Radio Farda – April 25, 2018
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| Masoud Pezeshkian is an Iranian politician from Azerbaijan |
Amid continued reactions to recent statements by Ali Younesi, the Special Assistant to the President of Iran for Ethnic and Religious Minority Affairs, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, called on President Hassan Rouhani to implement Article 15 of the Constitution for all ethnic groups, stating that this would prevent giving "excuses to separatists and those sowing discord."
Mr. Pezeshkian made this remark on Tuesday, April 24, during a meeting of the Administrative Council of East Azerbaijan Province in the presence of President Rouhani.
Article 15 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran states:
"The official and common language and script of the people of Iran is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and textbooks must be in this language and script, but the use of local and ethnic languages in the press, mass media, and teaching their literature in schools is permitted alongside Persian."
In recent days, a Member of Parliament and several local media outlets strongly criticized Ali Younesi's statements. Notably, Nader Qazipour, a representative from Urmia in Parliament, accused Younesi of creating "ethnic divisions."
Ali Younesi, the President’s Special Assistant for Ethnic and Religious Minority Affairs, told the Ghanoon newspaper that distinctions should be made "between Turks and Azeris." Emphasizing his point, Younesi claimed that the "Azeri language is a dialect of Persian," adding that the Turkish language, which "has become common in Azerbaijan," is "only about three to four hundred years old and is an incidental language."
In response to this interview, Nader Qazipour stated that Ali Younesi had, "for the third time, made incorrect statements and attempted to undermine the great Turkish-speaking people of Iran."
Mr. Qazipour called on Hassan Rouhani to "take action" against his assistant and suggested Younesi should "stay home, look after his grandchildren, and play with them."
Nevertheless, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, noted during Tuesday's session that the government's intention was to support Turkish language and literature but acknowledged that "recent media coverage has turned this against the government."
Authorities in the Islamic Republic have consistently opposed "mother tongue education." Decades have passed without the implementation of Article 15 of the Constitution, which allows for mother tongue education.
During his 2013 presidential campaign, Hassan Rouhani promised to implement Article 15 and pledged to officially teach the mother tongues of Iranians, including Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic, and others, in schools and universities.
Subsequently, Kurdish literature was taught at Kurdistan University, and some local languages, such as Kurdish, Turkish, and Turkmen, were introduced in regions where these languages are spoken during the previous and current Rouhani administrations.
Until September 2013, the President’s Special Assistant for Sunni Affairs addressed minority issues. However, at that time, Hassan Rouhani appointed Ali Younesi, a former Intelligence Minister of the Islamic Republic, as the Special Assistant for Ethnic and Religious Minority Affairs.
Based on reports from ISNA, Ghanoon newspaper, local media, and Radio Farda.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Radio Farda:
پزشکیان: اصل ۱۵ قانون اساسی برای همه اجرا شود