Radio Farda - November 27, 2016
Ali Younesi, the special assistant to the President of Iran for ethnic and religious minorities, stated in Ahvaz that he opposes the formation of ethnic factions in the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Iranian Parliament).
According to IRNA, Ali Younesi made this statement on Friday evening during a meeting with Arab political and social activists in the Governor's office in response to a question from one of the attendees, saying: "I am opposed to the formation of ethnic factions in Parliament."
In November of this year, one hundred members of Parliament held the first meeting of what they called the "Turkish Regions Faction." During this meeting, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, was elected as the chairman of the faction, while Nader Qazipour, a representative from Urmia, and Reza Karimi, a representative from Ardabil, were chosen as the two vice-chairs of the faction.
Following the formation of the Turkish Regions Faction, the representative from Miyandoab, Shahin Dezh, and Takab in Parliament also announced the intention of some members to form a Kurdish-speaking faction in Parliament.
Supporters of the formation of Turkish and Kurdish-speaking factions in Parliament argue that these factions will help address discrimination and promote decentralization. However, opponents worry that highlighting language, ethnicity, and identity could lead to fragmentation, division, and even the disintegration of Iran.
Discrimination in Employment
In another part of his remarks, Ali Younesi emphasized: "Some people from the beginning aimed to portray the government's focus on ethnic issues as a publicity stunt and an electioneering tactic to undermine the government."
The special assistant to the president also addressed the issue of discrimination in hiring in Khuzestan, saying: "There has been sufficient communication about appointments, and I have gathered the statistics and details on the matter. We also know the reasons behind them."
He added: "This discrimination is due to internal provincial issues and is not a result of the Islamic Republic's policies or macro policies. The hiring law is the same for all provinces, but when applied in Khuzestan, it is accompanied by discrimination, with some ethnic groups only hiring their own relatives and affiliates."
Younesi also referred to a meeting held during President Hassan Rouhani's first visit to Khuzestan, which was organized by Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and attended by the Minister of Intelligence and a group of Arab political and social activists. He said: "The demands raised in this meeting, especially concerning discrimination in appointments, have been documented and submitted to the National Security Council, which is in the process of approval. Once approved, Khuzestan's officials will be required to implement them."
However, Younesi did not provide further details regarding the specific demands raised in the meeting.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Radio Farda:
دستیار ویژه رییس جمهوری ایران: با تشکیل فراکسیون اقوام در مجلس مخالفم