Monday, September 29, 2008

The Preliminary Step

Dear Colleagues,


The political issues between Iranian government and some western governments has been a serious problem for scientists born in Iran and all their paternal and academic families. It is clear that in a short time it is an immediate problem just for such people but obviously its effects in long time are too much wider.

Certainly I am not the first and unfortunately I am sure that I will not be the last one who has too many drastic histories with visa difficulties. This time after waiting two months to get French visa for a post-doc period in Dijon I was obligated to cancel my and my family’s one year plans. It is clear that waiting two months, up to just hours before your travel time with hope of getting visa without obtaining any response finally, is a torture for a family with a little child. We have even written the history of this torture.
It is not too difficult to understand that the damages of such tragedy have a wide spectrum including psychological, academics and economics problems whenever it corresponds to the case of a university professor with wife and children, doctoral students among many other academic responsibilities.

It is evident that in a generic situation these difficulties hinders the communications between nations. I should also emphasize that as a natural consequence of these problems we may observe (in fact we have examples!) the lack of interest of researchers to accept Iranian students or even rejection of financial supports by agencies.

As a first action I would like to ask you to write me the examples and the name of people who crossed a similar (or different) difficulty with French authorities and also your suggestions of where we can divulge these problems and protest. I invite to work more effectively to do something for solving the visa discriminations. I think that also as a preliminary step, the people in the similar conditions should create a virtual place to comment and protest about their real problems and and make their serious comments and suggestions and try to divulge it in a broad sense. I beleieve that IMU(International mathematical union) should help in this direction and create a global helping mechanism. We should just point out the example of ICTP in Italy which is working in this direction well.

If you believe that “Scientific though is the common heritage of mankind-Abdus Salam”, I ask why scientists should not intervene in an effective way for the mankind problems?


Sincerely yours,
29 september 2008
Ali Tahzibi

9 comments:

  1. Dear Ali,

    I am so sorry to hear about this. I do not have stories to share about the French government doing the same, but if you'd like stories about the US government and Iranian visitors, you are welcome to them (and unforntunately, all to familiar with them).

    Take care,

    Amie

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  2. Dear Amie,
    I think that an infinitisemal action can be done. Some organization (IMU, TWAS(?)) can at least inform the people of these origins about the risk that they can have in these processes or even better: to help them in these issues.

    I think that the bad consequences of such tragedies to other countries also should be broadcasted.

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  3. Hi Ali! I heard about your history this week (Oct 1) from Sylvain and both of us were shocked with such a position of the French government. By the way, I liked your great idea of asking help of international orgazinations such as IMU and TWAS.

    Best wishes,

    Matheus

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  4. Dear Ali and Hossein,

    Visa problem is something that one way or the other everyone living abroad has to face. Unfortunately, for some nationalities (like Iranians) this is a huge barrier.

    I know you two (my collegues during the PhD) and you both have my sympaties.

    In the practical side, there is a treaty being negociated at unctad
    (united nations conference on trade and development - science an technology) that includes:
    "end many visa restrictions on foreign students and scholars".
    We hope many countries sign it.
    See it at:
    http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Webflyer.asp?docID=4395&intItemID=2068&lang=1

    In the mean time, I would try to involve both the university you are affiliated to and the consulate/embassy science advisor. They are in general more resonable people than the visa officer (normally not more than a border policeman).

    Best wishes from your friend,

    Fabio Chalub

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  5. Dear Fabio,

    I really understand that many people can feel these problems in different scales. I understand also that when some specific political tensions settle down the problems can change.

    However, I emphasize on the existence of an organization to help researchers. Although a free circulation of scientists seems an ideal, feasibility of removing visa restrictions seems to me far from to be achieved.

    I will outline three preliminary observations that I consider as first actions to cry out about this stifling circumstance:

    1. It is a difficult process for a young student to ask an expert researcher to write him(her) urgently a letter for the purpose of visa. I believe that there should exist an organization who cares about this process and for example provide the type of invitation letter that should be sent urgently for a researcher to begin his(her) visa procedure. I know (by several my experiences) that this is not a solution. But it is an initial action.

    2. In the case of emergency countries (this can vary by time) some intervention of heads of important organizations in a political way is necessary. Even in the case of unsuccessful political intervention of scientists, the tragedies caused by a visa problem should be broadcasted widely. As an example, I am writing the consequence of my recent problem to the life of brazilian students (phd, undergrad and Olympiads), my brazilian wife and child and my brazilian supported projects among many other academic and life style problems.


    3. Finally, As I know the expenses with visa process is not paid by any agency and such expenses are not trivial at all. Who cares about this? Who cares about the researchers such that for participating in a conference in country (A) should pay money and time to obtain transit visa of country (B) besides the visa of destination (A).

    Thank for reading and your previous comments.

    Ali Tahzibi
    October 5, 2008 4:23 PM

    October 5, 2008 4:41 PM
    Delete

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  6. Perhaps, some one think that was stupid to eliminate the visa, I had to USA, from my passport. Logically, in addition to not accept the deal that USA give us, as a form of personal protest, I decided no participate in any conference in USA. If the scientific community did this, I think it would solve that problem. I am absolutely certain that our collgues in USA will agree with us.

    yours

    Wilfredo

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  7. salam Ali jan. Wow! this is really a great job. this blog is in english so the whole world would know the discrimination against us. "be ghole siavash ghomeishi, az oonja roondeh o az inja moondeh shodim"
    I strongly support the blog, and your effort. I am on your side, please count on me. Yours truly,Malahat

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  8. I have had a simillar experience when I accepted for a PhD position in IMCCE-Paris VII under prof. A. Albouy in 2005. I never forget that after more than 6 months serious comunications with the director of the cultural part of French embassy who was responsible in the process of my application and a lot of official papers I gave to him, in the last visit he said: "I do not know you more, who are you?"!!!

    It is obviously a political problem which may happen not only for Iranians and not only for scientists.

    I have some ideas:

    1. Radicals:
    1.1. For events (seminars, schols, workshops): if some scientists reject, the organization committe of the event CANCEL the event, noting the reason of canceling.
    1.2. For a PhD or post doctorate position the corresponding advisor(s) CANCEL some projects he is doing for the goverment including articles, PhDs or post-doctorates.

    2. conservatives:
    IMU provide a (monthly) list of this "conter science countries" and anuonce it with enough details in the serious jurnals and news agencies, continuously. It will imply a scientific word wild attention to this problem

    It only needs that we be together more and more...
    If we do not help and respect to our comunity it is not logic to expect from others and specially politic men who are the worst!!!

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  9. Hi there
    I was the anonymous author...
    I complement my comment.
    I think the good institutions don't make good students or scientis, instead of, I am sure that good students or scientist make good institutions. Now, we have a great problem and the solution depend from us. So, I decided no participate in any congress in USA, moreover i don't accept invitations for visit any laboratory in USA.
    Please, thinks about it...

    ReplyDelete