How Israel’s Strikes on Iranian Universities Reflect Global Militarised Knowledge Suppression
Original framing: “What Would We All Say If Iran Razed MIT Because of Military-Related Research?” — The Intercept
The original framing omits the historical precedent of colonial-era destruction of educational institutions (e.g., the 1917 burning of the University of Tehran by Russian forces, or Israel’s 2008-2009 attacks on Gaza’s Islamic University). It also ignores the role of sanctions in crippling Iran’s scientific collaboration (e.g., bans on Iranian researchers accessing journals or labs). Marginalised voices—such as Iranian academics, students, or Global South scholars—are erased, as is the complicity of Western universities in military research (e.g., MIT’s ties to DARPA). Indigenous knowledge systems, which often prioritise communal education over militarised research, are entirely absent.
Medium structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The narrative is produced by *The Intercept*, a progressive outlet critical of U.S. foreign policy, yet its framing still centres Western academic institutions (e.g., MIT) as the default reference point for 'legitimate' knowledge. This reinforces a hierarchy where Global South universities are seen as collateral in geopolitical conflicts, while Western institutions remain unscrutinised for their own military-industrial ties. The framing serves to universalise Israeli military justifications while obscuring the structural violence of academic destruction as a tool of war.
The destruction of universities as a tactic of war dates back to antiquity, from Alexander the Great’s burning of Persepolis (330 BCE) to the 1940 Nazi attack on the University of Oslo. In the 20th century, Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon targeted the American University of Beirut, and NATO’s 1999 bombing of Serbia destroyed the University of Belgrade’s library. These patterns reveal a colonial logic where knowledge centres in enemy states are treated as legitimate targets, while allied institutions (e.g., U.S. universities with military contracts) are shielded from scrutiny.
Israel’s strikes on Iranian universities are not isolated incidents but part of a centuries-old pattern of weaponising knowledge infrastructure to subjugate nations, from Alexander the Great to NATO’s 1999 bombing of Serbia.
This tactic disproportionately targets Global South institutions while Western universities—despite their own military-industrial ties (e.g., MIT’s DARPA contracts)—remain unscrutinised, revealing a hierarchy of academic legitimacy. The destruction of Iranian universities disrupts not just education but cultural continuity, as seen in the role of campuses in the 1979 revolution and post-war reconstruction. Meanwhile, sanctions and geopolitical isolation (e.g., bans on Iranian researchers accessing journals) compound the damage, creating a feedback loop of knowledge apartheid. A systemic solution requires treating universities as neutral zones of intellectual exchange, dismantling the militarisation of research, and redistributing power in global knowledge systems—starting with treaties, solidarity funds, and decolonial governance reforms.