Reza Baraheni

Mehemmed Azadgar – November 2, 2024

Dr. Reza Baraheni

My dear friend Asad Seif asked me some time ago to write an article about Reza Barahani for Avaye Taba'id (Voice of Exile). Naturally, I agreed. But what to write and how to write it in a way that wouldn’t be repetitive, deeply occupied my mind. I considered various ideas and ultimately arrived at what you see here. The reader of this note may have encountered one or two small parts of this writing in my other works.

Vahid Qarabagli: The Label of Pan-Turkism is Used to Suppress Turkish Identity in Iran

Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu) - October 29, 2024

Vahid Qarabağlı

In an interview with Voice of America, sociologist and political activist Vahid Qarabagli discussed the term "Pan-Turkism," frequently mentioned in Iran's political sphere recently. Qarabagli emphasized that the term is a label used to silence activists fighting for cultural rights and against discrimination in Iranian Azerbaijan.

The Cudgel of Censorship Surrounding Turkish Publishing

Milad Balisini – Radio Zamaneh – July 29, 2024

In this article, Milad Balsini uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the state of censorship on Turkish-language book publishing in Iran. Censorship on Turkish publications cannot be compared to censorship on Persian books; the censorship faced by Turkish publishing is inherently different from other types of censorship in Iran.

Nazrin Aghamaliyeva on Hadis, AnimaFilm Festival, & Vaginismus

 

 

Leila Mekhdi - Caspian Post - 29 March 2024

The animation artist behind a successful short animation film, Hadis, talks about the struggles of Azerbaijani Turks in Iran and the censorship of taboo topics in Azerbaijan.

In May 2023, a short animation film, Hadis, was screened at the largest animation festival in the world, Annecy International Film Festival, becoming a significant event for Nazrin Aghamaliyeva for two reasons. First of all, the film was an homage to Hadis Najafi, a young Azerbaijani Turk in Iran killed during the women-led protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Secondly, it was Nazrin’s debut as a young animation artist and director. “It was like an Oscar for me,” she says.

"Alien" Names and Undocumented Children

Milad Balisini / Asgar Akbarzadeh - Radio Zamaneh - 5 March 2024

In this article, Milad Balsini and Asgar Akbarzadeh use available data to show that there has been no change in the longstanding refusal of Iran's Civil Registration Organization to issue birth certificates for children with Turkish names.

For many years, the Civil Registration Organization has prevented the issuance of birth certificates for children whose parents choose Turkish (Türki) names, labeling these names as "foreign." Officials, however, claim there are no restrictions or prohibitions against issuing birth certificates with Turkish names, yet parents often have to navigate the bureaucratic system for weeks, sometimes years, before the Civil Registration Organization finally agrees to issue a birth certificate with a Turkish name.

Vahid Qarabagli: The Iranian state tries to border the Turkish language, keeping it at a local level

February 22, 2024 - Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu)

Sociologist and language activist Vahid Qarabagli stated in an interview with Voice of America on International Mother Language Day that the Iranian state is trying to keep the Turkish language at a local level.

A poster was displayed at one of the Tractor football club's games in Tehran. It reads, "Open schools for Turkish education."

Qarabagli also says that the Turkish language is central to the civil struggle in Iranian Azerbaijan.

"The civil movement in Southern Azerbaijan and the movement of Turks place language at the center. Because they feel that the Turkish community and the Azerbaijan region are subjected to a form of discrimination through language."

Conference on “Linguistic Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities” Held Ahead of International Mother Language Day

Radio Zamaneh – February 20, 2024

Group photo of some of the participants from Iran's linguistically minoritized communities at the conference titled "Linguistic Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities" held in Germany.

Ahead of February 21, International Mother Language Day, a group of civil activists gathered on Saturday, February 17, 2024, for a one-day conference titled "Linguistic Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities" in Cologne, Germany. The event was hosted by the Turkish Women’s Center.

The conference aimed to address the challenges posed by Iran’s monolingualism as a multi-ethnic country, explore multilingual education systems in other countries and discuss suitable strategies for Iran considering its current ethnic context, showcase Iran’s linguistic and ethnic diversity, and create a platform for equal dialogue among all Iranian nationalities.

Cultural Suppression: When the Government Insists on Removing Mother Tongues from Schools

By Shahrve Mehrnami - Iranwire - February 20, 2024 

The Iranian Turk Women’s Center hosted a conference in Germany titled “Linguistic Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Around 40% of Iran’s population does not speak Persian as their first language. Their mother tongue is one of Iran’s many non-Persian languages. However, from the age of seven, when they enter primary school, they are forced to learn all academic subjects in Persian. This creates a divide between their home and school lives. Experts argue that the pressure to teach in a dominant language and the avoidance of teaching or honoring minority languages harm the cultural diversity of countries like Iran. Recognizing this issue as a global concern, UNESCO designated February 21 as "International Mother Language Day" to support linguistic and cultural diversity.

This year, the Iranian Turk Women’s Center hosted a conference titled “Linguistic Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities” in Cologne, Germany, to mark the occasion. The event featured speeches by activists and researchers, including Amir Kalan, Negar Golkar, Jaleh Tabrizi, Karina Jahani, Behrouz Shojaei, Melika Zar, Reza Moridi, Hassan Afras, Shima Silavi, and Omid Aqdami.

It’s a Factory of Environmental Destruction

Milad Balisini - Radio Zamaneh - January 22, 2024

The peaceful protests of the residents of Qara Qışlaq village in Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province, against the irreversible disasters that could result from constructing the "Kimia Sodium Carbonate" factory on their pastures, have taken the discussion beyond this single factory. Now, the name of the factory owner, his economic ventures, and his questionable involvement in charitable activities have also come under scrutiny. This article examines the environmental damage and pollution caused by the Kaveh Soda factory in Marağa and explores the potential consequences of establishing the Kimia Sodium Carbonate factory in Qara Qışlaq. Furthermore, it evaluates these economic activities and the resulting environmental disasters through the lens of relations between Iran’s peripheral and central regions.

Vahid Qarabagli: "Assimilation policy in Iran is systematic and institutional"

December 03, 2023 - Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu)

Vahid Qarabagli

Sociologist Vahid Qarabagli, speaking to Voice of America, says that the assimilation policy towards Turks in Iran is not based on the wishes of some ultra-nationalist groups but instead applied through institutional and systematic state policies.

"When discussing the assimilation policy towards Turkish and the process of weakening Turkish in Iran, I see this as institutional and a product of a socio-historical process," Qarabagli says.

He mentions that various institutions, from educational institutions to legislative and law enforcement bodies, play a role in the assimilation system.

Symposium on Language, People, and Society: On the Necessity of Multilingual Education

Interview with Amir Kalan, Researcher

Farshteh Nezakati - Radio Zamaneh - November 3, 2023

Dr. Amir Kalan

Education in one’s mother tongue is not only a fundamental human right, but the lack of such education also causes various harms. Examining these harms is one of the main topics of a symposium at McGill University. We spoke with Amir Kalan, a professor of multilingual education at McGill University, on this subject.

The symposium, titled “Language, People, and Society: Iranian Minority Languages and Literary Traditions,” is set to take place online on November 9, 10, and 11. This symposium will address diverse topics within minority languages, the language of disability, gendered language, and language and power. In connection with this event, we interviewed Amir Kalan, an alumnus of Educational Studies from the University of Toronto, Canada, and a professor of multilingual education at McGill University.

Children Without a Mother Tongue: Assimilation in Ilam and Kermanshah

By Kenan Mokhtar – Radio Zamaneh – October 11, 2023

Due to linguistic assimilation in the provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah, "a significant number of Kurdish parents" speak to their children in Persian. This report examines the Islamic Republic's confrontation with the Kurdish mother tongue in these two provinces through interviews with teenagers and cultural activists.

A Look at the Difficulties of Languages in Iran

Akbar Karami – Radio Zamaneh – July 19, 2023

A representational image. — Thinkstock via TNS

The Mother Tongue: A Language of Peace and Reconciliation

While “suffering in one’s mother tongue” (1) is an undeniable reality, reaching a point where the challenges of language are resolved in a future Iran cannot be easily or comfortably achieved from any vantage point. These challenges, whatever they may be and wherever they stem from, are intricately tied to our collective ignorance. As long as this ignorance persists, so too will the suffering—whether in the mother tongue or not. Unless and only unless, we take action and shoulder our share of these heavy burdens.

Vahid Qarabagli: Politicization of Iranian Society After Mass Protests

April 28, 2023 - Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu)

Vahid Qarabagli

Vahid Qarabagli, a sociologist and Turkish language activist who spoke to Voice of America, says that the recent mass protests against the government in Iran have further politicized Iranian society. He emphasizes that political dissent is no longer limited to certain segments of society, such as elites, student activists, women activists, and minoritized ethnic activists.

"After the protests, we saw a broad politicization in Iranian society. Prior to that, those interested in politics were certain groups and classes; the elites, student activists, women activists, and ethnic activist groups. However, then the pressure from the regime increased. There were protests in all cities. The protests continued for months, and people talked about it. A new generation joined the protests. This further politicized Iranian society," Qarabagli says.

Language Discrimination in Iran

Minority Rights Group - 27 April 2023

According to UNESCO, every two weeks one language disappears and at least 43% of the 6,000 spoken languages in the world are in danger of extinction. Language is not only a communication tool, but also an important part of a person’s identity. When a language disappears, traditions, memories, and thus unique ways of thinking and expression also disappear.   

Iran is a culturally diverse country composed of many ethnicities, religions, and languages. Though minorities may account for half of Iran’s population, a homogenous national identity rooted in the Persian language and Shi’a Islam has long been imposed upon Iranian citizens, with the effect of the repression, exclusion and marginalization of minority communities.  

Iranian Azerbaijani Turkish Rights Activist Released From Prison, Flouts Court-Ordered ‘Internal Exile’

March 01, 2023 - Alirza Quluncu

FILE - Abbas Lisani is seen in this undated photograph from social media.

A prominent Iranian Azerbaijani civil rights activist freed from prison last week in Iran is publicly defying his court-ordered sentence of “internal exile” in an act of civil disobedience.

Abbas Lisani served more than four years in prison after Iran's Revolutionary Court in Tabriz convicted him in 2019 of "forming groups with the purpose of disrupting national security."

The verdict cited his speeches, media interviews, and participation in protests as evidence of activities to disrupt national security. The long-time activist has spent nearly 10 years total in prison for his civil campaigns, such as taking part in cultural gatherings to mark International Mother Language Day.

Iran Protest Crackdown Targets Lawyers

December 13, 2022 - Alirza Quluncu

Sina Yousefi, Amir Mehdipour and Ghasem Bodi are seen in undated photos from social media.

As Iran's anti-government protests continue, lawyers who have pledged to provide legal aid to protesters have come under increasing pressure from the country's judiciary and security forces. Since the beginning of nationwide protests in Iran in September, activists say at least 16 human rights lawyers have been arrested across the country, including four recently in the country's East Azerbaijan province.

Local sources say dozens of Azerbaijani-Turkish lawyers are coming under increasing government pressure for criticizing the crackdown on demonstrations and providing legal aid to those arrested during anti-government demonstrations. The East Azerbaijan provincial bar association is allegedly also under scrutiny.

Student Death Fuels Protests Among Iran's Azerbaijani Turks

November 21, 2022 - Alirza Quluncu

Azerbaijani Turk protester Aylar Haghi died on November 16.

Iranian authorities are reportedly detaining dozens of people among the Azerbaijani Turk communities in the country's northwest after a local medical student was killed during an anti-government protest last week.

Aylar Haqqi, a 23-year-old medical student, was killed last Wednesday while attending protests in Tabriz. On Friday, mourners attending her funeral at Tabriz's Vadi Rahmat Cemetery were attacked by Iranian security forces.

Azerbaijani Turks in Iran Demand 'Freedom, Justice, National Government'

Alirza Quluncu - November 11, 2022 - VOA NEWS ON IRAN

Graffiti in Tabriz reads: "Where is my language? Freedom, Justice, National Government,"

As anti-government protests continue across Iran, "freedom, justice and national government" has become a common slogan on the streets of Tabriz, Urmia and Ardabil, the three largest Azerbaijani-Turkish population centers in northwestern Iran.

The demands quickly caught the attention of the country’s other non-Persian communities.

A Story Of Power, Oppression And Resistance: How Iranian Women Are Leading A Revolution

 Janice Gassam Asare, Senior Contributor
I help create strategies for more diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Nov 8, 2022

Sevil Suleymani

The death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini has sparked protests in Iran. Amini was arrested for breaking the country’s law that requires women to cover their hair with a headscarf and she later died while in police custody. Since Amini’s death, women and girls in Iran have been removing their headscarves as a form of protest. Now, all eyes are on Iran, with some equating women’s removal of their headscarves to the fall of the Berlin Wall. At least 1,000 people have now been charged for their involvement in the protests, which began in mid-September. Sevil Suleymani is an Iranian woman who has been using her social media to speak out about what’s been happening in Iran. Suleymani sat down to discuss the state of the country and why Iranian women from marginalized backgrounds must be centered in the public discourse.