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Published online 9 July 2008 | Nature 454, 150 (2008) | doi:10.1038/454150f
News in Brief
Iranians face nuclear-study ban in the Netherlands
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Please note this is News in Brief, and so will be a short article.
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This is a piece of discomforting news. I am perturbed by the Dutch government’s decision to disallow Iranian students to pursue their study in nuclear technology and rocketry at postgraduate level. Access to education at all levels is the basic human rights, especially in a democratic country. It must not be tied up with political or religious agenda. Freedom of expression and respect for individual rights are the core concepts of democracy, and Netherlands has been an excellent example. The ban defies common wisdom. Perhaps it could be reverted soon.
This is a piece of discomforting news. I am perturbed by the Dutch government’s decision to disallow Iranian students to pursue their study in nuclear technology and rocketry at postgraduate level. Access to education at all levels is the basic human rights, especially in a democratic country. It must not be tied up with political or religious agenda. Freedom of expression and respect for individual rights are the core concepts of democracy, and Netherlands has been an excellent example. The ban defies common wisdom. Perhaps it ought to be reviewed and hopefully duly withdrawn. (Tan Boon Tee)