[R-G] Petition to Stop Exclusion of Iranians from Dutch Universities

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.iraansestudenten.nl/?English>
Stop insinuating Iranians!
Academic freedom transcends nationality

[Support us and sign the petition]
<http://www.iraansestudenten.nl/petition.php>

Ministers Plasterk (Education), and Verhagen (Foreign Affairs) have
asked the Dutch Universities to exercise "vigilance", and "great
reservation" in admitting Iranian students. As a result, the
University of Twente announced that it would no longer admit Iranians
(students and staff members), and the Eindhoven University of
Technology tends to consult the General Intelligence and Security
Service for an admission clearance, a permission which the Service, in
principle, cannot issue. There are cases known in which the Eindhoven
University has denied admission of PhD students, merely because of
their nationality. Fortunately, not all universities participate in
this madness; The Delft University of Technology and the University of
Groningen do not exclude Iranians on a structural basis.

This decision stems from resolution 1737 of the UN Security Council,
in which the member states are instructed to be cautious with respect
to the provision of proliferation sensitive information to Iran. That
is, information which could lead to the construction and distribution
of nuclear weapons. Although nuclear technology is taught at Dutch
universities, the elementary knowledge that an Iranian student can
acquire during his or her study is of no value for the Iranian nuclear
program. This knowledge, in fact, consists of publicly accessible
information, which can be found in the average textbooks and on the
internet.

The fundamental issue here should be knowledge and information
pertaining to the destructive aspects of nuclear technology. We find
it well-advised to protect this sensitive information adequately in
the Netherlands, instead of insinuating Iranians. After all, potential
hazards that can originate from such type of information are not
constrained to one nationality.

We find the decision by the Dutch government stigmatizing and
discriminating for the Iranian people. In a constitutional state, one
remains innocent until proven guilty; exclusion of an entire nation is
in sharp contrast to this principle. Furthermore, we are concerned
about the negative consequences of this decision for the approximately
28.000 Iranian Dutch citizens, many of whom study, conduct research,
and work at the universities and other academic institutes.

We call upon the Dutch government, particularly Minister Plasterk, to
reconsider this decision, so that categorical exclusion of Iranian
students and academics will no longer be applied, and that academic
freedom will remain preserved.

Already signed by:

    * Drs. Paul Aarts, university lecturer international relations, UvA
    * Prof. dr. ir. Mehmet Aksit, professor software engineering,
Twente University
    * Prof. dr. Krzysztof R. Apt, Professor of computer science, UvA
    * Prof. dr. Farhad Arbab, professor centrum voor wiskunde en
informatica, Amsterdam, and institute of advanced computer science,
Leiden University
    * Prof. dr. Touraj Atabaki, social history of Middle-East and
Central Asia, Leiden University. Senior researcher international
institute for social history, Amsterdam.
    * Dr. Frank de Boer, senior scientist Centrum Wiskunde &
Informatica, Amsterdam and senior lecturer, Leiden University
    * Drs. Harry van Bommel, member of the Lower House (SP)
    * Prof. dr. Ed Brinksma, professor informatics, Twente University,
and scientific director, Embedded Systems Institute in Eindhoven
    * Prof. dr. Arie van Deursen, professor software engineering, TU Delft
    * Prof. dr. Paul Emmelkamp,  Clinical psychology, UvA, member KNAW
    * Prof. dr. Wan Fokkink, professor theoretical informatics, VU Amsterdam
    * Prof. dr. Sjaak van der Geest, professor medical anthropology, UvA
    * Prof. Halleh Ghorashi, professor management of diversity and
integration, VU Amsterdam
    * Prof. dr. Frank .G. Grosveld, professor of Cell Biology and
Genetics, Erasmus MC
    * Prof. dr. Jan Willem Gunning, professor development economics,
VU Amsterdam
    * Prof. dr. ir. Tim van der Hagen, professor of reactor physics
and director Reactor Instituut Delft, TU Delft
    * Prof. dr. Muhsin N. Harakeh, professor experimental nuclear
physics and director of the Nuclear-physics Accelerator Institute,
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
    * Prof. dr. Majid Hassanizadeh, professor of environmental
hydrogeology, Utrecht University
    * Prof. dr. J. Heringa, professor of Bioinformatics and director
Center for Integrative Bioinformatics, VU Amsterdam
    * Prof. dr. Jan Hoeijmakers, professor molecular genetics, head of
genetics department, Erasmus MC
    * Prof. dr. Jan Hogendijk, professor history of mathematics,
Leiden University
    * Prof. dr. Philp A. Idenburg, emeritus professor, Utrecht University
    * Prof. dr. David Ingleby, professor of intercultural psychology,
Utrecht University
    * Prof. dr. Nasser Kalantar, professor experimental nuclear
physics, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
    * Drs. Farah Karimi,  former member of Dutch Lower House (GroenLinks)
    * Prof. dr. James Kennedy, professor of Dutch history, UvA
    * Prof. dr. Paul Klint, professor informatics, UvA, and cluster
leader, Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Amsterdam.
    * Prof. dr. Jan Willem Klop, professor applied logic, VU
Amsterdam, member KNAW
    * Prof. dr. Trudie Knijn, professor social sciences, Utrecht University
    * Dr. Annemarie Kolk, associate professor of clinical psychology, UvA
    * Prof. dr. Holger Lill, professor structure biology and director
Institute of Molecular Cellbiology, VU Amsterdam
    * Prof. dr. M. Mearadji, professor Erasmus University,
paediatrician and radiologist at Sophia Kinderziekenhuis Rotterdam
    * Prof. dr. Martin Michel, professor and head of Department of
Pharmacology and Farmacotherapy, UvA
    * Prof. dr. Piet Mulders, professor Theoretical Physics, VU Amsterdam
    * Drs. Shervin Nekuee, sociologist, publicist en writer
    * Prof. dr. Wiro Niessen, professor Biomedical Imaging Group
Rotterdam, Erasmus MC Rotterdam
    * Dr. Luis Ferreira Pires, associate professor of electrical
engineering, Twente University
    * Prof. dr. Annemiek Richters, professor of culture and health,
Leiden University
    * Prof. dr. ir. Kees Roos, emeritus professor of optimalization
techniques, TU Delft
    * Prof. dr. Jan Rutten, professor theoretical informatics, VU Amsterdam
    * Prof. dr. Ruud J. Schotting, professor of quantitative water
management, Roosevelt Academy, Utrecht University
    * Prof. dr. Tetsuo Tomiyama, professor of biomechanical
engineering, scientific director of  Delft Center for Engineering
Design, TU Delft
    * Dr. Hans Tonino, director of studies in computer science, TU Delft
    * Prof. dr. ir. Hans Tramper, professor bioproces technology,
Wageningen University
    * Prof. dr. Richard Visser, professor plant breeding, Wageningen University
    * Prof. dr. Peter Verrijzer, professor biochemistry, Erasmus Medical Center
    * Prof. dr. Hans V. Westerhoff,  professor molecular cell
physiology VU Amsterdam, mathematical biochemistry UvA en bioCentre
Amsterdam, systems biology Manchester Center for Integrative Systems
Biology
    * Prof. dr. Cees Witteveen, professor algorithmics, TU Delft

[Support us and sign the petition]
<http://www.iraansestudenten.nl/petition.php>

--
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>