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| Leyli Khudayi |
According to Leili Khodaei, women in Iran have become accustomed to remaining silent and not expressing protest due to the oppression and restrictions they face from their childhood years.
In an interview with Voice of America, the poet and cultural activist stated that in addition to these difficulties, girls in Iranian Azerbaijan lose their self-confidence because they are forced to receive education in a language they do not speak.
"At the age of 6-11, children should be free to not fear losing, to recognize their talents, to be prepared for the future, to stand up to insults, and to work harder. However, at this stage, when girls enter school, at the very age they should be free, they are imposed with the hijab. They wear it unwillingly, cover their heads, and go to school," she says.
Khodaei points out that the dress code imposed on girls in the Islamic Republic is even stricter than the Sharia laws:
"In Islamic law, wearing the hijab is mandatory after the age of 9. But unfortunately, in Iran, girls are forced to cover their heads and wear the hijab at the age of 7, which is when they start school."
According to Leili Khodaei, this experience from the very first day of school "strikes at their souls and identities. This is the situation in the entire country. But in Azerbaijan, there is another problem as well. Girls face a foreign language they do not know or speak. They leave the Turkish language at home and go to school in a different language."
The cultural activist, who lives in the Netherlands, adds, "This affects their mood because they are afraid. They want to get high grades in class, but their self-confidence is taken away from them. These future women, who lack self-confidence, cannot defend their rights. Because from childhood, they are taught that they do not have the right to defend themselves, as the law is against them."
She believes that the ban on education in the native language hurts girls the most.
"Boys are freer in other areas of life. They are freer in society and in their relationships. Therefore, they gain some self-confidence. But as girls grow up, they see more limitations and become even more silent and fearful. They face oppression in the simplest matters. They face restrictions in cycling, playing football, going to stadiums, dressing as they wish; all of these involve limitations," Leili Khodaei concludes.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Leyli Xudayi: İran məktəblərində qızlara etiraz etməməyi öyrədirlər