Faeza Rafsanjani appointment divides Iranian leaders

Shahrzadnews:The appointment of Faeze Rafsanjani – daughter of former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani – as director of the new Pardis industrial university faculty has divided political leaders. The Rafsanjani family have a long history of involvement in the management of the country’s ‘Azad’ (free) universities, which are run as private enterprises. Hashemi Rafsanjani himself is a member of the board of trustees. His power base has however been targeted by conservative factions, and they regard Faeze’s appointment as an attempt to revive her father’s political muscle.

Science minister Farhad Daneshjoo says she lacks academic credentials. He told the ISNA news agency: “All Azad university appointments should be based on the candidates’ academic credentials rather than their political connections. “I have no idea how she came to be appointed to manage the Pardis faculty, and the media should look into the matter.”
The Azad University Pardis Faculty is located 25 kilometres north of Tehran. It opened in 2007, with 345 students studying six aspects of electronic engineering, under the guidance of 45 senior lecturers. It has since established itself as a major scientific institute, teaching various types of engineering to over two thousand students. The Pardis website calls the faculty ‘Iran’s first industrial university’.

Alongside Daneshjoo’s protest, most of Iran’s conservative press have condemned Faeze’s appointment, pointing out that she has been convicted of granting interviews to exiled opposition groups, and the fact that she has been banned from public involvement in cultural activities.