Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu) - February 20, 2014
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| Miyanali Alirza |
“For the National Government, it was essential that the Turkish language be taught in schools. Pishevari had said that even if we forgo everything else, we will not give up our mother tongue,” said Alireza Miyanalı in an interview with Voice of America, describing the importance the Azerbaijan National Government (established in 1945-1946 under the leadership of Seyyed Jafar Pishevari) placed on the mother tongue.
The "21 Azar" researcher and author of the book Land Measured by Weapon, which discusses the era of the Azerbaijan National Government, emphasized in his conversation with Voice of America not only the mother tongue policy and the importance of teaching the mother tongue in schools under the leadership of Seyyed Jafar Pishevari but also the potential role of the Turkish language in uniting various political movements and organizations in southern Azerbaijan. He further explained why the term "Azerbaijani language" was used instead of "Turkish language" during the National Government period.
According to Alireza Miyanalı, the leader of the National Government regarded the mother tongue as the stronghold of the Azerbaijani movement and would proclaim that they would not abandon their mother tongue at any cost: "Pishevari would say, even if our movement makes every kind of concession, we will not compromise on the language issue."
Quoting Pishevari’s words, the researcher and writer pointed out that “banning education in the mother tongue is banning cultural evolution,” asserting that the National Government considered it essential to teach the mother tongue from the first grade in schools.
“The issue of the mother tongue was not given attention during the Constitutional Movement or the Khiyabani period. However, the National Government took action, emphasizing the necessity for children to be educated in Turkish from the first grade… Because if schools are not established, university education will also be wasted. Teaching the mother tongue must begin in the first grade,” noted the writer from southern Azerbaijan.
Alireza Miyanalı also shared his thoughts on the negative perception regarding the use of the term "Azerbaijani language" instead of "Turkish language" during the National Government period. According to him, the National Government was compelled to use the term “Azerbaijani language” due to the political atmosphere of the time.
“It is true that during the National Government period, calling the Turkish language the Azerbaijani language was a shortcoming. However, this issue should be analyzed in light of the conditions of that time. Back then, the Vatan Yolu (Path of Homeland) newspaper, published by the Red Army, and its representatives promoted Soviet ideologies. Stalin’s pressures were evident. Pishevari did not want to make this an issue,” he said.
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| Seyyed Jafar Pishevari, the founder of the Azerbaijan National Government. |
Miyanalı also discussed how the National Government conveyed the importance of the mother tongue to subsequent generations. He cited the activities of prominent writers such as Reza Baraheni and Gholam Hossein Saedi, who were influenced by that era and worked for language rights.
According to the writer, the mother tongue could also play a central role in the issue of unity that southern activists consistently emphasize today: “If we are talking about Azerbaijan, then the main stronghold and flag of Azerbaijan is precisely our mother tongue. Even if we have different viewpoints or are affiliated with different political currents, the mother tongue is a core issue for all of us.”
Alireza Miyanalı, a southern Azerbaijani poet and writer living in exile in Vancouver, Canada, is the author of the Turkish poetry collection Creating is Living and the two-volume work Land Measured by Weapon, dedicated to events from the National Government period. He is also the founder of Sahir Publishing, which published Turkish-language books in southern Azerbaijan, and he published the bi-monthly journal 21 Azar in the Republic of Azerbaijan from 1998 to 2000.