Can You Imagine Being Forbidden to Go to College?
Education is the foundation of our lives and fundamental to all the work we do. It is the nourishment required to grow healthy communities, fostering the forward progress of humanity. It is hard to imagine that, in this day and age, leading authorities would deny this basic need to an entire population of its citizens. Such is the case of the Iranian government.
Education Under Fire is a campaign developed to address the Iranian government’s denial of the right to education for ideological and religious reasons. It is designed to help mitigate the effects of these discriminatory policies and to raise awareness of the importance of defending Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees education as an inalienable right of every human being.
The campaign’s correspondent 30 minute documentary, Education Under Fire, focuses on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s three decade long policy of denying the members of its Bahá’i community, the second largest religious minority, the right to attend any institution of higher education. The Bahá’i community’s response has been one of resilience, as they formed the Bahá’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), a decentralized network of accredited professors delivering college classes in private homes across Iran. In May 2011 the BIHE was attacked by Iranian officials that concluded in the detention over a dozen people. Consequently Nobel Peace Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Jose Ramos Horta of East Timorpenned an open letter to the International Academic Community calling for action to aid those whose lives are being subjected to these oppressive laws. Let us respond to that call, engage in the conversation and assure that education remains possible for us all.
Please join us for the screening of Education Under Fire: Documentary and Conversation with guest panelists on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. Reception is at 5:30pm, the program starts at 6:00pm.
This event is free and open to the public at Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College at 47-49 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065.
Space is limited and RSVPs are essential; please respond at your earliest convenience:
Please email HumanRights@HUNTER.CUNY.EDU or call 212-396-7946
