Office for Strengthening Unity

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Office for Strengthening Unity
دفتر تحکیم وحدت
Other affiliationCoalition of Imam's Line groups
Coalition of the Oppressed and Deprived

The Office for Strengthening Unity (also Office for Consolidating Unity,

Islamist organization to combat leftist, more secular, student groups,[3] the OSU has evolved to support democracy and reform in Iran [4]
and thus is now in opposition to the political heirs of its founders.

History

Origins

Originally known as the Office for Strengthening of Unity Between Universities and Theological Seminaries, (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat-e Hozeh va Daneshgah), according to Iranfocus.com, the OSU was set up by

Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK) among university students.[3]

The OSU played a central role in the

Khomeini himself.[3] (One of the first political offices held by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was as representative of students at his university, Elm-o Sanaat, at the OSU in 1979.[3]
)

During the crackdown on universities in 1980, which Khomeini called the

Islamic Cultural Revolution, Ahmadinejad and the OSU played a critical role in purging dissident lecturers and students many of whom were arrested and later executed.[3]

Reformism

Sometime around or before the 1997 election of reformist President Mohammad Khatami the group changed its orientation.[citation needed] The OSU was the most important supporter of Khatami in his first term. However it became critical of Khatami as it perceived him to fail on promises of democratic reform in Iran.[5]

In 2001,

Berlin Conference, six months for establishing a crisis centre" in the OSU, and "six months for disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran."[6]
He and Akbar Atri gave a controversial lecture in a lecture hall in US congress in 2006.

In 2002 the OSU was "divided into two wings" over the question of whether to boycott the presidential election. "The majority 'Allameh' faction" wanted "to withdraw from the political system" and boycott the election, whereas the minority "pro-conservative"[7] 'Shiraz' faction" generally favored participation and "operating within the current political framework."[1] The directors of the office are annually selected democratically from Iranian University students all over the country.

Honours and awards

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b John Pike. "Iran: Students Wonder Whether They Should Vote". Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  2. ^ Molavi, Afshin, The Soul of Iran, Norton, (2005), p.314
  3. ^ a b c d e Iran’s new President has a past mired in controversy
  4. ^ "Speaker For Pro-Reform Student Group Detained In Iran". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Iran Report: December 4, 2000". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2000-12-04. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  6. ^ "Ill-treatment / prisoners of conscience / medical concern". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  7. ^ "Too late for a reformist momentum?". Retrieved 11 June 2015.

External links


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Office_for_Strengthening_Unity&oldid=1084246014"