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One of China’s Leading Mideast Scholars Expresses Sympathy For Iranian Protestors, Testing the Limits of What’s Acceptable in His Own Country

by Eric Olander
Fan Hongda is a Professor at the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University.

One of China’s most prominent Mideast scholars, Fan Hongda from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, is expressing solidarity with anti-government protestors in Iran on social media. At the same time, he’s pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable online speech for a Chinese academic.

“Iranian friends often complain about why the #Iranian regime always does not listen to the voice of the people but acts against the people,” Fan said in a post on Twitter published on Tuesday. “As a #Chinese in Shanghai for the past two years, I have come to understand the feelings of these Iranian friends more and more,” he added.

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