Ink and rubble: The systematic assault on Iran’s intellectual soul

Last year, my plans to celebrate Eid in Iran were dismantled by the sudden escalation of regional aggression. What was meant to be a personal pilgrimage became a casualty of geopolitics. Yet, in a twist of fate this past September, I found myself touching down at Tehran’s IKA Airport, not for a holiday, but as an invitee to the “Nobel of the Muslim World” or the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize granted to top science and technology researchers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member states. The September 6 to 10, 2025, award week is organised by the Mustafa (PBUH) Science and Technology Foundation, which stands as a testament to the enduring power of human inquiry. I had expected it to be a sombre affair. The mystics of Qom I was keen to visit the holy city of Qom before the events kicked off and so the organisers assigned me guides, two cheerful women, who led me through its striking salt ranges and mineral-dense rainbow rocks. Qom greets you with pristine air and radiance. It was a Friday so the city was moving at an unbothered grace. Roads filled for prayers, yet nothing felt strained. As we walked through garden-lined streets toward Bibi Masuma’s shrine, the resting place of the 27-year-old sister of Imam Ali Reza (AS), the eighth Shia imam, I understood why Qom is called the land of mystics. A monument facing the Holy Shrine of Bibi Ma’sooma in Qom, dedicated to an Afghan family who tragically perished in heavy snow while on pilgrimage to Mashhad. — photo by author Lady Masuma remains one of the most revered women in Shia Islam, and her presence has transformed the city into a centre of spirituality and learning, much like Najaf, the resting place of Imam Ali (AS). Yet, Qom resists a singular definition. From across the shrine, Bollywood movie posters stared back at me from the window of an Indian store. Next to it, scholarly bookstores and quiet cafes welcomed visitors and tourists. On my previous visit to Iran, I watched a Mission I