After nine months of persistence and protests, the Jolani family in Iranian Azerbaijan has successfully registered the Turkish name Ayıl for their daughter and obtained a birth certificate.
The family's struggle to secure a birth certificate with the name Ayıl had been a topic of discussion in Turkish and Persian-language media, as well as on social networks, for several months.
In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency in January, Ayıl’s father, artist Sajjad Jolani, emphasized that this was “not just about a name but about identity and rights.”
In the interview, Jolani recounted:
“They told me at the registration office that the name Ayıl is not on their approved list, and that I must choose a name from the list. When I asked what I could do, they said that the matter could be decided by three Persian literature experts in Tehran, who ultimately rejected the name Ayıl. In Iran, without a birth certificate, a child cannot access any social services. Our child has a medical condition and has undergone three surgeries. Without a birth certificate, we could not use insurance to cover the costs.”
Jolani highlighted that the name Ayıl, which means "to awaken or rise against oppression," was a name deeply fitting for their situation.
In recent months, cultural activists in Ardabil had written slogans on the city’s walls in support of the Jolani family and other families who had been denied the right to register Turkish names for their children.
In Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran, many families who have faced years of obstacles in obtaining birth certificates with Turkish names have turned to social media to amplify their voices.
Link to the original news in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran rəsmiləri “Ayıl” adlı uşağa nəhayət şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsi verib