AN AUGURY OF REVOLUTION: THE IRANIAN STUDENT ...

strong connection between the ulama and the bazaaris. 138 Both the mass migration from the
countryside to the cities, and the discontent among the clergy, were direct results of the White
Revolution. 139
Ali Fatemi, one of the two most vocal leaders of the ISAUS, told a reporter that while
Iranian nationalists like himself supported the push for women’s rights, they did not agree with
the undemocratic government in Iran and the methods used by the shah’s government in
suppressing the riots. 140 A publication of the Southern California Chapter of the ISAUS also
demonstrated its support for the enfranchisement of women. However, they thought that it “was
a blatant publicity stunt - - a ridiculous gesture in a country where elections are consistently
rigged and even the men’s votes don’t count.” 141 The ISAUS also argued that the land reform
was simply a way to increase the royal treasury. 142
A difference of opinion regarding Iranian students in the United States between the
Justice Department and the State Department emerged. Iranian students often tried to play the
two departments against one another as if they were a non-aligned nation playing the United
States and the Soviet Union against each other. In February 1963 members of the Justice and
State Departments held a meeting with Iranian student Fariborz S. Fatemi. He was the cousin of
Ali Fatemi and was an Iranian-born graduate student studying international law at Syracuse
University. He was also a Congressional Fellow under the sponsorship of Representative James
138 The many ties between the ulama and bazaaris are discussed in Keddie, Modern Iran: Roots and Results of
Revolution, 30. There were familial ties, financial connections, and social interaction between the two groups.
139 The revolutionary effects that the White Revolution had on Iranian society are discussed at great length in many
studies. For a very concise discussion refer to Fred Halliday, “The Gulf Between Two Revolutions: 1958-1979,”
MERIP Reports, No. 85, (Feb., 1980), 6-15. The discussion of the White Revolution is on p. 10.
140 “Tanks Disperse Teheran Crowds,” NYT, 9 June 1963, p. 18.
141 ISAUS, “Don’t Let Familiarity Breed Indifference! Six More Students have been Jailed,” publication of the
Southern California Chapter of the ISAUS printed in ISAUS, Iran in Turmoil, 48.
142 ISAUS, “Don’t Let Familiarity Breed Indifference! Six More Students have been Jailed,” publication of the
Southern California Chapter of the ISAUS printed in ISAUS, Iran in Turmoil, 48.
40