PhD Battle

Controversy concerning the educational qualifications of those involved in Iran’s presidential elections.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s conduct in a highly-charged televised debate with Mir Hussein Moussavi, his main opponent in Iran’s forthcoming presidential elections, appears to have earned him the condemnation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Guardian reported:

The most remarkable part of an acerbic encounter came when Ahmadinejad held up a file apparently referring to Moussavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, and questioned her qualifications. “Can I speak about the education background of a lady with you – shall I,” Ahmadinejad said in a goading tone. He accused Rahnavard, who has been campaigning with her husband, of gaining two degrees illegally and starting a PhD without sitting an entrance exam.

According to The Guardian, following the debate – during which Ahmadinejad also questioned the academic credentials of his predecessorMohammad Khatami, and accused another former President, Hashemi Rafsanjani, and his sons, of corruption – Khamenei stated:

“One doesn’t like to see a nominee, for the sake of proving himself, seeking to negate somebody else. … I have no problem with debate, dialogue and criticism but these debates must take place within a religious framework.”

The news agency D.P.A. explained:

The background to what was being dubbed the “PhD battle” is the case of interior minister Ali Kordan, who was forced to resign last year for having allegedly presented a false PhD document to the parliament. …

The issue, one of the biggest embarrassments for the Ahmadinejad government in the last four years, has been a top issue in the election campaign and frequently used by the opposition, including Moussavi, against the president.