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| Simin Sabri |
Psychologist and spokesperson for the South Azerbaijan National Democratic Union, Simin Sabri, believes that the spread of feminist thought in Iranian Azerbaijan depends on the promotion of feminism in the Turkish language. In an interview with Voice of America regarding the connections between the national cultural movement and the women's movement in Iran, the activist states that the provision of women's rights should be seen as part of the national cultural struggle.
Sabri criticizes the terminology used by well-known women’s rights defenders in Iran when referring to non-Persian women activists: "They describe Turkish or other non-Persian women activists as ethnic women activists, while Persian activists or those working in the Persian language are called non-ethnic women activists. This is not the correct terminology. What is the difference between a Persian women’s activist and a Turkish or Kurdish women’s activist? Why is one called ethnic and the other non-ethnic?"
According to the psychiatrist, such labels obscure the fact that Persians are also an ethnic group, and Persian identity is presented as the overarching identity and the core identity of Iran.
Simin Sabri also positively assesses the approach of some Persian women’s rights activists toward the issues of non-Persian peoples. She says, "Since women in Iran are among the most oppressed and marginalized groups, some women activists understand the struggles of non-Persian communities that face discrimination, and because of this, they are more likely to accept their rights."
"However, they must see us on the same level and recognize us by our own names. Everyone must be recognized with their own identity, and no one should look at the other as the host," the activist living in Norway added.
Referring to the relationship between language and power, Dr. Sabri argues that without feminist literature in a language, the society speaking that language cannot fully embrace these ideas.
"It is necessary to create feminist literature in Turkish for the Turks living within the framework of Iran, and also to translate works written in this field into Turkish," she emphasized.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Simin Səbri: Türk dilində feminizm ədəbiyyatı yaradılmalıdır