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| Dr. Mehmet Rıza Heyet |
Recently, numerous Turkish activists from Iranian Azerbaijan and the Qashqai regions issued a joint declaration condemning Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s wife, Jamileh Alemolhoda, for her “racist and hate-filled remarks against Turks.”
Political activist and Ankara University lecturer Mohammad Rıza Heyet, one of the drafters of the statement addressed to various institutions, spoke with Voice of America. Heyet described Alemolhoda's remarks as expressions of hatred not only toward Turks and Arabs within Iran but also toward those living in neighboring countries.
"Iran has had many enemies in history, such as the Mongols, Arabs, and Turks, but they were unable to change Iran’s culture, language, and traditions."
Heyet explained, "The joint letter was written in response to Alemolhoda's words, but there is a history to this. These remarks are not new. For years, we have heard and read similar statements in textbooks, on radio and television, in newspapers—everywhere. However, this time, hearing such words from the wife of the head of Iran's executive branch and on a foreign television channel required a serious response."
He emphasized that one aim of the letter was to prevent normalization of such insults:
"The outcome of this letter is a separate matter. But we must not grow accustomed to insults, denigration, and the negative rhetoric directed at us. Over the past century, there has been an effort to normalize this behavior, and to some extent, it has been successful. We have become accustomed to many jokes and comments against us and do not respond appropriately."
According to the political activist, the Iranian First Lady's remarks carry hateful implications for both Turkish and Arab communities within the country and for some neighboring nations.
"Jamileh Alemolhoda says Arabs and Turks invaded Iran but Iranian identity remained intact. She claims Iran’s culture was so strong that it did not succumb to them. First, she equates Iran entirely with Persian identity. Consequently, when we examine the internal implications of this, she glorifies Iran based on an Aryanist ideology, viewing others—primarily Turks, Arabs, and historically the Mongols—as enemies and invaders. According to this perspective, in Iran, anyone who is not Persian or allegedly Aryan is considered an outsider," Heyet said.
The Ankara University lecturer added, "But this is not limited to Iran. These statements convey hatred and racism toward neighboring countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Central Asian Turks, and Arab nations. Therefore, this mindset sends a message of threat to all non-Persian and so-called non-Aryan peoples, both inside and outside Iran."
Heyet argued that negative sentiments toward Turks and Arabs exist across all political factions in Iran:
"Neither the government nor opposition forces, whether inside or outside Iran, reacted to these remarks. This indicates that racism in Iran has become ingrained in the culture. It is widely normalized among people. Anti-Turkish and anti-Arab rhetoric has been accepted by many. When we add the Islamic perspective to this, the situation becomes even more tragic. That is, this person's extreme nationalist sentiments even outweigh her religious beliefs."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Rza Heyət: Ələmulhüdanın sözləri İranda və qonşu ölkələrdə yaşayan türk və ərəb icmalarına qarşı nifrət ifadəsidir