Groups, Institutions, Organiza

Union of Islamic Students Associations in Europe and America

Written by: Masoumeh Abedini Translated by: Hadi Qorbanyar
1 Views

The Union of Islamic Students Associations in Europe and America is the name of a student organization active in Europe and North America during the two decades leading up to the Islamic Revolution. The Union of Islamic Students Associations was established in 1964 in the United States by Ebrahim Yazdi and Mostafa Chamran. Likewise, a similar organization was founded in Europe. The founders of the European branch included Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Hussaini Beheshti, Sadeq Qotbzadeh, Seyyed Abolhassan Banisadr, Hassan Habibi, and Seyyed Sadeq Tabatabaei.

From 1969 onward, the activities of this organization expanded significantly. Islamic students associations were established in countries such as France, Germany, Austria, England, Italy, and others. These associations, with Sadeq Qotbzadeh serving as their main coordinator, maintained connections with similar groups in West Asian countries like Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt.

The primary reason for the increasing dynamism of Islamic associations during this period was the young Iranians who traveled to Europe and America to pursue higher education. The number of individuals influenced by Islamic movements in Iranian universities was growing daily, making the existence of religious organizations necessary to attract and support them. Moreover, the open environment for political activities encouraged religiously-committed students to gather under the umbrella of the Union of Islamic Students Associations abroad.

In the early 1970s, the two active Islamic associations in Europe and America merged to form a single entity called the “Union of Islamic Students Associations in Europe and America”. This union organized religious classes and Quran exegesis sessions for the members. To coordinate among the leaders of its branches, it held an annual week-long meeting at one of its active centers.

Starting in 1967, the Union of Islamic Students Associations in Europe began publishing a quarterly journal titled Maktab-e Mobarez (The School of Struggle), which later became the joint organ of the unions in Europe and North America. In its twelfth issue, the journal stated that its purpose was to recognize and show the true face of Islam. The core articles focused mainly on Islamic studies, Islamic activists, ways to coordinate them, and the unity of Muslim countries.

Ebrahim Yazdi, who was actively involved in managing and organizing the Islamic Students Association in America, established a publishing institute in Houston, Texas. This institute distributed the association’s books and publications throughout America, Europe, and Arab countries. From 1974 onward, books that were banned from printing and publication in Iran were produced at the Houston Institute. Some of them were also translated into English; for instance, in 1977, works by Ali Shariati were translated by that publication for the first time. The institute also reprinted and published writings by Mahdi Bazargan and Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Taleqani. The costs of these activities were covered by Iranian merchants.

Beyond religious work, members of the Union of Islamic Students Associations engaged in political activities as well. Shortly after its founding, in 1965, a delegation from the union traveled to Najaf to meet Imam Khomeini (ra). Throughout its pre-revolutionary activities, the union kept in direct contact with him and consistently voiced strong support for him in its public statements. Whenever the Shah visited European countries or the United States, members and supporters of the union, alongside other opposition groups against the Pahlavi regime, organized large-scale demonstrations against him. These demonstrations seriously damaged the favorable image of the Pahlavi regime that the Shah had spent years cultivating in Western media. The Union of Islamic Associations in Europe and North America also supported religious-political movements inside Iran. For example, after the growth of guerrilla movements in Iran, the union developed close ties with one armed group known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran and endorsed the organizations ideals in its publications. This relationship continued until 1975, when the organization adopted a Marxist ideology and deviated from its original path.

Among the union’s other activities were holding seminars and marches in support of oppressed nations such as Palestine and Vietnam, which often received coverage in newspapers and media. Given these activities and their consistent contribution to the growth of the Islamic movement, a number of members from the Union of Islamic Students Associations in Europe and America took prominent positions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Notable examples include Sadeq Qotbzadeh (the first head of radio and television after the Revolution and Minister of Foreign Affairs), Ebrahim Yazdi (Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government), Seyyed Abolhassan Banisadr (Iran’s first president), Hassan Habibi (First Vice President), Hassan Ghafoorifard (Member of Parliament, Minister of Energy, and Head of the Physical Education Organization), Hassan Abbaspour (Minister of Energy), Kamaleddin Nikravesh (Minister of Interior), Muhammad Hashemi (Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), Seyyed Mohsen Nourbakhsh (Minister of Economy and Governor of the Central Bank), Kamal Kharrazi (Minister of Foreign Affairs), and others.^[1]

 

^[1] Daerat al-Maaref Enqelab-e Eslami (Encyclopedia of the Islamic Revolution),
Vol. 1, Tehran: Sooreh Mehr, 1384, Pp. 34–35.