Iran's Cultural Revolution of 1980-1987

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The Cultural Revolution (1980-1987)(in Persian: انقلاب فرهنگي) was a period after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 in Iran whereupon the Iranian theocracy purged the academia of Western and non-Islamic influences and brought them in line with Islam^[1]. The official name used by the Islamic Republic is "Cultural Revolution", yet in other circles it is also known as Islamic Cultural Revolution^[2] due to the overarching Islamic objective contained therein. The universities were entirely shut down (1980-1982) and when the institutions reopened, purges continued for five more years. The exact number of executions has never been made public and remains a mystery.^[1]^[3]^[4] This resembled the abolition of the Iranian Senate.^{[citation needed]}

The main theme of the movement was to purify the Universities and education system from foreign influneces. In his original letter, Ruhollah Khomeini wrote: Set yourselves free from any " –ism" and " –ist" belonging to the East and the West. Be self dependent and do not expect any help from the foreigners.^[5]

The Supreme Cultural Revolution Council was formed in December 1984 and substituted the Cultural Revolution Headquarters. In fact, formation of such an institution was not stipulated in the Constitution rather it was formed under the special circumstances that were prevailing in the early stages of the revolution. The council took its legitimacy from the 9 December 1984 decree of the founder of the Islamic Republic.^[6]

Following the formation of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, it declared itself the highest body for making policies and decisions in connection with cultural, educational and research activities within the framework of the general policies of the system and considered its approvals indispensable. In fact, the group of seven (in 1980-83) and then 17 (in 1984) that was even expanded to 36 in 1999 was expected to compile all the cultural policies of the country.[1] The chairman of the council is currently Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran.

Recently, a much less radical version of this governmental move started in 2006 and continues to the present^[7] . It is dubbed a "Cultural Revolution" that has resulted in the dismissal or compulsory retirement of veteran university faculties and their replacement with younger ones who espouse the fervor of the Islamic Republic. Sometimes the "Islamic" is not mentioned by the government to avoid a thorough reminiscence of the former experience.