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6© Alami, Manizheh 2007
Research article
This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Ideology and linguistic indices: One incident, multiple interpretations1
Manizheh Alami
Language is a crystal being shaped by the society, one of the mechanism through which society reproduces and regulates itself. In fact, language is not simply a tool of communication or a means of passing on information. It is the means of controlling people through imposing dominant ideologies. In other words, ideology can be materialized in language. So the main aim of Critical Linguistics Analysis (CLA) is to examine the ideologies underlying the texts. CLA by using appropriate linguistic tools and referring to relevant historical and social contexts brings ideology, normally hidden through habituating of discourse, to the surface for inspection. Kress (1993:173) claims that "all texts equally encode the ideological positions of their producers. But they don't reveal or mask their ideological provenance to the same degree." This paper is an attempt to go behind the superficial meaning and underlying ideology of the headlines and opening texts of 4 English newspapers published in Iran: Iran Daily, Iran News, Tehran Times and Kayhan International to show how the same incident appeared differently in different papers. The present study applies Halliday's Systemic-Functional Grammar as the methodological source to unmask ideological uses of linguistic features. The ideational metafuction within which transitivity model is applied is a means of investigation how the linguistic structures of a text effectively encode a particular world-view/ideology. This type of analysis helps the readers to read texts differently, to be careful and pay more attention to the hidden message and ideas between lines.
Keywords
critical linguistic analysis; systemic-functional grammar; ideology; ideational function; transitivity; press
Tabriz Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
E-mail: alami_m2001@yahoo.com
Received: 1 October 2007
Reviewing editor: Andrey G. Kirillov Accepted: 15 November 2007
Published online: 20 December 2007
Abstract
1 This paper was presented at the 30th International Systemic-Functional Linguistics Congress (Lucknow, India, 15-17 December 2003).
For citation
Alami, Manizheh. 2007. "Ideology and linguistic indices: One incident, multiple interpretations." Language. Text. Society 1 (2): el-e25. https://ltsj.online/2007-01-2-alami. (Journal title at the time of publication: SamaraAltLinguo E-Journal.)
1. INTRODUCTION
Believing that any element of linguistic structure can carry ideological significance was the first motive in developing Critical Linguistics (CL). Critical practitioners attempt to raise the consciousness of the readers and to look for the attitudes and ideologies that texts implicitly carry. The main assumption behind Critical Study (CS) of texts is that linguistic choices in representing facts are not neutral, i.e. they are not chosen freely. In fact, they are made according to a series of political, social, cultural and ideological constraints. CL attempts to find the relationships that exist between linguistic choices and those social, political, cultural and ideological voices which reside in the text. There is a wide variety of comments that refer to relationships between language and ideology, e.g. Simpson (1993, 6) believes that "language reproduces ideology" or Fairclough (1989, 2) states that "ideology is embedded in the language".
Why the Press?
Developments in any aspect of social life; economy, culture, education and politics make human's life complicated. This complication brings about problems in connecting people together and creating relationship among them. We are not living in a primitive, close society as our ancestors did, so there is a fundamental need to get information about what happens around and beyond our immediate experience. Nowadays media form a matrix where most people get most of their insights, values and meanings. The effects media have on people have led to crucial shift in thinking about their role in our daily life.
The Notion of Ideology
Numerous books and articles have been written about the concept of ideology, but its definition is as elusive and confused as ever. The various definitions of ideology reflect different ideological position of their inventors. In any study of ideology, the study of what people say and do is important since this is where ideology often becomes apparent. Fairclough (1989, 107) believes that "ideology is truly effective when it is disguised". It means that ideology is more influential when its working is least visible. This invisibility is achieved through back-grounding and expressing ideologies implicitly. So the more mechanical the function of an ideology, the least it becomes a focus of conscious awareness and hence more secure its ideological effects will be.
As mentioned above, ideologies are not simply clusters of ideas residing passively in the mind. They, in order to be active, must have material realization. This materialization takes place through language or as van Dijk (1998, 13) proposes "ideologies manifest themselves in discourse".
Press and Ideology
What sets human apart from other species is his/ her capacity to produce and exchange meaning? We are surrounded by facts. As social beings we seek them, exchange them, check them and act upon them. As we handle a large amount of information, we have to rely on second-hand data about the world beyond our immediate experience. This information does not come to us innocently. It comes to us in patterns which are defined and packaged by mass media.
Nowadays media are part of our daily life. People are habituated to consume newspapers as fix part of their everyday life. They receive constant dozes of news about the world around and beyond their experiences.
The present study attempts to show how language used in newspapers form the belief system of reader and how press influences consumer's point of view.
Functions of Language
Human beings in order to survive have to meet certain needs. Language is one of the main devices that help man to overcome the problems s/he encounters in satisfying his/ her needs. Emphasis on social nature of language led to the fact that it serves a number of specific functions. Halliday posits that language serves 3 macro functions including:
1. Ideational function: we use language to talk about our experiences of the world, either the external world, things, events, qualities, etc., or our internal world, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc.
2. Interpersonal function: we use language to interact with other people, to establish and maintain relations with them, to influence their behavior, to express our own attitudes and to elicit or change others.
3. Textual function: In using language we organize our message in ways which indicate how they fit in with the other messages around them and with the wider context in which we are talking or writing. (Cited by Thompson 1997, 22)
Systemic- Functional approach sees text as sets of options. A text selects particular options from the system of options- the potential - available.
Transitivity
Transitivity is a fundamental and powerful semantic concept in SFG. It refers to the way the clause is used to encode speaker's experience of events and activities. In analyzing clause in terms of transitivity we start from a classification of the different kinds of process. Six different types of process have been distinguished in transitivity system including:
1. Material process
2. Mental process
3. Relational process
4. Behavioral process
5. Verbal process
6. Existential process
2. METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE
As aforementioned transitivity model suggested in Halliday's SFG can be used as an analytical tool for investigating:
1- How a news reader's perception of the meaning of a text is pushed in a particular direction.
2- How a particular world-view / ideology can be encoded in linguistic structure or a text. (Simpson, 1994)
The present study applies linguistic analysis which is descriptive and objective in nature and is mainly the analysis of what is "there" on the paper.
After presidential elections on 2nd Khordad 1376 (May23, 1997) in Iran, subjects such as political development and civil society were seriously argued among different strata of society; political and ordinary ones. It was felt that in this era of revolution the production of impartial papers which represent facts transparently and far from bias is a prerequisite for any political development and progress. The role of the press in filling the gap between government, authorities and people by reflecting the shortcomings of governance in dealing with people' daily affairs such as economical and financial problems on the one hand and in increasing reader's general awareness by providing them with first hand and up to date news on the other hand is undeniable. The present study tries to explore how ideology works within a news text. To achieve this purpose the reports in four English newspapers namely; Iran Daily, Iran News, Tehran Times and Kayhan International will be analyzed. Our data pool includes the articles and reports that appeared on the front pages of 4 papers in relation to the incident happened in the Tehran University dormitory on 17th Tir, 1378 (8th July, 1999). Though in terms of information given and the incidents mentioned, one observes a number of parallels among these reports, but there are striking differences in their treatment of the same event and consequently the underlying ideology of these 4 papers. In order to avoid ambiguity, I classified the content of each text into:
1. The statements and speeches of political factions and organs such as: The Leader's Representation Council, Law Enforcement Forces(LEF), Interior Ministry, Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), The Culture and Higher Educational Ministry and
2. The paper's own words which may be represented as a part of the report or in a separate column as editorial.
This study will deal with the second part, since as noted above the parallels among these reports is clearly noticeable in the representation of the statement and speeches of political organizations and institutions such as the statement issued by SNSC or Majma-e-Rohanion Mobarez (MRM). So focus on the paper's own words will be helpful in investigating the contrasts among the reports.
Adopting Halliday's Systemic approach and its subcomponent transitivity framework within ideational function of language and following "who does what to whom in what circumstances" axiom each text is broken down into clauses and each clause is broken down into its constituent elements as well. Following texts are samples of these procedures.
Iran Daily
Sunday, July1999-Tir 20, 1378
SNSC Denounces Campus Mishap, Sympathizes with Students Report of Protest Rallies
TEHRAN, July 10- 1(a) Tehran University students continued their protest rallies in front of the campus, adjoining streets and near the Interior Ministry until late Saturday. 2(a) The angry students, numbering more than 8000 were protesting the violent clashes (b) which broke out late Thursday and Friday between the LEF and student demonstrators (c) objecting to the closure of the Persian daily Salam and the Majlis first-reading passage of the controversial amendment to the Press Law.
3(a) The students were shouting slogans such as (b) "stand up, (c)" your brother was killed", (d) " We mourn today as (e) Khomeini also mourns", (f) "Tanks and artillery do not frighten us", (g) " Ali Fallahian (former minister of information) is the leader of the criminal gang" <...>.
4(a) The students called for the resignation of the head of the LEF, Brigadier General Hedayat Lotfian, and decisive action against the extremist Ansar-e- Hizbollah group. 5(a) The LEF kept a safe distance from the demonstrators throughout the day and late evening.
6(a) The students were occasionally attacked by unknown elements (b) which led to violent clashes. 7(a) A few on both sides were injured and (b) two motorcycles were torched <...>.
Tehran Univ. students
continued
their protest rallies
in front of the campus
Actor
Pr. Material
Range
Circumstance:
Adjoining streets and near interior ministry Location/Place
until late Saturday Cr: Extent/Duration
The angry students numbering more than 8000 Actor
Were protesting Pr. Material
the violent clashes Goal
which
Actor
broke out
Pr. Material
late Thur. and Friday
between the LEF
Cir.Location/Time Cir.
Location/Place
and student demonstrators
Sayer
objection
Pr. Verbal
to the closure of Persian daily
Verbiage
<...> -Salam and the Majlis first Verbiage
The students Sayer
Were shouting Pr. Material
Slogans such as Verbiage
Stand up Pr. Material
your brother Goal
Was killed Pr. Matrial
3. DATA ANALYSIS
Taking into account the headlines and the reports of these 4 papers, the Tehran university incident was appeared on the front page of all papers, but the amount of space devoted to the news and the size of font vary in each daily. Looking at the content of the headlines and articles from linguistics point of view (the use of syntax and the selection of vocabulary) this variation is noticeable. Following are the comments on each paper's representation of event:
Comment on Iran Daily
Apparently the daily by representing a reworded version of SNSC's statement avoids expressing its point of view in relation to the news explicitly. From Theme-Rheme perspective, placing SNSC as theme element is helpful in foregrounding the role of it as the "Sayer" of two Verbal Processes "denounces", "sympathizes" and withdrawing the daily in taking explicit stance in relation to the event. Passivization strategy is used frequently to shift the reader's attention away from those who did the action on to the victims.
"The students were occasionally attacked by unknown elements." [clause 6(a)]
"A few on both sides were injured" [clause 7(a)]
"The students were man handled." [clause 9(a)]
"A few students were hurled from windows." [clause 10(a)]
By adopting passive construction the writer tries to put the 'Goal' (the affected participant) in a position of focal prominence, while by placing 'Actor' (the agent participant) in a less prominent position, backgrounds the role of doer. Introducing the Actor' as unknown element in clause 6(a) is helpful in mystifying the agency. Furthermore, the circumstantial element of occasionally has been used to emphasis that the action of attack has been done from time to time and not permanently which attenuates the force of intentional action process, i.e. attack. This dilution of action is also noticeable where the reporter preferred the use of a few to few.
The writer's attempt to present the clashes as the effect of the actions of both LEF and the students is obvious in clause2(b) "The violent clashes which broke out between LEF and students <...>."
In fact by putting part of the responsibility of clashes on the student's shoulder, the writer tries to diminish the responsibility of the LEF, the location circumstance of spatial type, i.e. the word between is used for this purpose.
There are two behavioral clauses that explicitly reveal the theme of the text in highlighting the role of the students as the most active causer of clashes:
"The students were shouting slogans." [clause 3(a)]
"The angry students were protesting the violent clashes" [clause 2(a)]
It is evident that the use of adjective 'Angry' which is attributed to the students, infuses the violent and aggressive nature of them while the clause 5(a) "The LEF kept safe distance from the demonstrators" represents LEF as peace -makers who by keeping safe distance try to avoid clash.
Table 1. The percentage of process types in the Iran Daily
Material Mental Verbal Relational Behavioral Existential
48% 5% 21% 23% 2% 0
Comment on Iran News
Since headline has to employ a range of language devices to produce short, attention getting and highly memorable texts, Iran News adopts the same construction of the Iran Daily by putting SNSC as the theme element followed by two verbal processes condemns and calls for with SNSC as 'Sayer' to mystify its stance in relation to the event.
"SNSC Condemns Pressure Groups, Calls for Ouster of Commander Responsible for Invading Dormitories." [Headline]
In comparison with other papers, the format of the Iran News varies. Representing some parts of text in bold lettering to catch reader's eye is a useful strategy for ideological purposes of the paper when selected parts carry specific meanings. (See subheadings in Appendixes).
The most striking point in the daily's article is the way it uses active voice to highlight the role of students as the 'Actor' of the action clauses. The report begins with 3 intentional action processes 'began' (clause 1(a)), 'continued' (clausel (b)) and 'gathered' (clause 2(a)) in which the university students are introduced as the doer. The same construction is applied in verbal processes where the students are the most active participant, i.e. 'Sayer'. In fact it is university students who 'chant slogans' (clause 2(b)), 'emand the resignation of <...>' (clause2(c)), 'declare a week of mourning' (clause 4(a)) and finally 'vow to keep up their protest' (clause 18(a)). The students are not only presented as the source of clashes through their syntactic position as 'Actor' or 'Sayer' but they are also accused of telling lie.
"The students declare a week of mourning for the 4 to 7 of their classmates which they claim were killed in clashes. It seems that from the daily's perspective the news of murdered students is a 'claim'. It tries to prove its view by bringing some official evidence." "Officials have not yet confirmed any fatalities." [clause 5(a)]
The adjectives such as 'unrest' and 'the protesting' attributed to the students (clauses 8(a) & 23(a)) introduce them as trouble-makers who threaten public order. Such a view about students justifies the LEF's action as a response and a necessary and legitimated reaction to their gathering.
Table 2. The percentage of process types in the Iran News
Material Mental Verbal Relational Behavioral Existential
55% 1.5% 34% 3% 4.5% 1.5%
Comment on Tehran Times
Reading through headline and sub-headlines (see appendices), it is evident that the writer's selection of them is purposeful. He tries to establish a relationship between 'attacking on students', 'arresting students' and freedom of press'. He implicitly informs the reader that students were attacked and arrested since they supported the freedom of the press.
Reviewing the report, we notice that the intentional action process with active construction represents the students as 'Actor' whose 'Goal' is 'a gathering' neither demonstrating nor unrest.
"Hundreds of students held a gathering <...>, demanding immediate <...>" [clause8(a)]
The verbal process 'demanding' immediately refers to the students' reason for gathering.
The Circumstantial Attributive clauses:
"The incidents caused extensive material damage.......as well as the injury of dozens of
students. Many others were also arrested by the LEF." [clauses 9(a) & 10(a)]
Signal the causal relationship between two entities, i.e. the relationship between material damage and the incidents, the relationship between the injury of students and the incidents. As we know in passive voice the by phrase is included only if it is important to know who perform an action, so the use of phrase 'by LEF' is a helpful strategy in introducing LEF explicitly into the role of 'Actor' and implicitly as the causer of 'material damage', 'injury of students'.
Considering the clauses 13(a) & (b)
"Although the peaceful demonstration by the students <...>, the intervention of the police also was not coordinated with <...>.
The adverbial clause 13(a) (traditional term) or what Halliday calls 'Hypotactic enhancement' specifies the conditional aspect of the process. The application of adjective 'peaceful' attributed to the demonstration creates a positive attitude towards the students gathering, while the nominalization form 'intervention' not only carries negative meaning but also serves a thematic purpose to attract reader's attention. Emphasize on the peacefulness of rally and illegalness of LEF intervention is evident in the following clauses:
"Following a peaceful rally <...> the LEF without coordination with <...> intervened in the <...>" [clauses 20(a) & (d)]
Here the role of LEF as 'Actor' of intentional action process is highlighted by active voice. Table3. The percentage of process types in the Tehran Times
Material Mental Verbal Relational Behavioral Existential
46% 3.5% 34% 14% 1% 0.5%
Comment on the Kayhan International
In relation to the incident that took place in the Tehran university dormitory during Thursday and Friday, 17th and 18th Tir, 1378 (8th & 9th July, 1999) four articles, one in the front page and 3 in the second page (one of which is editorial) represents the news.
Focusing on editorial column, which gives a newspaper the opportunity to address its readership directly and where the reader expects to find overt comment on the news, the title itself carries the belief system of the editor. Prioritizing of wisdom over violence is prominent from ideological point of view. The orienting paragraph is concerned with building a picture of the consequences of the violent attack. This is achieved through two relational clauses of attributive mode which describes the relationship between two entities.
"The violent attack by LEF and security forces has turned peaceful rally into a violent." [clause 1(a)]
"A violent may turn into a full- fledged national crisis." [clause 1(c)]
By bringing these two clauses together, the writer tries to establish a logical relation between them
A c B B^C
Ac C
The selection of Behavioral process type of 'is experiencing' in clause 2(a) regards the country (Iran) as a human being. This shows the humanistic outlook of the writer. In other words from writer's point of view, a country is the people who live in it and not the people who govern it.
A high proportion of Relational clauses (see Table 4) either of attributive or identifying mode has been used to establish a relationship between two entities.
"Resort to violence is a danger." [clause 2(b)]
"Physical assault is not a civilized behavior." [clause 6(a)]
"The attack against students is injustice." [clause 19(a)]
The forth paragraph begins with 3 Material clauses of intentional action type, i.e. ' beating', 'entering' and 'breaking'. Intentional action process type indicates that the actions have been done intentionally and voluntarily by the agent. The doer is introduced at the end of the clauses (by LEF). Here the gerund forms are used as nouns. The writer by using nominalization strategy detaches process from the here and now. In other words, generally speaking, 'beating students, entering dormitory' and 'breaking doors' is a deplorable action which is not tied to a specific time or place. Another point that the transitivity system reveals is Value/Token analysis. This often guides us towards the value system of the writer. The Value reveals what values the writer( and generally the culture that s/he is part of) uses to measure the tokens that s/he deals with. In some cases they suggest the ideological values of the writer as well. (Thompson 1997)
So analyzing the clause 10(a) from Value/ Token perspective "The art of governance is to take wise decisions at the time of great national crisis."
Value Token Cir: Location/Time
suggests that in the writer's value system, ' to take wise decisions' is specific token of general value 'the art of governance'. S/he accuses the government for being incompetent in dealing with national affairs. The use of temporal circumstance immediately is helpful in making the Token explicit.
Table 4. The percentage of process types in the Kayhan International
Material Mental Verbal Relational Behavioral Existential
43% 5% 16% 30% 5% 0
4. CONCLUSION
George Orwell in his book 1994 postulated a society in which the ruling powers tried to maintain almost total control over the population. A weapon in this control was the language 'Newspeak', which contained no way of expressing concepts and ideologies that were opposed to the state, Orwell's vision, though an exaggerated one, implicitly indicates that language can be used as a control tool in the hands of the powerful. It is more powerful when its role in presenting the world to audience is not explicit. In other words, it is easy to resist a particular view point / ideology when one knows it is being presented to him/her, but it is not easy to resist when the view point / ideology is concealed.
Newspaper is not simply a vehicle for delivering information. Everything that is written in a newspaper has to be transmitted through the medium of language. This transmission of a message through language encodes values into the message. Often the message is presented in a way that intends to guide the ideological stance of the reader. What happened in the Tehran University dormitory was a controversial subject throughout the past years. How the papers dealt with it and categorized those involved in conflicts revealed various theses about the cause and the causers of incident. The treatment of the Tehran University incident in the 4 English dailies published in Iran indicates that the ideological processes, involved in the presentation of the event, is not a simple one. There are many points of contrast both in terms of the selection of the people's view quoted in papers and in the choice of people, organizations, institutions quoted.
While the Iran Daily quotes only a member of Islamic Association of the Tehran University and SNSC statement, the Tehran Times represents the views of the Secretary of Islamic Human Rights Commission, the spokeswoman of Teheran's City Council, the editor in chief of the Persian daily Khordad, the editor-in-chief of weekly Arzeshha, the views of the University students of philosophy, the statement of MRM, the Kayhan has published just 3 statements issued by SNSC, MRM, and Leader's Representation Council, whereas the Iran News quoted a deputy Minister, Ansare-e Hizbollah, Interior Ministry, The Minister of the Culture and Higher Education, SNSC statement.
It is an undeniable fact that the credibility of a newspaper depends on which organizations, institutions and public figures it takes as valuable source of information and comment. A comparison among the articles reveals that the Tehran Times in representing the news has used more sources which makes it more reliable daily among the others.
Furthermore the focus on agency of the students in the Iran Daily and Iran News and the emphasis in the Kayhan and Tehran Times on introducing security forces as active participants in clashes can be attributed to the ideological position of the papers. While Tehran Times and Kayhan believe that what happened in the university demonstrates the weak performance of security forces in dealing with disruptions in the society, the Iran Daily and Iran News foreground
the role of the students as the initiator and causer of the clashes and introduce them as the trouble-makers threatening Islamic revolution's stability.
APPENDICES
Iran News
led and are also deeply over the f.ite of She
arrested students"
Regarding student demands, the activist said, "The very first demand is to identify all instigators of the clashes and have them tried openly in thi; presence of a jury, Secondly, (he l-EF should apologize and a replacement he selected for the forces and its security bureau.
See fagr 2
.............-.....
Protest Rallies...
t-r,im l'une I
Third. W-: cxpcct Pre.s.dem Khatami to adopt .1 transparent stintce vis-a-vis the: incident. Saying that the incident is under investigation is not enough," On the; performance of the Interior Ministry, hi' said "Generally speaking, the ministry performs very poorly in security-relaled matters. They should simply share with the public where ilie problem lies and why l he y ate so incompetent in ensuring security.
They should reveal To the people the names ¡if those who are subjecting them to pressures." Eslami went on to stress that the «luden! movement is entirely independent and is not linked in any political party.
"1 really belivc this development [Tiurk> the beginning »I' a larger move. Our demands are the same as those 111 [ik; ruai! on [he street. The concerned officials niiM pay due attention to the wishes and demands of the society at large."
All Arrested Students Freed
Person Who Ordered the Attack Dismissed
TEHRAN, July 10--Supreme National Security Council, 111 an emergency meeting chaired by Presideni Mohammad Khatami late Saturday, issued a communique about the recent grievous incident on the lehran University campus.
Subsequent to ¡he appraisal of reports presented by the ministers of higher education, health and the interior, us well as security officials SNSC released the following communique:
1. The mishap is neither acceptable nor justifiable. The SNSC Secretarial hereby condemns the move and sympathizes with the students and all 1 hose affected by the bitter incident.
2. A special committee is hereby designated hv Hie SNSC Secretariat to thoroughly look into the crisis and clarify all hidden snd ; reasons behind its occurrence. The committee is also obliged ti fy and (lea! with the pressure groups whose illegal moves are t of numerous obstacles in the society. The official who 0 attack of the Um- Enforcement Forces will be dismissed and
! on students
as per the governing laws.
3. Alt material and spiritual ■ compensated.
4. All those arrested have been freed. The SNSC Secretariat n assigned a special committee to follow up the condition of the injun and ensure that they receive the necessary medical tare.
5. The secretariat urges students to maintain peace and assist SNSC in handling this unfortunate event by supporting the country's rules and regulations.
6. The SNSC Secretariat's assessment has been submitted to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Commander ¿f the Aimed Forces Ayatollafi Seyyed Ali Khamenei. He has subsequently verified all decisions made by the secretariat and stressed that the matter be investigated thnmughly,
.. '
Iran Daily
Tehran Times
(Contd From Pg. 1)
LEADER'S...
dormitory as we I] as the injury □f dozens of students. Mary others were also arrested by the Law Entorcement Forces.
Voicing their support for the programs of President Seyed Mohammad Khatami, the students tiryed the officials to seek v.aY5 and means to safeguard the hor>or of the university and its students.
The gathering was called by the Students Islamic Association of Tehran University and Medical Sciences University iri protest to the dormitory Incidents.
Although the peaceful demonstration by the students did
hot have the prior permission öf the Interior Ministry, the intervention of the police force also was not coordinated with : the ministry.
Despite mediation efforts by e number of ministers, including the Interior Minister \ Abdolvahed Musavj Lar the unrest which had started on Thursday night continued until Friday night. The students wanted to meet with President Mohammad X hat a mi and inform him of rheir demands.
Also Secretary ot Islamic Human Flights Commission Mohammad Hassan Zlaeetar said on Saturday that relevant organizations should brief people on The recent events at the dormitory of Tehran University.
Speaking to IRNA, he caifed . for release c* the students ar- / rested, for compensation of j the m oral and m a te ri at ds ma g e inflicted on them and for bringing to justice those responsible for the incident.
The Supreme National Security Council Isetd a session Saturday morning under the Chairmanship of President Saved Mohammad Khatami to review the violent clashes that broke out at Tehran University dormitory on Thutsday and Friday and the unauthoriied Intervention of the security forces in the incident.
An informed source, who spoke on con d i tion of a n o ny m -ity. told IRNA that The council is expected to issue a statement at the end of the meeting.
Following a peaceful ratly by a group of Tehran University students on Thursday night to protest the closure o' the daily Salsm and approval of a motion by the Majlis to amend the Press Lav*, the Law Enforcement Forces without coordinating with the Interior Ministry, intervened in the incident arrd as a result ot ensuing clashes omens of people were injured and many others arms ted.
Also, a cleric association in a statement here Friday said the ban en the publication of the morning daily 'Salam' which mes declared simultans-ously with the approval of the outlines of tile motion on am end me nr uf the Press 1,3 w, made the public opinion sensitive toward the seriousness of the dangers wheeb had been repeatedly noted.
The statement which was issued try the militant clerics league or Wajma flouhaniyoun-e Mobarez (MHMI and a copy of which sent to IRNA oil Friday night, said freedom the press are com, to each other in a civil
It stressed that freedom the origin for the press and cress are the sweet fruit of freedom, adding that freedom Of press and repression is the yardstick to measure the degree of social and political development ot each nation.
"Unfortunately, in every single era of the history of Islam, mean and narrow-minded people in an attempt to realize their political and materiel objectives have constrained Islam within rhe framework of their limited outlooks Based on their faulty and one-sided interpretation of the outward appearance of the religion, they never reflected any opposition and through their thoughts and deeds represented a distorted image of the progressive, charming and humanitarian aspects of Islam," reed the statement in part.
Expressing deep regret over the ban or* the daily Saiam, trie statement termed the move as a step taken against the plan _ for political development as the core program of President Mohammad Khatami's administration.
Statement hailed rhe ine Minister HoiietoiesleiTi -,-jsi and his devested colleagues who by making a sound assessment of rhe country's sensitive situation, made a rea= sonable and brave decision in this connection, Such a decision 1 ~ ivented fomentation of d tension inthe society
jed the nation with the opportunity to benefit from the said daily which, in the pe-f its fruitful activity, has [ outstanding services to the public through sincere dissemination of information, an on $d>dfr) or other got newspapers cannot reverse the society to the era before May 23 (1997 presidential elections) and impose preferences of a certain political faction on the people through one-sided decisions... banning of newspapers not only will not silence the inquiring minds of the contemporary generation but, as experience has shown, such unprincipled and miscalculated measures will backfire in the society," i statement, aasure taken by the lerics Court and its l the affairs of press which has high status in the Islamic Republic, is against articles 24 and 168 of the Constitution, it
; way . .; and spread of anarchy in the society, adding that when laws aie violated hy the executives, how ordinary people can be prevented from resorting to Illegal means to realize their objectives? argued the statement.
In the meantime, the presiding board of the Tehran University in a statement conditioned continuation ot Its activities on restoration ot the prestige, status and honor of the hurt students, release of the arrested students and Immediate dismissal of the corn hi antler of the Law Enforcement Forces who was In-charge in the recent attack on Tehran University dormitory.
The board sterssed that at! students, instructors and staff of the university will da-fend the sacred boundaries of knowledge and university student with all their power
• Meanwhile, Minister of Higher Education Mostafa MtJln in a letter to President Mohammad Khatami submitted his resignation in protest to the «cent violence against Tehran University students.
"The tragic Incident of the security forces entering Into the Tehran University campus and their beating up of innocent students at the midnight on Friday which resulted In v iota lion of the respect of the the euri-tncy.
"I consider this incident a suspicious measure with an ; aim'to turn the society into turmoil and to sabotage the trend of political development . and undermine the Islamic Republic system," said the minister in bis letter addressed to the president.
"Since the numerous efforts launcher! since midnight on Friday to check the unrest have produced no result therefore, due to my failure to respond to my divine duties and legal responsibilities, and because of the innocence and homelessness of the children of the nation end their worrying families, and due to the unpleasant consequences of these violent and breaches of law
and seditious i, t herehy sub- _
mit my resignation as minister of culture and higher education.
The minister of cation's resignati< following strongh statement issued ty try Friday night whi that the violence at University dormit turn into a national
The statement security forces for -peaceful demdnstn group of Tehran University students into violence.
¡eirtent of the student forum concerning
achievement of "positive ■ points" in the investigations conducted by the Interior Ministry into recent incidents at Tehran University dormitory, students are still pressing for their presence until the full clarification of issues in connection with Thursday and Friday incidents.
The soeaker of rhe students forum condemned Thursday and Friday incidents before
students left for the noon congregational prayer. Saturday.
He said investigations Into recent Incidents at the university dormitory have reached positive results and invited the students to remain calm.
In another development, students of Gilao University held a gathering In Rasht in protest at the Tehran ¡Jraver sity incident.
The students numbering more than 1,000, condemned the attack of the La™ Enforcement Forces cn the students.
Another re pore from Tabriz, Fast Azaibaijan Province, said that students of Tabriz University were preparing for a sit-in at the university campus Saturday by installing placards in
condemnation.
Meanwhile, Tehran's Islamic City Council in its est«aordinary session on Saturday expressed regret over recent incidents at Tehran University's dormitory and condemned it.
The council spokeswoman Sediqeh Vasmaqi said at rhe end of the session that the session was held following deplorable events at Tehran j University's dormitory on ! Thursday and Friday anrl inter- ! venrion of the Law Enforcement Forces as an affront to the sanctity of the university which led to the in- | juiy of students,
Vasmaqi said that in view of the importance of rhe issue, the couicil had tor-ned a group from us members to follow up the case
She said that Tehran City Council calls un relevant officials to identify and prosecute agents behind the incident
Shp also ,-.ailpd nn students and academicians who suffered from the incident to show self-restraint.
(Contd on Pg. 15)
(Contd From Pg. H)
LEADER'S...
in oruer to get more internet ion with regard to clashes which took place at Tehran University dormitories, a TEKRAM TIMES reporter tried to reach the Interior Ministry, Public Relations Office of the Leader s Representative Office. as well as the Ministry of Higher Education, but no one was available to speak to us
<
Ho. Public Law who s|
anonymity, said, "I think the students have been manipulated by certain political factions. The Law Enforcement Forces had 10 confront the studants because they were staging an Illegal rally," he said in response to whether the police were right In attacking the demonstrators
Ali Hekmat, the edtor in chief of the Persian daily JOtor dad, said, "Student movements arB entirely common around the world: th? police and Ansar-a Hetbollah shuuld not have taken such severe action against «aident demonstrators. Across the worid, there aie two ways to face student rallies. Hie first is what has been practiced In South Korea and some European countries, where they treat them calmly and police do not clash with demonstrators. The second is like what happened in China, where the police attacked the demonstrators, and now they are suffering the aftermath of the attacks," he said.
He said that at this time, journalists shoul the causes of such in ci
Also the editor in chief of Arteshhs weekly, Reisel. told the TEHRAN
TIMES, "Wa cannot r------
student movements t special principles as in
Kayhan In ternational
Ministry Official:
Dormitory incident May Turn into National
TEHRAN. Juiy 10 flRNA) -
Tbf Culture ;nstf HhftilfT kihualnn Miitislry on t'riiby ni^ht Bso«l a sla<«HDl cmamnt the dasliB at the Tehran I. iiivczsit* ¿mmit«ry in Kargar e Sh<mwH Awnoe «iich broke oat Thursday night and cob-linunl Friday
The statement said that a fully held by a number of sludcciLs at the dormitory campus and in trtmt of it on Thursday Right was about La enti iti'ier lalb with I he management tif the university but imfonunatcH turned to a bitter and itrcrcnaMe incideni due in the violcm intervention of law enforcement forces, ihe oceuntnce of whkh can rievcr be accepted in Ihe IsianiK iirwt revolutionary system.
"In this totter iitcidem, which was unprecedented in its kind, decencies were ignored artd respects disregarded, the conV-pensation oi which would not t>e possible so t*;is()y.T* said ihe sEaie-ment.
prcwim in the ^ene in Ctltm (town the crisis, ultimately firing gunshots.. <Ji-vi Lirhett the security and prestige the students and ji.'3it!cmics mid pre pined ihe ground Cora national crisis.
Therefore. ibis incident cannot tic analv/ed in simple terms or accepitxt limi ii was not part of a calculated [dan with the motive of piun^iiig urv eounuy into crisis by a numher jii wiHtfu) Forces."
The stalowm added that the wise and pious university students and academics who have prqven I heir political and social maturity in safeguarding the ideals oi the Islamic Republic and the values of the Islamic Revolution and whose status and dignity have been praised by the supreme leader, the president and senior officiate of the country do not deserve Such an insulting treatment arid it cannot be accepted that the university environment become the target of
'Beating jnJ injuring tens of students and wresting several hundreds of inhers and inciting 5 hem. enter in ji the dormitory's campus without prior permission and coordination with responsible officials, entering the buildings, breaking the doors and destroying public and private properties and even setting on fine one of rhe room-. which iesuhed in the huinin»; u copy of the Holy Qur'iMi, cnicnng the building belonging to foreign students. beating them and destroying their properties and insulting the officials of tbe university who were
such attacks in the framework of culture of felam'and revolution.
The statement added thai the Culture and Higher education Ministry '"regrets and ¿s ashamed of this incident and apologizes to all students and academicians because the university environment has been insulted."
As per its responsibility, the ministry will strive to prosccutc those accountable behind this bitter incident and hopes that Such incidents would never be repeated in universities.
The ministry called Dn the supreme trader, the president and
ail relevant organizations to put an cud to this sorrowful incident by launching alJ-oiu eifcwis ancî taking cijjcdicii- measures,
Thc ministry also сп11Ы on Lhe universily students and academicians to preserve self-restraint and patience and not ici opportunist and spiteful elcntenrs fan the ilanx-s of this incident nor the plotters and enemies of Islam and the révolu tio« upset the irend of political development in i!ie country any more
Perpetrators Should Be rought to Justice
TEHRAN, July 10 (IRNA) -The supreme leader's representatives to the universities said that the suspicious event at Tehran University tlomilory has hurt the heart oi the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Aii Kbamene'i and other ranking officials,
issuing a statement, the leader's representation council expressed regret over the incident and voiced their sympathy with those injured in the suspicious incident.
The statement strongly condemned the acts of several members of law enforcement forces and irresponsible elements who invaded the dormitory of Tehran University apparently to stop the students' gathering ir protest at closure of the Persian daily' Salaam'.
The leader's representatives said the sanctity of tile universities have been violated by such acts taken by the police fo"ce and suspicious element.
The statement said avoiding any violence in society especially at the academic centers is a must and those committed to ¡he Islamic revolution should honor it.
The leader's representatives called on the National Security Council (NSC) to examine the case and introduce those behind the regretful event, to Ihe nation by bringing them to justice.
The leader's representatives called on th,: students to exercisc vigilance and neutralize the attempts made by the enemies to create obstacles in She way of President Khatami's programs in the field of political and cultural development.
TEHRAN. July 10 fIRNA) -A cJcrk bj^sjuhc Ensiora in a slalcmenl htfr Fricfay (hr ban un the
pablk-ati«»! of Ihr rtwrnhifi daily 'Salaunt' ^iikh was derlured si-miiltantoujitj wllli Che appnn~al of (lie outlines nf the motion «in y mcmlrneiit oi the press, law, madi Ihc public tkoinion sensitive towards ihr seorioii s tm-ks of the- dangers which had bceo repeatedly notedL
Tlit- statement which was issued hy Lhc miNlanl clerics league tw M.iima Rotihan-iyoun-c Mobarey <MRM) and copy of which -ent № IRN'A on Friday night, -%,«id freedom and the press are ctunptetsierttary to each cthet in a civil socscty-
h stressed ihat f reedom is the origin tor the press and press ¿»re the sweet fruit of freedom, addling: thai freeilom o f press ami e*-press.it i a »s the yardstick to rneas-ure Ik- degree or social an«! poliikfil dc v el opine«t of each nation.
"Unfortunately. in every sin-gtc em ot ihc history1 of Islam.
iivcan .u i d narrow -mi mtal people
in m iiiicrnpt to realize their political and material objectives have constrained Islam within eJic framework of their limited outlooks. Based on their faulty and one-sitlcd s mvrpreiaiion of the tMil«3iil appearance of the re-iigk>Ti. t hey ttever reflected any opposition ami thretigh their thou gluts tmd deeds represented a distort t'd i uiage of the pn>-grc^i it:- charming and hu-
manit: irlan aspects of Islam.'^ read lhc state-men* in part. ——-
S trevs-i ng thsis the Founder of the Islamic Republic,. Imam Ktio inemi. presented liie world with a jiracciul profile of Islam through his. sacred movement, the statement said the Imam valued freedom of thought and analytic de-hates in the society so high thai the Header recommended that even if he commits anything against regulations It should Ur reflected.
Expressing «Jeep regret over tiw; i>an cm the dady Salaam., the statement termed the move a step taken against the plan for political development as the core program of Resident Muhammad Khatamis administration.
ilffi statement hailed rhe In-tetligcjice Minister Hojialoleslam Ali Yuncsi and his devoted colleagues wins hy making a sound assessment of the country's ¡sensitive situation, made a reasonable and brave decision in this connect ion. Such a deetsbn both prevented fomentaijon of nnrcst and tcn&ton in the society and provided the nation with the opportunity to Ijcneili from the said daily which, in the period of its fruitful aclivily. has rendered outstanding services to rhe public through sincere dissemination of information.
"The ban on Salaam or othcr independeM newspapers cannot reverse the society to the era before May 23 < 1presidential elections) and impose preferences of a certain political faction on the people through one-jaded decisions.., banning of newspapers not only will not silence fJhe in-quiiihg minds of the contemporary generaiio« but, as experience has shown. such unprincipled and miscalculated measures will backfire in the society said die statement.
The measure taken hy the special clerics court and its interference in ilje affairs of the press which has high status in the Is Jamie Republic, is against principles 24 and 1654 of the consdtu tm it stressed.
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'Ijl Anil IA Ail^j '"yijj A ¡A^Aita ^(1378) (^^ ^^ *
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of
this article.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Author information
Manizheh Alami is a Lecturer, Tabriz Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
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