Vahid Qarabağlı: "Iranian society becomes more politically active after mass protests"

April 28, 2023 - Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu)


Vahid Qarabağlı

Vahid Qarabağlı, 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," Qarabağlı says.

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

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

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 AsareSenior 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.

Vahid Qarabağlı: Iran does not allow Turkish language to enter official institutions

May 23, 2022 - Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu)

Vahid Qarabağlı

Sociologist Vahid Qarabağlı evaluates the restrictions and prohibitions on non-Persian languages in Iran from a sociolinguistic perspective in a conversation with Voice of America. According to him, by preventing Turkish language from entering official institutions, the Iranian state delegitimizes it.

"A sociolinguistic approach to language sees it as a social phenomenon. That is, the place of language in society, its influence on society and the influence it receives from society are studied. Language affects our relationships, thoughts and our relationship with institutions in the society we live in. Our language is influenced by these institutions, including television and government institutions," says Qarabağlı. 

The Politics of Iran's 'Forbidden Names'

Reza Baraheni, Writer, Poet, Literary Critic, and Public Intellectual: A Life-long Champion of Social Justice and Freedom of Speech

 Vahid Qarabagli - April 19, 2022



Reza Baraheni was one of Iran’s most important literary figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. Polymath novelist, essayist, translator, and public intellectual he was notably considered the “founder of modern literary criticism in Iran”, and was rated “Iran’s finest living poet” in 1977 by Harper’s Magazine. His works have been translated into English, French, Turkish and other languages. Well known as a prominent advocate of freedom of speech, democracy, and minority rights in Iran, he died on March 24, 2022 in Toronto, Canada, where he had lived in exile with his family since 1997. He was 86.

 

The Troubled Story of the Tabriz Ark –Are There Deeper Meanings Behind Archaeological Insensitivity?

 Vahid Qarabagli - January 31, 2022


Tabriz is now Iran’s fifth-biggest city and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. However, it was once was a major trade town on the ancient Silk Road. The Venetian merchant traveller Marco Polo praised its beauty and importance for commerce. Over the centuries, it has served as dynastic capital for the Ilkhanids, Aq Qoyunlu, Qara Qoyunlu, and Safavids. For parts of the Qajar period (1794-1925), it was the seat of the Crown Prince. It has always held a special place in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the country.

Not surprisingly, therefore, Tabriz is home to various historical monuments, including the fabulous UNESCO-listed Historic Bazaar, the earthquake-fractured 1465 Blue Mosque and a gigantic brick structure in the downtown area known as the Ark. No, we’re not talking Noah. This ‘Ark’ (or ‘Arg’) is a kind of oversized fortress gateway that looks nothing quite like any other piece of medieval architecture you’ve ever seen.

The Influence of Turkish TV Series on Turks in South Azerbaijan and Iran

Vahid Qarabagli - The Caspian Post - December 07, 2021

Amongst Turkey’s fastest-growing exports are its TV drama serials. Known as televizyon dizileri or dizi for short, these are currently watched by an estimated 700 million people in more than 146 countries, from Latin America to the Balkans, the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Worth barely US$100,000 in 2008, dizi-exports have exploded over the past decade and by 2020 were worth an annual $500 million. And that number is expected to double again by 2023. Remarkably, Turkey is now the world’s second-largest exporter of TV drama after the US. 

How a Turk from Iranian Azerbaijan Found New Ways to Give Voice to Her Native Language

Darya Hodaei - The Caspian Post - October 19, 2021


Darya Hodaei and her family. Image: Darya Hodaei
As well as her day job as a Florida pharmacist, Darya Hodaei runs a bilingual social media-based platform called EnglishAzerbaijani [Turkish] that helps promote Azerbaijani Turkish language and culture. Darya was born and raised in Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. A precocious child who was quickly recognized as having exceptional talents, she did well in school, gained a doctorate of pharmacy degree, and ran a community pharmacy before immigrating to the U.S. in pursuit of better opportunities. She shared her story with the Caspian Post.

 

Dr. Darya Hodaei - Promoting Turkish Language


If you’ve read her article on Caspian Post you might feel that you already know Dr. Darya Hodaei – a Florida-based Azerbaijani-Turk from Iran who is the brains behind the language website English Azerbaijani [Turkish]. On top of her day job as a pharmacist and the pressures of motherhood, she has written three bi-lingual children’s books to promote the Azerbaijani Turkish language and culture. In this podcast we get to know her a little better and hear more about her passion for her native language.

Check out her youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIQO... Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/englishazer... Her Azerbaijani-Turk/English Bilingual Children’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Darya-Hodaei/e/B0979GQGZ4?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1634835662&sr=1-1

Turkish Cinema in Iran

 The Caspian Post - Anar Tabrizli - October 14, 2021


Making movies has changed a lot over the years, and Turks in Iran have been around for all of it. Image: yotanan chankheaw/Shutterstock

The widely anticipated release of Tarlan, a film made by Mohammad Hosseini, is the latest of several big-name Iranian Azerbaijani movies to emerge in recent years. Given Iran’s large Azerbaijani-Turk population, it is understandable that the country’s cinema, like many other cultural fields, has been influenced by Azerbaijanis. However, it has been a struggle. For most of the 20th century, Iranian filmmakers of any linguistic group were obliged to make their movies in Farsi. And even in that language, Azerbaijani Turkish accents were all too often used to suggest that a character had lower status. It has been a long time coming, but that has started to change significantly in the last few years. 

How a Soccer Team Is Amplifying the Voices of Turks in Iran

Stephanie Lazerte - The Caspian Post - August 06, 2021 

Tractor Football games draw full stadiums in northern Iran, both home and away. Image: Tractor Football Club Official Website

Thanks to mass media, the mention of Iran brings plenty of different images to mind. Memoirs like Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran, and the 2012 film Argo, certainly influenced how I envisaged the country when growing up in Canada. However, then I moved to Baku, Azerbaijan, a city less than five hours’ drive north of the Iranian border. Since then, I have begun to see Iran from a whole new perspective.

Fußball im Iran: Rassismus gegen Minderheiten

Der Iran steht vor Präsidentschaftswahlen. Auch der Nachfolger von Hassan Rohani wird wahrscheinlich den persisch-nationalistischen Kurs fortsetzen. Doch darunter leiden etliche Minderheiten. Deutlich wird das auch im Fußball.

Von Ronny Blaschke  - Deutschlandfunk - Dlf 


IRAN: DEFENDER BEATEN AND DENIED HEALTH CARE: ALIREZA FARSHI DIZAJYEKAN

 

, Index number: MDE 13/4484/2021

Azerbaijani Turk human rights defender Alireza Farshi DizajYekan is arbitrarily detained in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary for advocating for mother tongue rights, posting online about imprisoned activists and other peaceful activities. The Iranian authorities are denying him access to the health care he needs, including for his eye condition and high blood sugar. He is a prisoner of conscience who must be immediately and unconditionally released.

Choose a language to view report

Iranian father struggling to name daughter in Turkish

 Families can only give their children names listed by the Islamic Republic

Mustafa Melih Ahishali - Anadolu Agency  | 26.01.2021


An Azerbaijani Turk family in Iran has been struggling for months to name their daughter.

“We wanted to name our daughter 'Ayıl', which means 'awakening' and 'revival' in Azerbaijani Turkish. The birth registration office, however, does not accept the name, saying it is not in their list," Seccad Colani in Iran’s northwestern Ardabil province told Anadolu Agency. "My daughter is now 7 months old."

Unless special permission is granted, families in the Islamic Republic can only give their children one of the names in the list determined by the state. The inventory has a limited number of Turkish names.

“It's not just a matter of naming, but a matter of rights and identity. We want to give our children Turkish names that reflect our culture and preferences,” the 34-year-old visually impaired street musician said.

He lamented that because of no ID card, his daughter is not eligible for health care benefits. “My daughter underwent cataract operation three times. Our financial means are limited, we cannot afford hospital expenses,” Colani explained.

He said he even contacted the Tehran population directorate but to no avail. 

Iran: Activist's Sentence Increased to 15 years: Abbas Lesani

, Index number: MDE 13/3130/2020

Azerbaijani Turk activist, Abbas Lesani, arbitrarily imprisoned in Ardabil prison, Ardabil province, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by an appeal court after a grossly unfair trial. The appeal proceedings were presided over by a judge who had filed the charges against him in his previous capacity as prosecutor. In July 2020, the Supreme Court rejected his request for a judicial review.

Choose a language to view report

The Emergence of Iranian Nationalism: Race and the Politics of Dislocation



Speaker: Reza Zia-Ebrahimi 

Reza Zia-Ebrahimi discusses the origins of racial forms of Iranian nationalism by revisiting the work of Fath’ali Akhundzadeh and Mirza Aqa Khan Kermani, two Qajar-era intellectuals. In their efforts to make sense of Iran's shortcomings in the nineteenth century, these thinkers advanced an ideology Zia-Ebrahimi terms as "dislocative nationalism," in which pre-Islamic Iran is cast as a golden age, Islam is reinterpreted as an alien religion, and Arabs are represented as implacable others. Dislodging Iran from its empirical reality and tying it to Europe and the Aryan race, this ideology remains the most politically potent form of identity in Iran. Zia-Ebrahimi highlights Akhundzadeh and Kermani's nationalist reading of Iranian history that has been drilled into the minds of Iranians since its adoption by the Pahlavi state in the early twentieth century. 

Reza Zia-Ebrahimi is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in History at King’s College London. He was born in Iran and grew up in Switzerland before being naturalized a Londoner. He completed his doctorate at the University of Oxford (St. Antony’s College) in what is still nostalgically called ‘Oriental Studies’. His research lies at the intersection of modern world history and ethnic studies, and he has widely published on Iranian articulations of nationalism. He currently works on a diachronic history of modern antisemitism and Islamophobia in Western Europe, with particular focus on the interlinkages between conspiracy theories and ideas of race.