Dariush Zahedi, a U.S. citizen, never returned from a trip to his native Iran this summer, and concerned students and colleagues at both campuses are trying to piece together what happened.
``We're deeply concerned for him and we very much hope that he will be released shortly,'' said David Leonard, dean of the International and Area Studies Department at UC-Berkeley. ``His teaching here at Berkeley was always balanced and fair, and as a consequence we cannot imagine what reason there might possibly be that led to this action.''
Zahedi is a part-time lecturer, which means he does not teach a full course load at any university. He was scheduled to teach ``War and Peace in the Middle East'' at UC-Berkeley this semester.
Zahedi, an East Bay resident who is single and whose mother and stepfather live in Orinda, also was scheduled to teach two courses this quarter in Santa Clara University's political-science department. ``He has taught for us in the past and he is well-liked,'' said Leslie Bethard, an administrative assistant in the department.
The State Department also is monitoring the situation. ``We are always interested when a U.S. citizen is detained,'' said Kelly Shannon, a spokesman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Hooshang Amirahmadi, a Rutgers University professor and a friend of Zahedi's, said Zahedi often travels to Iran during the summers to visit his family, including a brother in Tehran. ``At first, we just heard that an American professor was arrested by the Ministry of Information and charged with spying,'' said Amirahmadi, who closely follows Iranian news. ``He was acquitted of the charges, but obviously the Justice Department in Iran intervened and would not let him go. They have kept him in the Evin prison in Tehran.''
Zahedi, who is in his late 30s, received a doctorate from the University of Southern California in 1998 in international relations and political science. He has been active in the American Iranian Council, a non-profit organization that wants to see Iran become ``a democratically developed member of the global community with full respect for human rights.'' The group does not accept money from any government.
Zahedi and Amirahmadi edited a book based on the group's conference at Stanford University in spring 2002 titled ``Iran in the New Millenium: Opportunities and Challenges.'' ``He was obviously critical of the regime, but he was still very positive about the country and went back and forth a lot,'' Amirahmadi said. ``There are millions of Iranians who are more critical of the government than he is, and they are in Tehran. I think he was arrested because his timing was terrible. He went to Iran just a few weeks before July 9.'' On July 9, 1999, Iranian college students began a mass movement for democratic reform in Iran, a date that is marked by Iranian exiles each year.
This year, more than 250 Bay Area Iranians gathered in downtown Palo Alto to wave flags and shout chants against Iran's Islamic leadership. Student protesters in Iran clashed with police, who fired tear gas to disperse them; student leaders were arrested. Fearful of reprisals in Iran, Zahedi's family has asked not to be identified in print. ``His mother and brother are in Tehran, and they have learned that he is in good health,'' his stepfather said in a phone interview Friday. ``I hope he will be released soon. I pray for him every day.''