IRAN UPSET AT US TREATMENT OF SCHOLARS

The fingerprinting of a group of Islamic scholars from Iran who are in the US to attend a seminar at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. has caused outrage in Iran.  The scholars were fingerprinted and photographed upon their arrival in New York.  This is standard procedure for all Iranians who enter the US, as well as for nationals of other countries the US says are linked to terrorism. 

Following this incident, the Iranian delegation withdrew from the seminar, which was to focus on the study of the Koran.  Ironically, one of the primary purposes of the seminar was to foster cultural exchanges between the US and Iran in an attempt to improve relations between the two countries.  The conference organizer, John Esposito, a professor at Georgetown and leading expert on Islam, said US regulations have made this sort of cultural exchange “almost impossible.” 

The incident has added ammunition for those in Iran who do not want normalized relations with the US.  Hard-line newspapers in Iran have been calling for the cancellation of an upcoming soccer match.

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