Ruzbeh Saadati: Racism is Taught in Schools in Iran

By Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, October 21, 2015

Ruzbeh Saadati

The South Azerbaijani writer considers assimilation policies the main factor behind the rise of racist tendencies.

In a conversation with Voice of America, South Azerbaijani writer and cultural activist Ruzbeh Saadati stated that racist tendencies against non-Persian peoples in Iran also exist among members of those very communities. He emphasized the need to balance fighting the system that promotes racism with raising awareness within society. Commenting on recent derogatory remarks made by famous Iranian actor Akbar Abdi about Arabs, Saadati described the insult of non-Persians in Iran as a manifestation of systemic racism.

“I see this racism as systemic. Racism exists in many places around the world today, even in democratic countries. Sometimes it can even turn violent, like in Norway, for example. However, in those countries, racism is not taught. The state tries to combat it. In Iran, on the other hand, racism is taught in the education system, in textbooks, in the media—everywhere. People are influenced by it without even realizing it,” he said.

Ruzbeh Saadati pointed out that racist tendencies in Iran are promoted starting from school textbooks:

“When I was a student, textbooks would attribute Iran's underdevelopment and backwardness to external factors. And those external factors were Turks, Mongols, and Arabs… In fact, gender inequality is also promoted in those textbooks.”

The South Azerbaijani activist highlighted that racist tendencies are often more prevalent among intellectuals and artists compared to the lower social strata. According to him, intellectuals internalize and adopt the norms promoted by the system more strongly as they climb the ranks of society.

This, he explained, is why he is not surprised to hear such racist remarks from artists and writers of Turkish origin, like Akbar Abdi or Tabatabai.

Saadati also noted that racist tendencies are sometimes most prominently displayed by individuals from non-Persian communities themselves. According to him, due to assimilation policies, non-Persians attempt to transform and resemble the representatives of the dominant culture. In doing so, they might express even more overtly racist views to prove they have "changed."

He argued that it is essential to adopt a balanced approach between combating the system that promotes racism and conducting awareness-raising activities within society.

“Both are necessary. A balance must be established between the two. It is possible to awaken society and, with its help, dismantle the racist system,” added Ruzbeh Saadati.

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Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Ruzbeh Səadəti: İranda irqçilik məktəblərdə öyrədilir