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| Sharifeh Jafari |
“The goal is not to condemn Azerbaijan or the national movement, but the reality is that women either do not participate in the movement, or when they do, they face certain setbacks, which create a negative example. This discourages other women from joining,” says Sharifeh Jafari.
In an interview with Voice of America, the national activist not only refutes some of the accusations made against the movement but also highlights issues that need to be addressed within it.
Sharifeh Jafari, who has participated in these debates on Persian-language internet portals, dismisses the accusations against the national movement as baseless.
“They claim that those working in our movement are apolitical and uneducated and that the movement is male-dominated,” she says.
Sharifeh Jafari, who currently lives in exile in Germany, was previously the director of Pinar Publishing House in Zanjan, Iranian Azerbaijan, where she published books in Turkish. Due to pressure and persecution related to her activism, she left the country in 2012.
Jafari shares her thoughts on the frequent accusations of "Pan-Turkism" against the movement.
“We are deprived of even our most basic rights in South Azerbaijan, the land we live in. But they bring up large-scale accusations to confuse people and prevent them from demanding their rights. That is why anyone who advocates for Turkish identity and existence is labeled a ‘Pan-Turkist.’ This label is applied by the state, opposition groups, and even ordinary people,” she explains.
Addressing criticism that the national movement is male-dominated, Jafari adds:
“We also have feminist activists. They are active in the national movement. They are nationalists. Personally, I do not reject feminism at all. We value the feminist movement. But my criteria are different. In our history, each woman has written her own story… My personal belief is that while honoring our past and taking the current situation into account, men and women should work together equally.”
At the same time, she acknowledges that certain problems exist within the movement in this regard.
“If there is a movement in Azerbaijan today and we demand human rights, we must acknowledge that half of this society consists of women. Right now, we see that women participate less. There are many reasons for this, and other societies face similar issues. The goal here is not to criticize Azerbaijan or the national movement. However, the reality is that women either do not participate or, when they do, they face certain setbacks. This creates a negative example and causes others to hold back. That is why this issue is very important. If a woman who joins the movement is oppressed or disappointed, other women will not come forward,” she states.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Şərifə Cəfəri: Qadınları hərəkata cəlb etmək önəmlidir