Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, June 26, 2019
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| Duman Radmehr |
According to Duman Radmehr, non-Persian activists are reacting to the various projects put forward by the Iranian regime in line with its assimilation policies, but these reactions are not long-lasting and lack continuity.
In an interview with Voice of America, the political commentator living in Sweden explained the essence of the recent initiative put forward by the Iranian Ministry of Education, which introduced a "Persian language proficiency test." He also evaluated the reactions of Turks and other non-Persian communities to this project.
According to officials from the Ministry of Education, the project will initially be applied to preschool children. In regions where preparations have been completed, even 4-year-old non-Persian children could undergo the "Persian language proficiency test."
The Iranian Ministry of Education claims that the project is designed to provide equal educational opportunities for non-Persian children.
Radmehr points out that Hekimzadeh, who has published several articles and books on the Israeli education system, knows well that this move is a cultural crime. "Rizvan Hekimzadeh herself knows that this step is a cultural crime," Radmehr states, referring to Hekimzadeh’s writings about Israel’s educational system. "Hekimzadeh has written a book titled 'Teaching Racism in Israeli Textbooks.' In it, she writes that in Israel, as a result of cultural repression, Arab Jews are unable to become familiar with their own language. They may speak Arabic, but they cannot read or write it. This is undoubtedly a cultural crime."
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| Rezvan Hakimzadeh, Deputy Minister of Education for Primary Education in Iran |
The Turkish activist adds, "We don't know if what is written about Israel is true, but Ms. Hekimzadeh at least calls the inability of a person to read and write in their own language a crime or cultural repression. And for 100 years, they have been applying the same thing in Iran... Hekimzadeh herself knows what direction they are taking."
In his opinion, the Iranian regime has taken a step further with its "Persian language proficiency test" project in the direction of racist policies.
Duman Radmehr states that the reactions to the project, especially those expressed on social media, have been impactful. He points out that some members of parliament from Azerbaijani cities have also voiced their objections.
However, according to him, these types of protests are not continuous, so they generally do not achieve their goals.
"Our movement, like the movements of non-Persian nations in Iran, is more reactive. These reactions are mostly against insults. In other words, if there is no insult or degradation, our reaction is not sharp or purposeful... Continuity is key. In this sense, when an event occurs, we gather in a state of alarm and have a one-time protest. After that, there is no cooperation until the next protest. There is no continuation..." Duman Radmehr adds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Duman Radmehr: İran rejiminin irqçi siyasətinə təpkilər davamlı olmalıdır