SUTA's Complaint Against new U.S. President Executive Order
Sharif University of Technology Association (SUTA) as the global alumni association of this university having over 6,000 alumni in the U.S. would like to express its utmost concern on the recent discriminatoryExecutive Order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday January 27th 2017, banning Iranians and citizens of six other Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days, and the Syrian refugees for 120 days. While being a temporary measure, given the ongoing trends in US politics, there is a considerable likelihood that this or similar limitations become permanent.
Iranian nationals are listed as targeted people in this order (and previous measures such as 2015 visa waiver bill, H.R.158) despite the fact that no Iranian nationals has ever been confirmed to be involved in any terrorist activity in the United States. After 90 days, the Departments of State and Homeland Security (DS & DHS) will require the governments of listed countries to provide enough evidence about the visa applicant to prove that he/she poses no security threat to the US. Considering the political tensions between the U.S. and Iranian governments, it can be assumed that the Iranian government will not be cooperative on this matter, leading to Iranian citizens to be permanently banned from visiting the US.
Iranian scholars in general and graduates of Sharif University of Technology in particular have been significant contributor in the advancement of science and technology in the US over many decades. Moreover, U.S administrations have repeatedly emphasized on the improvement of cultural relations among the two nations particularly through academic means. Unfortunately, this executive order and expectedly strict follow up vetting measures will cut such cultural ties. It will have a devastating impact on many innocent and hard-working individuals and their families without any foreseeable improvement on the security of the United States.
We strongly urge current administration to revisit this decision and also call all our members especially those residing in the United States to immediate action to prevent such unfair treatment by raising their voices and expressing their complaints through all possible legal means including posting on social media, contacting public media, sending letters or emails to the White House, and contacting senators and the members of congress in any city or state they reside.
We hope the unified voices of Iranian community inside and outside the United States in conjunction with the expected solidarity from non-Iranian academician, artists, and politicians (such as Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of States) would encourage the politicians in Washington DC to stop this damaging order.
Masoud Olfat, Ph.D.
President of Sharif University Association (SUTA)
Masoud.olfat@suta.org
Great Falls, Virginia
USA
