Radio Zamaneh - September 24, 2020
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| It is written in Farsi: "The government has no right to name my child." |
Civil activists in Ardabil are protesting the refusal of the Civil Registration Office in this city to issue birth certificates for children based on the pretext that the chosen name is not Persian.
In widespread graffiti across Ardabil, civil activists voiced their objection to what they call “state interference in denying parents the right to choose their child’s name.” These activists are protesting the Civil Registration Office's refusal to issue birth certificates for children, citing the "non-Persian nature" of selected names as the reason.
"Take It and Enforce It"
Alongside some of this graffiti, the name "Ayil" appears. This name is inspired by a hashtag used by social media activists following the circulation of a protest video by Sajad Jolani, a Turkish singer and musician residing in Ardabil, which became a trending topic on social media.
In a recent video, Jolani stood in front of the Civil Registration Office in Ardabil, protesting the rejection of his chosen name, "Ayil," for his daughter.
In Turkish, the name "Ayil" means "Wake up."
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| An Example of Graffiti in Ardabil During the Ayil Campaign, Reading: “Ayil, a Political Concept.” |
Jolani stated that he would not back down on his right and explained the reasons behind the Civil Registration Office's rejection of his family's chosen name:
"Beyond the fact that this name is Turkish, the Iranian government has always been uneasy with the idea of awareness and awakening among people, which is why they opposed the name Ayil."
The release of this protest video prompted widespread reactions on social media, with not only Turkish citizens but also Arab, Kurdish, Turkmen, and Baluch users sharing similar experiences on Twitter using the hashtag #Ayil.
On October 15, 2018, however, Seyfollah Abutorabi, spokesperson for the National Organization for Civil Registration, announced the establishment of a "Naming Committee" and stated that parents do not have the unrestricted freedom to choose any name for their children.
According to Abutorabi, if parents visit the national Civil Registration office and their chosen name does not exist in the system, it is referred to the Naming Committee:
"After the name’s meaning and content are reviewed and approved by Civil Registration experts and Persian and Arabic literature scholars in the committee, parents can register the name for their child."
He added that unusual or unconventional names chosen by parents for their children are unacceptable.
However, journalists, children's rights activists, and legal experts oppose state interference in naming children.
In a written piece, legal researcher Ebrahim Nouri interpreted the Civil Registration Office’s refusal to issue a birth certificate for Ayil as a violation of the right to freedom of belief, political views, religious practices, cultural participation, and government interference in privacy.
The human rights activist and former political prisoner wrote about the legal dimensions of the right for parents to choose their child’s name:
"The importance of naming rights is such that Islamic texts dedicate a separate chapter to it: ‘Bab Al-Asma Wa Al-Kunya’ (The Chapter of Names and Nicknames) or ‘Bab Al-Tamsiyah’ (The Chapter of Naming). This right is emphasized in Article 24, Section 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in Sections 1 and 2 of Articles 7 and 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (adopted in November 1989), to which the Islamic Republic of Iran became a party in 1993."
Nouri also considers the Civil Registration Organization’s naming policy to contradict existing laws:
"According to a 2011 directive by the Civil Registration Organization, rather than listing prohibited names and banning them, a collection of approved names was assembled. This approach, which restricts individuals' freedom to choose a desired name, is both highly questionable and inconsistent with Article 20, Section 2, of the Civil Registration Law, which states that the Supreme Council for Civil Registration should list prohibited names, not approved ones."
Hamed Farmand, a children's rights activist and founder of the "Children of Prisoners Organization," responded to the incident by stating:
"Article 8, Section 1, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child explicitly grants naming rights to families, and signatory countries, including Iran, are obligated to respect and refrain from interfering with this right."
The Civil Registration Organization of Iran has published a list of approved names, requesting citizens to select from it. If parents choose a name outside of the recommended list, it is submitted to a committee within the organization (the Naming Committee) for approval. If the name is rejected, it cannot be used. Non-Persian names face stricter scrutiny.
The refusal to issue birth certificates and the Civil Registration Organization’s opposition to names chosen by parents has long been a contentious issue. Many families have faced restrictions on choosing names for their children. In some cases, these restrictions have been lifted following family persistence or court rulings, but in most cases, parents are unable to select their preferred name for their child.
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Link to the original story in Farsi: https://www.radiozamaneh.com/540241