Urgent: Save Iranian Studies in Italy!

[From the Italian language press]:

L' Asia è teatro di cambiamenti rivoluzionari e i suoi Paesi sono destinati a essere, sempre di più, protagonisti della vita internazionale. Chi avrà rapporti, nei prossimi decenni, con i loro studiosi, i ministeri della Cultura dei loro governi e le loro istituzioni accademiche?

Sergio Romano "VITA E MIRACOLI DELL' ISIAO COME SI UCCIDE UN ENTE UTILE " - Corriere della Sera - Milano, Italia
martedì 24 giugno 2008

Asia is the scene of revolutionary change and its countries are destined to be increasingly protagonists of international life. Who will have relations, in the coming decades, with their scholars, the Ministries of Culture of their governments and their academic institutions?

Sufi News is informed through Professor Ehsan Yarshater, Editor of Encyclopaedia Iranica, that a recent decree passed by the Italian Council of Ministers foresees the possible abolition of the Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (IsIAO):

"To deprive the Iranian Studies from the services and contributions of this marvelous institution is a severe blow to the promotion of the knowledge of Iran on the international scene.

All supporters of Iranian studies are requested to sign an open letter written to the President of the Italian republic to support the continuation of IsIAO.

Please, by all means add your signature to this letter and encourage your friends and collegues to do so as well".

Click on the title or on this link http://www.giuseppetucci.isiao.it/ to sign the letter (in English) and see how many signatories have signed it until now, and who they are.

Click this link to the Corriere della Sera original article http://tinyurl.com/5kh5hs
Click this link to Encyclopaedia Iranica http://www.iranica.com/newsite/home/index.isc