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| Firuz Yusifi and His Son AlpOrhan |
The father of a baby named AlpOrhan, whose birth certificate was not issued in Iran, speaks to Voice of America.
Firuz Yusifi says that Iran's Civil Registration Office refused to issue a birth certificate for his child because the Turkish name AlpOrhan was considered a foreign and non-Iranian name. In an interview with Voice of America, the father, living in Tehran, emphasized that after long discussions within the family, they had decided on the name AlpOrhan, and despite the refusal to issue a birth certificate, they would not change the name.
“Two days after our son's birth, I went to the Civil Registration Office of the western district of Tehran and informed them about my son's birth, requesting that the name AlpOrhan be registered. They said, ‘We cannot register this name because it is a foreign and non-Iranian name. It is not in our database,’” Firuz Yusifi explains his visit to the Civil Registration Office in Tehran.
The resident of Tehran further adds that he wrote a letter to the province's registration office’s name committee, but AlpOrhan was also rejected by them. He states that the letter he sent to the head of the registration office went unanswered.
Yusifi has also shared the official document rejecting the name AlpOrhan on his Facebook page.
“The Name Committee of Tehran Province does not allow Firuz Yusifi to choose the name AlpOrhan for his son,” the document signed by Tehran Civil Registration official Davud Osali reads.
Firuz Yusifi also talks about the laws regarding names chosen for children in Iran.
According to him, the laws in Iran state that a chosen name must have a specific meaning, not contradict Islam, not carry an offensive meaning, and match the gender of the child. In addition, a high committee within the registration office is responsible for listing banned and unsuitable names. Religious minorities are allowed to choose names according to their religion, language, and culture, based on the law.
Firuz Yusifi emphasizes his right to choose a name compatible with Turkish culture and the Turkish language for his son, referring to international declarations on laws and ethnic group rights.
“They consider Turks as non-Iranians, foreigners, and deny our rights,” he says, protesting the decisions of Persian language experts regarding the names of children from non-Persian ethnic groups in Iranian institutions.
He further mentions that many people in Azerbaijan and other cities of Iran face the same issue and are often forced to choose another name for their children.
“After thinking for months, we chose the name AlpOrhan, which is suitable for Turkish culture, for our son. Even if they do not issue a birth certificate, we will not change the name, and we hold the registration office responsible for the problems that may arise,” Yusifi adds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Firuz Yusifi: İran hökuməti oğluma ad qoymağa icazə vermir