LOUISE GRAY SCOTTISH POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
The Scotsman – Scotland’s oldest university yesterday took the controversial step of honouring a former president of Iran, amid angry protests that he allowed students to be persecuted in his home country.
Wearing the traditional grey robes of a senior Muslim cleric, Mohammad Khatami swept past demonstrators to be presented with an honorary degree in the university’s Younger Hall.
Exiles from Iran and student protesters branded the award "shameful" and claimed human rights abuses, including the stoning of women and persecution of students, had worsened while Mr Khatami was president, between 1997 and 2005.
Ali Befrei, who fled Iran in 1988 after his wife was tortured under the regime, heckled Mr Khatami as a "terrorist".
But Dr Brian Lang, the principal of the university, said the honorary degree of doctor of laws, was conferred because of Mr Khatami’s work in developing inter-faith dialogue at a time of tension with the Muslim world.
He quoted a message sent from the Vatican that read: "Intercultural dialogue and inter-religious dialogue are the two vital necessities of our time. What better place than a university to carry forward this discussion."
Mr Khatami is the first political representative from Iran to visit Britain since the Islamic revolution in 1972.
In an interview with Channel 4 News Mr Khatami said the United States should withdraw now from Iraq, to be replaced by a force drawn from the region, possibly with western elements.
However, during his visit to St Andrews, he stuck to academic subjects. He first opened the university’s Institute for Iranian Studies, which, after the donation of 12,000 books, is expected to become the leading centre of its kind in Europe. Then, in a philosophical speech to about 200 students, he spoke about the nature of dialogue between the Islamic world and the West, questioning why the dominant concept of the individual has not led to less violence in the world.
He argued it was essential for individuals to look beyond their own cultural and religious boundaries in order to understand others. "One can live inside their religious, geographical and political borders but extend love profusely. Borderless friendship will save the world," he said.
But Leila Jazayeri, of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Academics, claimed he was against dialogue. "Khatami has got one aim and that is to whitewash the atrocities of the Iranian fundamentalist regime," she said. "He talks about the dialogue of civilisations when he has said he opposes profoundly western civilisation."
During Mr Khatami’s time in office, she said 30,000 political prisoners had been killed, 27 women stoned to death and a 16-year-old girl hanged.
Sofie Buckland, convener of student group Education Not for Sale, said: "This is an appalling betrayal of Iranian students’ struggle for freedom."
STUDENTS DIVIDED
IN his ancient robes and white tie, Tom d’Ardenne, 21, president of the Students’ Association, welcomed the opportunity to take part in the procession to honour "a great promoter of understanding between the Islamic world and the West".
He said: "Since leaving the presidency, Khatami has worked incredibly hard to build bridges between Islam and other faiths.
"The reason this award is being given is that he is getting people to understand Islam and getting Islam to understand the rest of the world."
But outside the splendour of Younger Hall, where the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was presented, a handful of students joined Iranian refugees to protest.
Nathan Sibley, 20, a student of international relations, said: "I am unhappy with how close Khatami still is to the regime. I admired him for what he did trying to bring forward reform but I do not think we should be associated with him so closely after he failed."
Shirin Kheder, 29, a student of English in London, who is from Iran, said students were killed while Khatami was president.
She added: "Khatami is a killer. He lied to the people and the students and brought shame on Iran. Now there is no democracy or freedom in Iran."
