Javad Abbasi Tolabi - Radio Zamaneh - 23 February 2021
Interview with Azadeh Pourzand, Human Rights Activist |
| Azadeh Pourzand |
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has once again, in a message on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, stated that education based on the first language or mother tongue should begin in the early years of childhood, as it is the foundation of learning.
In the message of February 19, 2021, UNESCO urged policymakers, educators, teachers, parents, and families to increase their commitment to multilingual education and the inclusion of the mother tongue in education to advance and improve the educational process, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to UNESCO's message, students should be taught in their mother tongue because the mother tongue is recognized as the gateway to the transmission of cultures, values, and knowledge.
International Mother Language Day is particularly significant and historic for ethnic groups living in Iran, whose languages are not officially recognized in the country. Despite the fact that the Islamic Republic acknowledges many of UNESCO’s calls and recommendations, and despite Article 15 of Iran’s Constitution allowing for the teaching of mother tongues in schools, a number of Iranian citizens have been imprisoned in recent years for advocating this very demand.
The most recent example of persecution of mother language rights activists is the five-year prison sentence handed down to Zahra Mohammadi (Zara Mohammadi), a teacher of Kurdish language and literature, a civil activist, and a member of the civil society organization Noujin. Mohammadi had been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a lower court: Zahra Mohammadi, the latest victim of the security institutions' conflict.
To further explore this issue, Zamaneh spoke with Azadeh Pourzand, a human rights researcher and the director of the Siamak Pourzand Foundation, who is one of the activists working on issues related to ethnic groups in Iran. She has been active in advocating for the cultural and linguistic demands of ethnic groups in Iran.
Zamaneh: You do not belong to any of the non-Persian nationalities in Iran. What necessity led you to work on issues related to ethnic groups, especially advocating for the mother tongue? Can you provide a brief background on this?
Azadeh Pourzand: Since my work and research are focused on human rights and civil society issues, I have always been sensitive to the specific challenges faced by marginalized groups, particularly ethnic groups and religious minorities in Iran.
One of the topics I have become familiar with through my work and research in recent years is the issue of mother tongue education. In Iran, this right has been denied to a large population, especially to children. Since this issue is not exclusive to Iran, there has been a lot of research and activity globally on the right to mother tongue education. As a result, in recent years, I have tried, in my own way, to contribute to the realization of the right to mother tongue education. For example, a few years ago, I was involved in launching a small online campaign, designed in collaboration with artists and human rights activists. The goal of this campaign was to simply raise the issue of the right to mother tongue education.
Zamaneh: In your opinion, does advocating for the right to education in one's mother tongue in Iran lead to unity among ethnic groups, or does it cause fragmentation?
Azadeh Pourzand: I would like to share my personal experience and explain why this issue became important to me. In any human rights issue, whether we take a stance for or against something, it is important to pause for a moment and reflect on how this issue affects people's lives.
The first time I heard about the right to education in the mother tongue in Iran, as someone who grew up in Tehran and whose mother tongue is Persian, it was something new to me. Until that point, I had not understood the depth of such a problem, but because I had to become a refugee in my childhood, I could somewhat relate to it. Entering a new country, a new school, and a new language can affect children's self-confidence and their education. Friends and colleagues from different ethnic groups in Iran explained how this childhood experience had impacted their education and self-confidence, and this was and still is heartbreaking for me.
I grew up in a family where the Persian language was an important part of our lives. For me, this language brings peace and a sense of security. The fact that there are children who are forced to forget their mother tongue in school due to pressure, fear of the government, and the fact that Persian may not be spoken at home and children may not have full command of it, is distressing to me, as Persian is my mother tongue. In other words, a language that evokes memories of my unique childhood and adolescence in my homeland could, for many children of that same land, symbolize fear and humiliation, which is deeply sorrowful. Therefore, I felt it was important to engage in more activities, as much as possible, less politically charged, regarding the issue of the mother tongue in Iran. For me, this issue is important for two reasons: I never want people in Iran to be oppressed or mocked because of their language, accent, or dialect, and I want them to feel at ease with the Persian language. The other reason is that education directly affects children.
It might be useful to briefly imagine a child. What kind of experience should they ideally have when they go to school, and what impact will a good or bad educational experience have on that child's future?
In my opinion, defending the denial of a child's right to education in their mother tongue because we think that education in the mother tongue in a country with a diverse population like Iran will weaken or diminish the Persian language is a mistaken notion. Children can grow up multilingual. If multilingual education is designed and taught properly, it will not threaten the Persian language. On the contrary, it will lead to a greater sense of belonging for these children in their community and enrich the culture of the country.
Zamaneh: What do the experiences of developed countries in this area show us? What is the current situation in countries that have adopted multiple official languages in schools and government offices? Have conflicts arisen, or has the opposite occurred? Has democracy expanded with the strengthening of mother tongues?
Azadeh Pourzand: In any case, the issue of multilingualism in the countries I know has not been without tension, and at certain points in history, it has become a political and national issue. For example, the tension between Quebec and other parts of Canada can sometimes be felt in political matters, but they have moved past it and adapted the education system. In my opinion, this is the stage I hope we can also pass through. Of course, it’s not possible to eliminate all tensions. A phenomenon that has inevitably become a political issue cannot be completely depoliticized, but it can gradually be shifted towards education. Like other phenomena, diversity must also be protected. It should be nurtured to thrive.
Simply saying that we are proud of Iran and that people of diverse cultures live in our geography, but because we fear that Persian culture will disappear, we suppress it, is actually eliminating diversity. In reality, we are destroying the very element that we should take pride in.
For example, in the United States, there is no official mother tongue, but English is clearly the dominant language. In many parts of the U.S., one can still manage with Spanish. When contacting banks or government offices, the first option is English, and the next is Spanish. However, the Spanish-speaking population remains marginalized. Or take India as another example, which is an extraordinary country in this regard. Their newspapers and education system are in multiple and diverse languages. Despite this, minority groups do not have a favorable position.
It is interesting to note that according to a United Nations report, unfortunately, one language disappears every two weeks globally. This means that 43% of the six thousand languages in the world are at risk. In my opinion, this trend, in which a culture disappears every two weeks, is truly regrettable. Therefore, it is crucial to pay more attention to the issue of the right to mother tongue education, both in Iran and worldwide.
Link to the original text in Farsi: https://www.radiozamaneh.com/584424