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| Sevil Suleymani |
"Ferdowsi is a symbol of nationalism and racism in Iran... Placing his statue in non-Persian regions means denying those identities," Sevil Suleymani stated in an interview with Voice of America, commenting on recent statue-related controversies.
The municipality's decision sparked widespread protests among various political and cultural groups, intellectuals, and media outlets in Iran. Some groups, accusing pan-Turkists and separatists of influencing the removal, demanded that the statue and name of Ferdowsi be returned to Salmas.
Eventually, with the intervention of the Ministry of the Interior, the Salmas municipality announced it would return the statue to the same square.
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| Salmas - Ferdowsi Statue |
According to Sevil Suleymani, Iranian nationalists were concerned about the removal of Ferdowsi’s statue and name from non-Persian areas like Salmas because they view such regions as their colonies, and Ferdowsi is seen as a symbol of Persian identity.
"The party representing the nation in this situation is the Salmas municipality, which removed the statue. None of the protesters represent the nation. Now, the statue will be returned to the square under the government's orders," said Suleymani.
According to the Southern activist, "Ferdowsi is a symbol of Iranian nationalism and, in fact, Persian nationalism. Therefore, when Azerbaijani Turks oppose the erection of his statue in their cities, they are opposing racism and fascism. This statue represents racism and fascism."
Suleymani, a cultural activist living in the United States, shared her thoughts on the groups protesting the removal of the statue:
"One group calls themselves Iranologists. But they should not be called Iranologists, they are Persianologists. They study not Iran as a whole, but Persian culture and identity, erasing other identities and presenting Persian identity as the national identity."
Suleymani also pointed out that Southern activists who called for the removal of the statue do not have the means to express their cultural protest. However, the pan-Iranist groups pushing for the return of the statue have the backing of government bodies and powerful media.
While the square in Salmas where Ferdowsi's statue was located is officially called Ferdowsi Square, it is referred to as "Shahrbani Falaki" by the city's population.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sevil Süleymani: Firdovsi İranın deyil, fars kimliyinin simvoludur