURE HALLS

ARE CO-ED THE MALE STUDENTS SIT ON ONE SIDE OF THE

ROOM AND THE FEMALE STUDENTS SIT IN A GROUP ON THE

OPPOSITE SIDE. ALL FEMALE STUDENTS AND FEMALE

FACULTY HAVE TO WEAR "APPROPRIATE ISLAMIC DRESS."

WHEN ASKED IF SHE WAS TREATED WITH RESPECT BY THE

MALE STUDENTS SHE SAID THAT SHE HAS NEVER HAD A

PROBLEM.



5. INFORMANT TOLD CONOFF THAT IT IS HER OPINION

THAT THE MAJORITY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN IRAN HAVE

CONNECTION TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLICAN PARTY, A CERTAIN

MULLAH, OR IN SOME WAY HAVE CONVINCED OFFICIALS OF

THEIR STRONG ISLAMIC BELIEFS. SHE ADDED, HOWEVER,

THAT MOST PEOPLE IN IRAN ARE TIRED OF THE REGIME,

A COMMENT WE HAVE HEARD NUMEROUS TIMES FROM A WIDE

ASSORTMENT OF PEOPLE. PEOPLE HAVE TO ACT FAITHFUL

AND "PRETEND TO FOLLOW THOSE STUPID, CRAZY MULLAHS,

BUT THE MAJORITY NO LONGER BELIEVES IN THE GOVERNMENT.

HOW CAN THEY WHEN THINGS ARE SO EXPENSIVE AND ALL

THOSE BOYS ARE DYING IN THAT SENSELESS WAR IN BASRA."



6. WHEN ASKED WHY THE REGIME IS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE

IF SO MANY PEOPLE DISLIKE IT SHE SAID THAT EVERYONE

IS AFRAID. "IF YOU GO ALONG WITH THEM THEY WON'T

HURT YOU AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOME BENEFIT, LIKE THE

STUDENTS GETTING ACCEPTED INTO UNIVERSITY." SHE

ADDED, "THE PEOPLE KNOW THAT IF THEY DEMONSTRATE

KHOMEINI WILL KILL THEM. SHE POINTED OUT THAT THE

SHAH CONTINUED TO PAY STRIKING WORKERS AND ADDED

"IF HIS TROOPS HAD KILLED A FEW THOUSAND HE WOULD

STILL BE IN POWER. KHOMEINI WOULD DO THAT WITHOUT

THINKING ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHY NO ONE TRIES TO

CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT."



7. SHE SAID THAT THIS YEAR APPROXIMATELY 600,000

STUDENTS WOULD TAKE PART IN THE NATION-WIDE

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMS BUT ONLY 40,000 TO 50,000

WOULD BE ACCEPTED. "THIS AND THE WAR IS WHY YOUP

HAVE SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE OUT IN THE WAITING ROOM,"

SHE SAID. "DO YOU BLAME THEM? IF THEY DON'T GET

ADMITTED TO A UNIVERSITY WHAT CAN THEY DO, THERE

ARE NO JOBS." WHEN ASKED HER OPINION OF THE NIV

APPLICANTS SHE SAID," I TOLD YOU. THERE ARE NO

JOBS. FOR THE BOYS IF THEY CAN'T GO TO SCHOOL

WHAT IS LEFT? GOING TO THE MILITARY."



8. INFORMANT SAID THAT FEMALE UNIVERSITY FACULTY

ARE PAID SALARIES EQUAL TO THAT OF MALE COUNTERPARTS

AND THERE IS NO OPEN DISCRIMINATION, HOWEVER, "THEY

DO THINGS, LITTLE THINGS TO UPSET YOU."

A FACULTY MEMBER IS ONLY ALLOWED TO TEACH 24 HOURS PER

WEEK, BUT THEY TRY TO FIND EXCUSES TO KEEP WOMEN

FROM CARRYING A FULL LOAD. "HAVING HAIR EXPOSED

COULD BE GROUNDS FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION, SUCH AS

HAVING A COURSE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOUR SCHEDULE."

SHE TOLD CONOFF THAT MOST STUDENTS ARE BIDDING THEIR

TIME, HOPING THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

WILL IMPROVE BY THE TIME THEY GRADUATE. SHE BELIEVES

THAT THE AVERAGE STUDENT IS WEAKER AND LESS MOTIVATED

THAN IN THE PAST. "THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH INCENTIVE

TO EXCELL."



9. AFTER LENGTHY QUESTIONING SHE JOKED THAT CONOFF

SHOULD TELL HER WHEN THE U.S. PLANS TO TOPPLE

KHOMEINI. WE FIND IT INTERESTING THAT MANY IRANIANS

INCLUDING EDUCATED AND WESTERN-ORIENTED PROFESSIONALS

SUCH AS THIS PROFESSOR BELIEVE THAT THE SHAH'S

DOWNFALL WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE U.S. OR A

COMBINATION OF WESTERN POWER BROKERS. WHEN

CONOFF REMINDED HER THAT THERE WERE NO AMERICANS

IN IRAN TO PROVIDE US INFORMATION SHE LAUGHED AND

SAID, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AN AMERICAN TO TELL

YOU WHAT IS GOING ON; THE CIA DOESN'T USE JUST

AMERICANS. I'M SURE THAT YOU OR SOMEONE IN YOUR

GOVERNMENT KNOWS JUST AS MUCH AS RAFSANJANI AND

KHOMEINI DO ABOUT MY COUNTRY."



10. COMMENT. IN THE IRANIAN WORLDVIEW THERE IS

ALWAYS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE TO BLAME FOR

ONE'S MISFORTUNES. THIS MAY BE A RULER, A BOSS,

THE WEATHER OR FATE IN GENERAL. IT IS INTERESTING,

HOWEVER, THAT SO MANY IRANIANS BELIEVE THAT THE

U.S. INTERESTS ARE ENHANCED BY PROLONGING THE WAR

BETWEEN IRAN AND IRAQ AND BY KEEPING KHOMEINI IN

POWER. END COMMENT.



RAU