Sharifeh Jafari, a southern Azerbaijani activist, writer, and publisher living in Germany, spoke about International Mother Language Day, the efforts for the provision of education in the Azerbaijani Turkish language in Iranian Azerbaijan, and the problems faced by Azerbaijani publishers.
On February 21, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, calls were made in Iranian Azerbaijan and other regions inhabited by Turks for the official recognition of the Turkish language. Thousands of university students held various events to promote this cause. On the initiative of UNESCO, February 21, 1999, was declared as International Mother Language Day. Each year, thousands of Azerbaijanis around the world join this campaign. In an interview with Voice of America on its American Review program, Sharifeh Jafari discussed International Mother Language Day, efforts to achieve education in the Turkish language in Iranian Azerbaijan, and the problems faced by Azerbaijani writers.
Sharifeh Jafari stated that Azerbaijani Turks in Iran have been fighting for their right to education in their native language for years.
"This is one of the most basic rights of humans—to speak and read in their own language. We have suffered a lot in this matter. We spoke in our mother tongue at home until we were six years old. We shared our emotions in our mother tongue, but unfortunately, from the moment we started school, we experienced stress, suffered, were insulted, and were forced to think and speak in another language."
Jafari pointed out that the increase in demands for language rights this year is related to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's unfulfilled promises during his election campaign to provide education in the Turkish language, as well as the failure to secure the rights of Azerbaijanis for many years.
"It is natural that the nation wants to write and read in its own language. And we are the majority in Iran, with 35 million people. If we also consider the Turkmens and other fellow ethnic groups, we are the majority in Iran. As long as our language is banned and we suffer over language issues, we are losing our children to assimilation, which is pushing us away from our very existence. That is why this year, despite the risks—being detained, insulted, or fired from jobs—the people, having endured enough, are now saying 'I want my mother tongue.'"
Sharifeh Jafari, who was a publishing house manager in Zanjan, Iranian Azerbaijan, spoke about the pressures faced by Azerbaijani writers and publishers.
"Initially, the pressure was because of our mother tongue. They closed down our publishing house because of our language, took it from us, and accused us, eventually leading to exile. We had no problem with books published in Farsi. They were authorized."
Jafari stated that all southern publishers face similar problems.
"All publishers go through these difficulties. Especially, those involved in newspapers and book publishing suffer a lot. Resources are scarce. Our voices have been weak on this issue. I know how much publishers have suffered. The main reason my publishing house was shut down was because of our mother tongue."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Şərifə Cəfəri: Millət öz dilində yazmaq, oxumaq istəyir