Iranian Interior Minister Admits Fake Degree

Iranian Interior Minister Ali Kordan has announced that he is shocked, shocked to learn that his honorary degree from Oxford University is fake. The dodgy circumstances by which he obtained it eight years ago (via "an agency in Tehran for English-language affairs that represents Oxford University") never raised any red flags with him. Nor did any of the spelling and grammatical mistakes in the document (misplaced commas, the word "entitle" is misspelled, etc.)

Kordan is, appropriately, in charge of guarding against fraud and forgery in Iran's upcoming election. Link: LA Times



Coincidentally, the United Arab Emirates announced today that it will "impose a life ban on the employment of those found to be using fake certificates in order to secure jobs in the country."

Politics

Posted on Wed Oct 01, 2008


Comments

Perhaps he got it the same place the Iraqi Information Minister got his Public Speaking credentials?
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Thu Oct 02, 2008  at  03:27 AM
A lot of those Muslim dominated countries have pretty harsh laws for wrongdoing.

Adulterers are stoned, thieves have a hand lopped off, murderers are beheaded. What's the punishment in this case? Probably nothing. He's one of the ruling class.
Posted by KDP  on  Thu Oct 02, 2008  at  10:00 AM
Actually, this is sorta similar to this story:

http://www.citypages.com/2008-09-24/news/homer-simpson-gets-clipped/

Seems a man hired to work in the control room of a nuclear power plant had falsified degrees too.
Posted by Vitajex  on  Fri Oct 03, 2008  at  03:51 PM
Depends on your definition of 'fake' . . I had a discussion with an HR person in this country, who commented that she had rejected applications from 'phonies' with degrees from Stanford. They were obviously fakes, she explained, because Stanford is a made-up place they us on TV shows in the States, like the 555 phone number.

And even more shockingly, because of the similar 'aluminum/aluminium' division of the tow major British universities, people form overseas with Cambridge-approved qualifications are not recognised here unless they are cleared with the Oxford Examination Board as well.
Posted by D F Stuckey  on  Sun Oct 05, 2008  at  03:56 AM
"They were obviously fakes, she explained, because Stanford is a made-up place they us on TV shows in the States, like the 555 phone number."

Um your friends needs to do some research Stanford is very much a real school.
Posted by Tim  on  Mon Oct 06, 2008  at  07:25 AM
Tim, I could take offense that you seem to think that I as a Massey university graduate would not know that our major US research collaborator Stanford actually exists.

But I am far more offended that you are claiming that I as an intellegent being would be friends with a Human Resources person . . . The proffession here which consists mostly of young women who fail the mathematical portion of the test to become cheerleaders, and lack the written language skills to become Playboy models.
Posted by D F Stuckey  on  Mon Oct 06, 2008  at  01:43 PM
Ha DF, I'm in HR, but I happen to consider myself a member of the smarter bit of the population. Then again, I'm also only planning on being in HR until I get into a ivy league grad school, then bye, bye reading resumes all day. I guess that means I don't count as one of the typical HR girls.
Posted by Razela  on  Mon Oct 06, 2008  at  04:48 PM
Gee Razela, if you can read, then you'd be wayyyyy overqualified for HR her ein this country . . . Seriously, the times I've had to explain a term in my resume to people . . .
Posted by D F Stuckey  on  Mon Oct 06, 2008  at  05:57 PM
Well, it DOES say "honorary" which everyone should know means it's not a real degree.

So what's more real? A "real" fake diploma, or a fake fake diploma?
Posted by Mitur Binesderty  on  Wed Oct 22, 2008  at  11:33 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.