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| Mehsa Mehdili |
In Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran, some families enter into a long struggle that can last months or even years to obtain an identification card for their children with Turkish names they have chosen.
Political commentator Mahsa Mehdili, in an interview with Voice of America, says, "I think this movement will grow even more, because it is a just struggle and our society appreciates it. Moreover, Turkish names are truly viewed as beautiful, elegant, and classy names in society."
Mehdili highlights that both covert and overt bans are being applied in Iran regarding Turkish names:
"Recently, especially with the spread of social media, we have learned more about the struggles of families. Of course, the Iranian government has had covert and overt bans on Turkish names from the beginning. They want to limit Turkish names to a few specific ones. They do not want names outside of those limits. For example, names like Nazlı, Yaşar, Aydın, and Solmaz are quite common and well-established. But there have always been restrictions on giving new Turkish names outside of this limited set."
The political activist expresses that the struggle to get identification cards for children with Turkish names is part of the broader cultural struggle in Iranian Azerbaijan.
According to her, "The Iranian government sends instructions to relevant bodies to enforce these bans and restrictions. But if the government, believing itself to be the rightful authority, denies families the right to give their children names in their own language, the families resist. This is part of our cultural and civilizational struggle for our rights. It is a fight for our rights."
Due to the lack of transparency in Iran's citizenship registration laws, Mahsa Mehdili explains, "The authorities have found a loophole and ban the names they want."
"There are some provisions in Iran's laws regarding name selection. For example, names that are obscene, offensive, or disrespectful to Islamic saints are banned. But they can also define banned names in provinces. For instance, the name Chinggis is classified as a banned name. They have also published a book. In this book, they do not accept names other than those listed in the system. Turkish names are very limited there. Very limited. Families put up a great struggle for each new name to be listed there," Mehdili says.
Iran's citizenship registration office rejects certain Turkish names chosen by families, arguing that they are not of Iranian origin.
Mehdili states, "Because there is no education in Turkish in Iran, our system does not have the capacity to create new names in terms of culture and literature. Therefore, [families] adopt new names from North Azerbaijan and Turkey. Through satellite television, internet, and other means, we discover the beautiful aspects of our culture. People want to choose beautiful names for their children from these sources. As this is appreciated, new names are added to the list... I think this movement will continue to grow. Because it is a just struggle, it is appreciated in society, and it is praised. Also, Turkish names are truly viewed as beautiful, elegant, and classy names. Parents also take pleasure in the fact that they are fighting to give their child a name that is both culturally significant and elegant."
Many families who are unable to obtain identification cards for their children cannot continue the struggle to the end. According to Mahsa Mehdili, "They want to wear the families down so that they give up on the name they chose. Because when a child does not have an ID card, they cannot go to a health clinic. They cannot attend kindergarten. They cannot benefit from the services the government is supposed to provide."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhsa Mehdili: İranda uşaqlarına türkcə ad seçən ailələr böyük bir mücadilə verir