Ernst goes to Iran: Accepting award bene_¶ ts cultural scholastic exchange

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presentation of a prestigious academic award to Professor Carl Ernst cannot be allowed to overshadow the potential for cultural and scholastic exchange.

On Dec. 27the religious studies professor accepted the Farabi International Award from Ahmadinejad for outstanding Islamic scholarship.

Given the strained relationship between Iran and the U.S. Ernst's decision has led to much controversy.

Some have argued that it is inappropriate for an American professor to accept an award from a president that denies his own citizens fundamental civil rights — and that his acceptance appears to give an unofficial endorsement of Ahmadinejad's suppression of free speech and religion.

But Ernst was honored for his scholastic work on the 12th-century Persian poet" Rozbahan Baqli. This work has nothing to do with modern Iranian politics.

Iran's stated purpose for the award is to bolster the ""spirit of investigation and innovation in all scientific" technical cultural" and Islamic fields."" It is crucial to recognize the distinct academic nature of this award.

While acknowledging the potential that this award could be misinterpreted as a political ploy by Iran"" Ernst noted that the officials who host such award ceremonies instead attempt ""to present themselves as enlightened sponsors of scholarship.""

While Ahmadinejad presided over the ceremonies" a committee from Iran's Ministry of Science Research and Technology actually selected Ernst for the recognition.

This award is an opportunity to facilitate scholastic and cultural exchange not to promote a specific political agenda. In order to more fully understand other societies scholarly exchanges such as this are necessary.

While it is difficult to dissociate Ahmadinejad's radical politics from his presentation of this award Ernst's acceptance of the Farabi should not be viewed as a mere political tactic.

Ernst has contributed significantly to the study of Persian history — and the accolade he received ought to be celebrated as an opportunity for academic interaction with a different culture.