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| Mohammad Rahmanifar |
"We see this in the newspapers of both reformists like Sharq and Qanun and conservatives. It seems like there has been a convergence. Their common ground is publishing articles against Turkish identity and history and attacking people working in this field," Rahmanifar explained.
Turkish activists have recently protested particularly against articles published in reformist-affiliated newspapers like Qanun and Sharq.
In its April 18 issue, Qanun dedicated its front-page headline to criticizing members of parliament who raised the issue of education in the Turkish language.
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| The headline of Qanun newspaper described the teaching of the Turkish language as "teaching ethnic division" – April 18, 2018. |
Under the headline "Teaching Ethnic Division," Qanun accused MPs advocating for Turkish language education of acting against national unity.
According to Mohammad Rahmanifar, the content of "anti-Turkish" articles and programs in Iranian media has shifted from mocking Turks to confronting them and attacking their roots.
"They no longer do it in the form of mockery. We’ve moved past that stage. Now, it’s more like confrontation. If there’s an insult, it’s directed at our identity, at our roots."
The writer added, "Personally, I don’t see significant changes in the policies of the security institutions compared to five or ten years ago. But the attacks against Turks in the media have increased significantly... In Azerbaijan, they brand and defame those who embrace Turkish identity, trying to exhaust them and push them out of the public arena."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“İran mediası artıq türkləri lağa qoymur, köklərinə hücum edir.”