Imam Sadiq University

Iranian University

The Imam Sadiq University is an Islamic private university in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1982, the goal of the university is to bridge the gap between Islamic research and modern studies, especially humanities. The university was dedicated to training politicians and jurists preaching Islam. Reflecting its commitment to Islamic principles, the university separates educational environments for female and male students. The university is regarded as one of the universities in Iran that has played a prime role in recruiting politicians and other prime figures in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Imam Sadiq University is significantly more autonomous than other Iranian universities in inviting and employing lecturers, because it is a private organization. Prominent reformist thinkers such as Abdolkarim Soroush, Hossein Bashiriyeh, Javad Tabatabaei have been given space to propound their own ideas in humanities. The university offers BA, MA, and Ph. D. degrees in political science, economics, Islamic jurisprudence, law (private law, public law, criminal law, international law), management, and communications. It has eight colleges in operation. According to Tony Blair Institute, the institution is designed to provide the Islamic Republic with indoctrinated technocrats who can carry out the next stage of the revolution envisaged by Iran’s supreme leader. Imam Sadiq graduates (Imam Sadeghis) are the force behind Ebrahim Raisi’s administration, and the institution has enabled a three way alliance between the clergy, the IRGC and ideological technocrats.

In 1969, before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Habib Ladjevardi, one of the managers and entrepreneurs of the time, decided to establish and run the Iran Management Studies Center to train leaders in all economic and industrial fields in collaboration with Harvard University. The "Iran Management Studies Center" was founded, and courses in the field of management were taught under the supervision of Harvard University professors. Mohammad Taghi Barkhordar, also known as the father of Iran's manufacturing industries, like Habib Lajevardi, paid great attention to management issues and played a significant role in the foundation of Harvard University's branch in Iran. Barkhordar also held a chair on the board of trustees of this university. Additionally, twelve prominent Iranian economic figures, including Siavash Arjomand (Arjomand Industrial Group), Hedayatollah Behbahani (General Industrial Company), Hassan Khosroshahi (Minoo Industrial Group), Mahmoud Rezaei (Sarcheshmeh Copper Company), and Abdol Ali Mirza Farman Farmaian (Pars Oil), were members of the university's board of trustees. The university building was designed by "Consulting Engineers Abdolaziz Farmanfarmaian and Associates," led by Nader Ardalan. At this center, based on an intensive curriculum, discussions on 600 topics in various management areas were held with the presence of Iranian professors and Harvard University professors. Most of these discussions were in English. This university was able to deliver several cohorts of management graduates until the Islamic Revolution occurred. With the revolution, Imam Sadiq University became the first university to be established in Iran after the 1979 revolution and during the Cultural Revolution. In 1982, the university began operations by seizing the "Harvard" institute, renaming it "Imam Sadiq", changing its board of trustees and professors, its curriculum and educational structure, and transferring its ownership to Hossein Ali Montazeri. After the revolution, the assets and factories of individuals like Habib Ladjevardi, Mohammad Taghi Barkhordar, and some other members of the board of trustees were confiscated by the revolutionaries, and the "Harvard" institute was seized. Its name was changed to "Imam Sadiq," and its management was handed over to Hossein Ali Montazeri, who appointed Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani as his representative there. On October 9, 2018, by decree of the board of trustees headed by Sadegh Larijani, Hossein Ali Saadi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, was appointed as the president of Imam Sadiq University for a three year term. Asghar Eftekhari, a previous Imam Sadeqi of the class of 2003, has been the current president since 2021.

Since the inception of the university, a significant portion of the curriculum for all university majors has been dedicated to seminary and Islamic studies courses; meaning, in addition to specialized courses in their fields, all students at this university also study subjects such as Arabic grammar, Islamic Jurisprudence, Sharia Law, contemplation and interpretation of the Quran, philosophy, ethics, and Islamic thought (centered on the books of Morteza Motahhari). Nearly every academic department within the university incorporates the term "Islamic teachings" at the outset of its name, such as "Islamic teachings and law" or "Islamic teachings and economics." Earning a bachelor’s degree requires students to demonstrate proficiency in Arabic and a deep understanding of Islam.

In discussing the university's approach to student discipline and moral education, an interview with Mostafa Mirlouhi sheds light on the stance of Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, one of the institution's influential figures. Mirlouhi recounts Kani's opposition to students commuting from Tehran, emphasizing the importance of a controlled environment for maintaining the desired educational and moral standards. According to Mirlouhi, Kani likened the development of a student's character to the careful cultivation of a flower, requiring support and protection against potentially corrupting influences encountered outside the university's confines.

Traditionally, graduates from Imam Sadiq University, commonly referred to as Imam Sadiqis, have secured influential positions through their involvement with state run radio and television channels, which are managed by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Initially, these graduates would establish a presence within the broadcasting corporation's news department, eventually progressing to higher roles involved in executive cultural policy making. Notably, Peyman Jebelli, an alumnus of the university, was appointed as the head of IRIB by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the 2005 presidential election, Imam Sadiq University alumni, known as Imam Sadiqis, significantly expanded their presence within the Iranian government. This broader integration is largely attributed to the extensive and coordinated campaign efforts by Imam Sadiq students nationwide. It was the only university that postponed its end of term exams for more than a week. This allowed students to travel voluntarily and at their own expense to the farthest parts of the country for campaign efforts on behalf of Ahmadinejad. Consequently, the incoming administration welcomed these university graduates into prominent positions across different sectors. Statement of Salehabadi, the head of the Securities and Exchange Organization, alongside Individuals like Zahedi Vafa, the senior deputy of the Minister of Economy, Mojtaba Kabari, the CEO of Pasargad Bank, Dr. Khodam, his deputy, Mr. Ghasemi, the CEO of Kerman Cement Investment, Mr. Ameri, the CEO of Industrial Investment Insurance Company, Abdulrahimian, the Investment Manager of Saipa Investment, and several managers from the Securities and Exchange Organization and regional stock exchange managers are other examples. The most notable among them was Saeed Jalili, an alumnus, who was named the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and served as Ahmadinejad’s principal negotiator on nuclear issues.

Upon Hassan Rouhani's ascension to the presidency in 2013, his government prioritized the recruitment of alumni from international universities and technocrats without explicit ideological affiliations. However, this approach did not entirely exclude graduates from Imam Sadiq University. For example, Rouhani appointed Hesamoddin Ashna, a communications professor at Imam Sadiq, as his advisor. Nonetheless, Ashna was later compelled to resign following controversial disclosures from an interview leak involving Mohammad Javad Zarif, the then foreign minister, who critiqued Ashna for his involvement in military political interventions.

The Islamic Knowledge and Management(IKM) is the fifth Faculty of Imam Sadiq University which was established in 1989 with the aim of leading Islamic studies in the field of management and educating executive directors in the administration of Islamic countries. The faculty consists of four departments with activities in the fields of public administration and policymaking, business administration, financial management, and industrial management. Over the years, the faculty has sought to create suitable ground for the growth of interdisciplinary studies in Islamic management through the gathering of specialist professors in Islamic knowledge and management from across the country. The students simultaneously study the fields of Islamic knowledge and management. By integrating these two fields innovatively, the background for exploiting religious principles in management is provided. Consequently, several groups of students who have graduated from this college are now active in theorizing on Islamic management, and in providing training in and implementing Islamic management patterns. So far, 700 students have graduated from this department and are providing services in important executive and academic jobs. The Faculty of Islamic Knowledge and Management of Imam Sadiq University is a suitable center for the development of Islamic management studies. Imam Sadiq University hopes to create an effective network of Islamic management scholars by building relations with other scholars in this field around the world, so that opportunities are provided for the development of integrated and interdisciplinary activities in this important field of science.