Exile, Books, and an Unfinished Dream

Sharifeh Jafari - 17 May 2026 

Sharifeh Jafari, Director, Pinar Publishing

Today in Berlin, with the coordination of Gardoon Publishing, founded by the late Abbas Maroufi, several publishers had gathered to organize a book fair parallel to the Tehran International Book Fair. Although I knew that visiting this exhibition and Hedayat Café would revive memories of the vibrant days when I attended the Tehran Book Fair as a publisher—and would reopen old wounds—I decided, after years of living in Berlin, to visit the bookstore and the exhibition held alongside it.

Bilingualism: A Great Deception

Ruzbeh Saadati – September 7, 2025

How does the suppression of minoritized languages in childhood shape one’s sense of belonging, memory, and identity?

In a few days, the first of Mehr (September 23) will arrive—a day that for most simply marks the start of classes. But for us, it recalls a bitter memory. On that day, our mother tongue was ruthlessly taken from us, left behind at the classroom doors and in the schoolyard. Not only did our childhood fall under the dominance of a foreign language, but our accent became a tool for humiliation, mockery, and delegitimization. From our very first steps, we learned that in this land, our language and accent made us guilty or suspicious in the eyes of others.

The Skin of the Camel and Mash Hassan’s Cow

Ruzbeh Saadati – August 31, 2025

The mourners of Bayal depicts a society where poverty and frugality, superstition and compromise, alienation and estrangement bring it ever closer to collapse and decay. Sa’edi portrays the society of his time through the lens of a village whose roofless houses are shorter than the stature of its dwarf-like inhabitants. A village that is the very ground of death—a living cemetery where every corner holds a tragedy. Its people—whose faces the narrator avoids describing—are all faceless. A face is a mark of individuality, and in Bayal, individuality is an unforgivable sin. Loneliness is the unwritten law of the story, and anyone who strays from this isolation is expelled from the narrative. A boy dependent on his mother, a young man who befriends a dog from a neighboring village, a girl whose love drips like a festering wound from her knees, a couple whose love leads to an untimely departure from the village, and a man who is in love with his cow—all are doomed to perish.

The Obedient Bodand the Forbidden Tongue; The Domain of a Politics

 Ruzbeh Saadati – August 30, 2025

Foucault begins Discipline and Punish with the account of a horrific scene: in 1757, in front of the Paris church, Damien—accused of attempting to assassinate the king—has his chest, arms, thighs, and calves torn open with red-hot pincers, molten lead and wax poured into his wounds, and finally his body is quartered. The chronicler writes that although Damien was foul-mouthed, he uttered no insult. From time to time, he lifted his head and looked at his blood-soaked body, and in the height of torture told the priests: “Kiss me.”

It is truly tragic. A man who has been mutilated can no longer exercise his will over his body. He searches for a light with which to reclaim his flesh—even if this reclamation occurs through a part of the torturer’s own body. Here, the politics of the body appears in its barest and most brutal form: the torture of the flesh as a means to seize the soul.

A Memoryless House, a Storyless City; A Brief Reflection on Today’s Zanjan

Ruzbeh Saadati – August 21, 2025

Historical Bazaar of Zanjan

In Barcelona, Gaudí’s architecture and its spectacular buildings are not merely visual attractions; they carry the narratives of Catalan collective identity. The Sagrada Família, with its forms drawn from nature and the visual language of Catalan modernism, is a living symbol of people’s belonging to a city whose history is tied not to surrender, but to resistance. Heroes such as Rafael Casanova and national poets like Jacint Verdaguer are enshrined in literature and public memory; the former as a figure evoking sacrifice and the struggle for freedom, and the latter by contributing to cultural revival and the rebirth of the Catalan language in epic poems and stories, reinforcing the bond between language and identity. Even Catalonia’s defeat in 1714 and the loss of its local autonomy, rather than leading to collapse, transformed into a narrative of resistance; a narrative that was reproduced through poetry and literature, remained alive in language and collective memory, and was embodied by urban sites and symbols, turning into a tangible experience for later generations. This defeat, by passing through time and being named Catalonia’s National Day, became a symbol of Catalan endurance and collective identity. In this city, symbols, monuments, language, heroes, and historical events each shape part of the collective memory, enabling its continual reproduction and allowing people to recognize themselves and their city’s history in their narratives.

A Call for Linguistic Justice: Professors in Iranian Azerbaijan Demand Mother Tongue Education

Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, March 6, 2025

Tabriz University

University professors from Azerbaijan’s provinces have sent a letter to the president, urging the government to take immediate steps to ensure the teaching of their mother tongue in schools and universities.

Among the 196 signatories of the letter are faculty members from universities in Tabriz, Ardabil, Urmia, and Maragheh. They have called on the president to introduce a bill in parliament for the teaching of their native language.

Iranian Parliament Rejects Bill on "Teaching Ethnic and Local Literature" in Schools

February 26, 2025

Islamic Republic of Iran Parliament

With a majority vote of its members, the Iranian Parliament has rejected the "Teaching of Ethnic Literature" bill, which was proposed by the Education Commission and consisted of six articles.

According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, the bill titled "Teaching of Ethnic Literature" was discussed in today's parliamentary session on February 26. Out of 246 participating deputies, the bill was rejected with 104 votes in favour, 130 against, and 5 abstentions, failing to gain approval for its general principles.

Arrest of an Activist in Iranian Azerbaijan for Distributing Turkish Books on International Mother Language Day

Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, February 23, 2025

Mohammad Asadi

Turkish activist Mohammad Asadi has been summoned and arrested by security forces in Maragheh, a city in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, for distributing Azerbaijani Turkish storybooks in schools.

Human rights activist Sina Yousifi reported the incident on his X (formerly Twitter) account. According to the information, Asadi was detained on Saturday, February 22, and transferred to the city's prison.

Turkish Language Books Distributed in Iranian Azerbaijan for International Mother Language Day

 February 21, 2025 

Ardabil

Ahead of International Mother Language Day on February 21, national activists in Iranian Azerbaijan have distributed books in Azerbaijani Turkish, particularly among schoolchildren.

According to reports shared on social media, activists in Tabriz, Ardabil, Urmia, Khiyav, Parsabad (Mugan), Qoshachay, Bostanabad (Ujan), and other cities distributed books teaching the grammar of  Turkish, as well as fairy tale books for children. This initiative aims to raise public awareness about the importance of the mother tongue.

The Struggle for Language in Iran and the Caucasus: A Caricature from the Molla Nasraddin Journal

February 20, 2025

 The caricature on the cover of the 38th issue of Molla Nasraddin journal, published in 1906, depicts a man labeled "Turk of Azerbaijan" lying down while three individuals, dressed in distinct attire, attempt to force tongues inscribed with the Farsi, Russian, and Arabic languages into his mouth.

Accompanying the image is the text: "…Oh brothers, I was not created as a langualess nation — why are you shoving these languages into my mouth?"

This satire humorously critiques the imposition of foreign languages and cultures on the Azerbaijani Turks of the time—a policy that has persisted in Iran for over a century.

Founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, Molla Nasraddin was a pioneering satirical magazine that played a key role in early 20th-century Azerbaijani literature and culture. Renowned for addressing significant social and political issues, the magazine actively engaged with topics such as language and alphabet reforms.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Interrupted for Reciting Turkish Poetry

 February 16, 2025

During the closing ceremony of Tabriz Cultural Week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was interrupted and warned by an official while reciting lines from the famous poem Heydar Baba’ya Salam by Mohammad Hossein Behjat Tabrizi (Shahriar).

Before reciting the poem, Pezeshkian noted that he intended to read two lines from Shahriar’s poetry but mentioned that some officials and ministers in the audience did not understand Turkish, so he would continue his speech in Persian. He then began to recite:

Turkish-Language Play 'Sattar Khan: National Hero' Wins Hearts in Tehran and Tabriz

 Ahmad Dursun/Anadolu Agency - January 29, 2025

The Turkish-language theater play Sattar Khan: National Hero was met with widespread acclaim from viewers in both Tehran and Tabriz.

This play highlights the sacrifices of Sattar Khan in the struggle for freedom, as well as the cultural diversity and historical heritage of Iran.

The play was initially performed in Tabriz for 20 days, with 25,000 spectators attending, before being included in the Fajr International Theater Festival in Tehran.

Censorship and Challenges in Publishing Turkish Literature in Iranian Azerbaijan

Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, January 22, 2025

Poet and Translator Saleh Sajjadi (Photo: El Bilimi Official Instagram Page)

Two cultural institutions in Tabriz, "El Bilimi" and "Evdə Al," which are active in the field of book publishing, organized an event to introduce the Azerbaijani publishers "Savalan İgidləri" and "Yaşmaq."

This was shared on the Instagram pages of these institutions in Tabriz. The event featured writer and journalist Alireza Sarrafi, Ammar Ahmadi, the owner of "Savalan İgidləri" publishing house, notable figures in the field of Turkish book publishing such as Alireza Aqdami Baher, Saleh Sajjadi, Reza Hosseini Beqanam, Said Mughanli, the owner of "Yaşmaq" publishing house, and Navid Mohammadi.

During the event, Azerbaijani cultural activists expressed concerns about the rise in book prices, the promotion of reading habits in society, and particularly the challenges related to the publication of Turkish books in Iran.

Language, People, and Society: Iranian Minority Languages and Literary Traditions

 December 18, 2024

Conference Proceedings of 2023 McGill Symposium of Language Studies

Edited by:
Amir Kalan
Mahdi Ganjavi
Anisa Jafari
Lale Javanshir

The articles presented in this book are the result of a gathering of their authors at the McGill Symposium of Language Studies in the fall of 2023. At this symposium, presentors from various research disciplines came together to discuss the necessity and rationale for creating a form of language studies that, instead of focusing on linguistic structures and the history of languages, addresses the condition of language speakers; in other words, the need for a human-centered approach to language studies.

Local Cinema and the Language of Film | On Decentralized Filmmaking

  By Riza Siyami – December 11, 2024

One of the essential needs of Iranian cinema is to move away from the capital and make films rooted in local geographies. Naturally, attention to diverse languages can attract audiences who speak in their mother tongue.

While Iranian cinema has successfully crossed geographical borders and gained international acclaim, it remains overly centralized within its own borders—with most films being, in essence, “Tehran films,” featuring modern urban lifestyles and narratives set in the capital. Stories of various ethnic groups are still underrepresented. Although in recent years we have seen more local filmmaking, the press conference for Niki Karimi’s Atabai highlighted the question of language in cinema: Is Persian necessary for Iranian film, and does using a local language undermine a film’s “Iranian-ness”? This debate gains urgency as more critically acclaimed films have recently been made in local languages.

Vahid Qarabagli: Pan-Turkism Label Used to Silence Turkish Activists in Iranian Azerbaijan

Alirza Quluncu - Voice of America - October 29, 2024

Vahid Qarabagli

In an interview with Voice of America, sociologist and political activist Vahid Qarabagli discussed the term "Pan-Turkism," frequently mentioned in Iran's political sphere recently. Qarabagli emphasized that the term is a label used to silence activists fighting for cultural rights and against discrimination in Iranian Azerbaijan.

Member of Tabriz City Council Supports Turkish Welcome Announcements on Flights

Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, October 15, 2024

The plane belonging to ATA Airlines.

Rasoul Bargei, a member of the Tabriz City Council, has expressed support for the use of Azerbaijani Turkish welcome announcements on flights at Tabriz Airport by ATA Airlines. He emphasized the importance of this step in preserving linguistic diversity. Bargei also condemned the disrespectful behavior towards Turks in the country and stressed the necessity of fighting against the negative portrayal of Turks in official media.

Owner of Tractor Club: Can't we speak our own language in our own city?

Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, October 12, 2024

Tabriz Businessman Mohammad Reza Zonouzi

Recently, there has been widespread discussion on social media about the Turkish language being used to welcome passengers on ATA Airlines flights, with claims that this is against the country’s official language policy. In response, Mohammad Reza Zonouzi, the owner of Tractor Club and ATA Airlines, commented on this issue.

According to Iranian media reports, Zonouzi confirmed that on ATA flights departing from and arriving in Tabriz, passengers are greeted in Turkish alongside Persian and English. In response to criticisms of this practice, he said, “Someone wrote on social media and in some media outlets that separatism has started with ATA. Why are you labeling people like this and causing them distress?”

Milad Balisini: As the Number of Turkish Readers and Writers Grows in Iran, Censorship Becomes More Systematic

By Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, October 11, 2024

Milad Balisini

In recent times, protests against the censorship imposed by Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance on Turkish-language books have been increasing significantly.

Milad Balisini, a researcher and writer from Iran's East Azerbaijan province, told Voice of America that as the number of people writing and reading in Turkish in Iran increases, the censorship policies against Turkish literature have also become more systematic.

Activists Distribute Books in Iranian Azerbaijan to Promote Turkish in Education

 Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, September 26, 2024

In various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan, activists advocating for the rights of the Turkish language distributed Turkish books in the context of the opening of schools.

According to news shared by Güney Azerbaijan Television (Günaz TV), Araz News, and social media, activists distributed books to children in neighbourhoods and in front of schools in cities like Ardabil, Urmia, and Tabriz over the past four days.

The news shared on social media indicated that the activists were protesting the ban on education in the Turkish language through their book distribution campaigns.