Voices of South Azerbaijan: Mahmud Bilgin

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Mahmud Bilgin: Focus Must Be Placed on Women’s Issues and Social Justice

By Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 2, 2018

Mahmud Bilgin

“In 2009, factions within Iran's government were clashing with each other. But now, it is a society rising up—one distressed by hunger, social hardships, and women’s issues,” says Mahmud Bilgin, assessing the protests of the poor and women in Iran.

The chairman of the South Azerbaijan Democratic Party (GADP) spoke with Voice of America about the response of national movement forces to the protests led by Iranian women.

The Voices of Azerbaijan is dedicated to exploring and amplifying the experiences of marginalized Turkish communities in South Azerbaijan and broader Iran. We examine the intersections of ethnicity, language, gender, class, power, and marginalization, offering a platform for these communities to share their voices and engage in critical discussions. Our mission is to raise awareness, advocate for social justice, and contribute to both academic and public discourse through diverse perspectives.

We explore ethnicity, language, gender, and politics in their full complexity, recognizing communities as social and political agents and examining how these identities shape and are shaped by political and social dynamics.

Our focus encompasses key issues related to language, education, and society, investigating how language policies and educational practices affect the status of ethnic minorities, particularly Turkish-speaking populations. We aim to reveal the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in language and education, illustrating how these factors shape these communities' social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental realities.

Through this blog, we aim to provide valuable insights for community members in Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as for those in the diaspora. Our platform serves journalists, writers, academics, and students seeking to understand the social, cultural, economic, and political positions of Iran’s ethnic and linguistic minoritized communities. We critically examine power relations and the marginalization these groups face, focusing on topics neglected by mainstream media and academic research in Iran.

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Mahmud Bilgin: Focus Must Be Placed on Women’s Issues and Social Justice