Roya Pour Bagher

Shirin Saeidi, an Iranian professor at the University of Arkansas, was recently fired from her position as director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies. While the university denies this connection, this move strongly appears to be prompted by a post on social media in which she praised the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, for his role in protecting Iran during the Israeli attacks in June and prayed for his safety and the safety of Iranians. The University insists its decision was based on what it called Dr. Saeidi’s misuse of university letterhead to appeal for the release of Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian official who was imprisoned in Sweden on unfounded allegations by the terrorist MKO group. Dr. Saeidi countered that the university had granted her permission to participate in the trial and that no policy forbade such use of the letterhead.

Dr. Saeidi’s support for fellow Iranian citizens triggered attacks from Iranian opposition figures as well, who subjected her to online harassment, verbal assaults, and false claims. One individual alleged that she had used sources in her dissertation without permission and that they had never met. Dr. Saeidi immediately dismissed this, correctly noting that referencing a published memoir does not require authorization and that correspondence proves that they had indeed been in contact.

The university’s decision, apparently political, did not go unnoticed. The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) wrote a letter to the university, stating that the dean’s remarks about Professor Saeidi, particularly her praise for Ayatollah Khamenei, suggest that she would have kept her position if her political stance had been more in line with U.S. policy. MESA further noted that, according to the university’s own policy, a member should not be dismissed over personal opinion, “however controversial.” Therefore, Professor Saeidi’s right to express her opinion as a citizen—not as a faculty member—was violated.

However, Dr. Saeidi’s case is neither the first nor likely the last in the American establishment’s long history of silencing Iranian voices, particularly those that are both pro-Palestine and supportive of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In March 2025, Iranian academic Helyeh Doutaghi’s contract with Yale University was terminated due to her outspoken solidarity with Palestine. The university claimed Dr. Doutaghi was affiliated with what it called the “terrorist” Samidoun Network—the go-to label used to discredit organizations and individuals seeking justice for Palestinians and the correction of historic wrongs. The university at the time also alleged she was uncooperative—a claim Dr. Doutaghi refuted, stating she repeatedly offered to answer any questions and that it was the university that refused each time. Dr. Doutaghi’s case also drew fervent backlash from colleagues in the United States and fellow citizens in Iran.

It is not only Iranian students vocal against genocide who are targeted in the U.S. During the large-scale crackdown on pro-Palestine student protesters—which includes ICE arrests and visa revocations—Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, was caught in the dragnet. His case was bizarre as he had not participated in any pro-Palestine activities. According to a statement by Students for Justice in Palestine at UA, Doroudi was never involved in the group’s organizing and protests. Like many others, he was arrested without explanation. Authorities later vaguely claimed that he “posed significant national security concerns.” And so it was that his case became one of hundreds victimized by the Trump administration’s unreasonable and unjustified policies. Furthermore, while the U.S. administration revoked visas and detained students for protesting against genocide and their government and institutions’ complicity, Iranian universities extended a hand of solidarity, offering places of study and even scholarships to those expelled.

Within this climate of suppression, the U.S. government dares to continue its theatrics of claiming to want to “save” Iran and bring so-called peace. In a recent UN Security Council session, the former U.S. State Department spokesperson unabashedly expressed readiness for talks with Iran whilst threatening the country by stating that it “should step out of the fire.” That statement, and the Iranian representative’s firm, defiant response that Iran will not surrender its right to nuclear enrichment, went viral and was loudly acclaimed online by many fed up with U.S. bullying. Morgan Ortagus, donning a Star of David necklace, signalling allegiance to the Zionist entity, chose to ignore at that moment that Iran was about to enter the sixth round of indirect talks with the U.S. when the latter greenlit Israel’s war on Iran—a war U.S. President Donald Trump later admitted he was “very much in charge” of. While Ortagus chooses to ignore this, Iranians simply won’t. An important question arises: How can the American government expect Iranians to have good faith in a country that breaks its own laws and does its own students and citizens an injustice?

More importantly, as the American government and academic institutions continue to silence Iranian voices that oppose Israel’s genocide—especially if those voices support the Islamic Republic—they simultaneously amplify Iranian opposition voices and spread propaganda against Iran. It is needless to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars the U.S. government spends on anti-Iran propaganda, putting opposition voices on its payroll. At the same time, its own people suffer from poverty, an affordability crisis, etc.

Amidst this targeted silencing, the cases of Dr. Saeidi and Dr. Doutaghi, and other Iranians across the globe vocal for Palestine, are not isolated incidents of dissent, but a reflection of a profound commitment rooted in generations. For decades, the Iranian people have placed the liberation of Palestine as a pillar for global justice. They have been intimately familiar with the pain of the Palestinian people under occupation. Their solidarity has taken many forms, including material support, daily prayers, and the annual massive rally on Quds Day, established by the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini. This deep-seated commitment to the path of humanity and justice was exemplified years ago when Dr. Saeidi met with the parents of Rachel Corrie, the young American activist crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while peacefully defending a Palestinian home in Gaza. That meeting symbolizes shared grief and a universal conscience that recognizes and defies oppression, regardless of border or nationality. And in this ongoing battle between flagbearers of truth and falsehood, one is reminded of the following verse in the Holy Quran:

“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah is intent on perfecting His light though the disbelievers dislike it.” (Holy Quran, 9:32)

The supporters of evil believe that they can take out the light of truth by silencing and punishing voices against genocide and falsehood, but the consequence is the opposite. Their voices are amplified, and their case against falsehood is strengthened. And as Dr. Saeidi powerfully reminded her followers:

“…they planned, and Allah planned, and Allah is the best of planners.” (Holy Quran, 8:30)

Roya Pour Bagher is a news writer based in Tehran, Iran.

From Vox Ummah via This RSS Feed.