In Iranian Azerbaijan, cultural activists have expressed concern about the "anti-Turkish" propaganda in Iranian media. Recently, there has been widespread criticism of the Iranian TV series "Sattar Khan " and articles published in the "Ghanoon" and "Shargh" newspapers.
A recent article published in the "Ghanoon" newspaper in Tehran promoted the idea of eliminating the Turkish language in Azerbaijan cities. It encouraged the unification of the Iranian population under a single language and flag.
The article stated, "When seeing children speaking Persian in Urmia or other cities, one should not be worried. This shows the success of national policies."
The newspaper also harshly criticized those who used the term "Turk":
"It is not correct to use the term 'Turk.' The Azerbaijani people are not Turks, they are Azerbaijani speakers. When we use the term 'Turk,' we unintentionally accept that the Azerbaijani population is of Turkish descent, which is a distortion made by enemy forces and separatists."
The Yol Press internet portal, based in Urmia, has argued that the content in the "Ghanoon" newspaper violates both the Iranian constitution and international law.
Turkish activists have expressed their reactions to the "Ghanoon" newspaper on social media.
Prominent Turkish language rights activist Said Matinpur emphasized that the statements in the article were racist. He also wrote, "Imagine we are in a fictional story, and on the top column of a newspaper published in Turkish in Tabriz, it says that the Persian language should be destroyed in Iran, and Persians should speak Turkish and call themselves Turks!"
Additionally, the Iranian TV series "Sattar Khan," which portrays the life of the hero of the Constitutional Revolution, has sparked controversy.[فرض کنید درون یک داستان تخیلی هستیم و روزنامه‌ای به زبان ترکی در تبریز در ستون اول خود نوشته است که زبان فارسی در ایران باید از بین برود و فارس‌ها باید ترکی حرف بزنند و خود را ترک بنامند. چه اتفاقی می‌افتاد؟ از لندن تا واشنگتن مرثیه‌سرایی نمی‌کردند حتی قبل از تهران؟]
— Saeed matin (@Saeedmatinpur) February 8, 2018
Turkish activists have pointed out that the historical narrative in the series is distorted, claiming the series was created by anti-Turkish and anti-Azerbaijan authors.
Tabriz-based director Gurbanali Tahirfer, in an interview with the "Anaj" agency, stated that the series insults the viewers' consciousness. He said, "Depicting Sattar Khan's wife reading Shahnameh in his home is the deepest insult to the viewers' consciousness. Logically, Sattar Khan's wife should be reading Bayati, or poems by Nabati and Fuzuli, to her children."
The Shahnameh, authored by the great 10th-11th century Persian poet Ferdowsi, is considered a work that shaped Persian-Iranian nationalism.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Güneydə İran mediasının ‘anti-türk’ təbliğatı ilə bağlı narahatlıq var