Vahid Qarabagli: Growing Anti-Racism Discourse in Iran May Spark Awareness and Change

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 23, 2025

Vahid Qarabaghli

Sociologist and activist Vahid Qarabagli discussed the recent debates surrounding "racist chants" that have been prominent in Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran's sports and political circles in an interview with Voice of America.

Qarabagli expressed his hope that with the strengthening of the "anti-racism discourse" in Iranian Azerbaijan, there will be an increase in awareness about racial slurs in Iranian society.

According to Qarabagli, racist chants in stadiums should be seen as a reflection of broader racist discourses, policies, and practices within mainstream society, and addressing these societal issues is key to eliminating racism.

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.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Pledges Action on Language Rights, Lake Urmia, and Decentralization

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
11 September 2024

Azerbaijani Turks of Iran have for years felt that Tehran has taken little notice of their specific grievances. However, with the recent election of Masoud Pezeshkian, himself having Azerbaijani roots, hopes for action are suddenly rising.

President Masoud Pezeshkian - Image: Wikimedia Commons

The people of northwestern Iran have long felt sidelined politically, but there are three particularly pressing issues that many agree need attention: the use of the Turkish language in education, the ecological catastrophe of Lake Urmia, and concerns over mining. Since his surprise election as Iran’s new President in July, Masoud Pezeshkian has made commitments to address these issues, a posture that he re-iterated in an interview with journalist Rashid Daneshjoui given in Azerbaijani Turkish on August 24th.

Vahid Qarabagli: Pezeshkian's Discourse on Ethnic and Religious Equality Is a Break from Iran’s Unified Identity Narrative

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, July 28, 2024

Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran

On Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signed the decree appointing Masoud Pezeshkian as the 9th president of Iran. Pezeshkian will take office officially on July 30 after swearing an oath in the Iranian Parliament to protect Iran’s “official religion, the Islamic Republic system, and its constitution.”

Sociologist and political activist Vahid Qarabagli discussed Pezeshkian’s tenure as a member of parliament representing Tabriz, his candidacy for president, and his statements and discourse since being elected president in an interview with Voice of America.

Mirza Hasan Roshdiyyeh: The Architect of Modern Education in Iran

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
20 March 2024

Vahid Qarabagli explores the remarkable life of Mirza Hasan Roshdiyyeh, who revolutionized Iranian education by challenging religious norms to establish modern schools and promote public mother-language-based education.

Images from mirzahassanroshdieh.com

Every year on 21 February, UNESCO commemorates International Mother Language Day, urging governments to embrace linguistic and cultural diversity. This day highlights the importance of accommodating various languages in multilingual contexts, especially within educational settings, to foster inclusive societies. 

This day also offers an opportunity to honour those who advocated for mother-tongue-based education in multilingual environments. Mirza Hasan Roshdiyyeh, a visionary educator from over a century ago, envisioned mother tongue education as a model for Iran. Despite his significant contributions, his work is often overlooked.

Vahid Qarabagli: Iran's State Policy to Border the Turkish Language and Limit Its Status to Local Level

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 22, 2024

Vahid Qarabagli

Sociologist and language activist Vahid Qarabagli stated in an interview with Voice of America on International Mother Language Day that the Iranian state is trying to keep the Turkish language at a local level.

Qarabagli also says that the Turkish language is central to the civil struggle in Iranian Azerbaijan.

"The civil movement in Southern Azerbaijan and the movement of Turks place language at the center. Because they feel that the Turkish community and the Azerbaijan region are subjected to a form of discrimination through language."

Vahid Qarabagli: "Iran’s Assimilation Policy is Systematic and Institutionalized"

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, December 03, 2023 

Vahid Qarabagli

Sociologist Vahid Qarabagli, speaking to Voice of America, says that the assimilation policy towards Turks in Iran is not based on the wishes of some ultra-nationalist groups but instead applied through institutional and systematic state policies.

"When discussing the assimilation policy towards Turkish and the process of weakening Turkish in Iran, I see this as institutional and a product of a socio-historical process," Qarabagli says.

He mentions that various institutions, from educational institutions to legislative and law enforcement bodies, play a role in the assimilation system.

Disrupting the Politics of Historical Amnesia: One Nation, One Language, One Myth in Iran

Vahid Qarabagli | 12 September 2023

Fall 2015: Protests erupted in Azerbaijani cities like Tabriz, Urmia, Zanjan, and Ardabil after a state TV insult to Turks. 

In Iran, as in many modern nation-states, official historical narratives are not neutral accounts of the past but carefully constructed instruments of power. These narratives serve to naturalize social hierarchies, centralize authority, and legitimize the existing order as inevitable and timeless. Rather than reflecting the complex encounters of Iran’s diverse peoples, they promote a simplified, selective past that masks contestation and silences dissent. By embedding certain groups, Persians, in particular, as the natural inheritors of civilization and statehood, and rendering others invisible or subordinate, these narratives sustain unequal structures of power and belonging. History, in this context, becomes less about understanding the past and more about justifying who holds privilege in the present.

Vahid Qarabagli: Politicization of Iranian Society After Mass Protests

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, April 28, 2023

Vahid Qarabagli

Vahid Qarabagli, a sociologist and Turkish language activist who spoke to Voice of America, says that the recent mass protests against the government in Iran have further politicized Iranian society. He emphasizes that political dissent is no longer limited to certain segments of society, such as elites, student activists, women activists, and minoritized ethnic activists.

"After the protests, we saw a broad politicization in Iranian society. Before that, those interested in politics were certain groups and classes; the elites, student activists, women activists, and ethnic activist groups. However, then the pressure from the regime increased. There were protests in all cities. The protests continued for months, and people talked about it. A new generation joined the protests. This further politicized Iranian society," Qarabagli says.

The Azerbaijani Civic Nation: a Diaspora-based Language Education Initiative for Azerbaijani-Turks in Iran

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
09 February 2023

“If we don't think in [our language, it] no longer exists.” So says Dr. Lale Javanshir, one of the main forces behind an educational programme which helps Azerbaijanis in Iran develop technical and written skills in their mother-tongue.

Azerbaijani Turks in Iran that do not have the opportunity to study their mother tongue are turning to online classes. Image: Agnieszka Gaul/Shutterstock

Iran is a multiethnic and multilingual society. However, Farsi is the country’s only official language in major institutions, including education, media, law and government. The century-long monolingual policy of Farsi-only schools has also limited the ability of millions of minoritized individuals to fully learn and employ their mother tongue languages. Moreover, any call for mother-tongue-based education remains politically sensitive: often equated with separatism and thus incorrectly perceived as threatening Iran’s national security.     

The Protests in Iran and Azerbaijani Turk Civil Rights Activists

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
06 October 2022

What role have Azerbaijani-Turks played in Iran's recent protests? For some of the country's minoritized ethnicities, the issues behind the demonstrations are just a selection of many more.

Hadis Najafi, 22 years old, was killed during a demonstration at Karaj, a city west of Tehran. Image: Hadis Najafi

Since September 16, hundreds of thousands across Iran have been protesting—in more than 80 cities across 31 provinces of Iran. According to Iran Human Rights, at least 154 people, including children, were killed in the first two weeks, with thousands more injured and detained. Videos shared on social media from protests show security forces on motorcycles attacking and chasing demonstrators and beating them with batons, shooting firearms and tear gas. In some cases, protestors confronted security forces, pushing them back using bricks and barricades, setting police cars on fire and throwing stones.   

An Interview with Aria E. Torkanbouri: Azerbaijani-Turk Composer and Ethnomusicologist

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
08 July 2022

Vienna-based composer, ethnomusicologist and music theorist, Aria Torkanbouri, discusses some "not encouraging" realities for Azerbaijani-Turk musicians in Iran.

Aria E. Torkanbouri

Aria E. Torkanbouri is a Vienna-based composer, ethnomusicologist and music theorist. He was born in 1989 in Tabriz (Iranian Azerbaijan) and studied in Baku, Germany and Istanbul. While he started out writing pop-rock tunes and later moved into contemporary operatic genres, his themes have consistently focused on subject matter close to his roots as an Azerbaijani-Turk.

Starting a Virtual Book Club to Learn Her Own Language: an Interview with Nahid Jafari

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
2 June 2022

What is it like to learn to read and write as an adult? Nahid Jafari, a Ph.D.-holding assistant professor, understands the feeling, as do many other Azerbaijani-Turks from Iran.

Not everyone has to opportunity to learn the grammar of the language they speak at home. In Iran, Farsi is only one language of education, although almost half of Iran's population is not primarily Farsi speaking. Image: Nahid Jafari

Dr. Nahid Jafari is an assistant professor at the State University of New York—Farmingdale. Last year she started an online book club – to learn her own mother tongue. In this group, other Azerbaijani-Turks from Iran like herself come together and learn how to read and write in their primary language. One might ask, how can a person not know how to read the language they first spoke at home? Remember – English, the first language of many, is a mandatory elementary, middle, and high school subject in North America.   

Vahid Qarabagli: "Iran Blocks the Turkish Language from Entering Official Institutions"

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, May 23, 2022 

Vahid Qarabagli

Sociologist Vahid Qarabagli evaluates the restrictions and prohibitions on non-Persian languages in Iran from a sociolinguistic perspective in a conversation with Voice of America. According to him, by preventing Turkish language from entering official institutions, the Iranian state delegitimizes it.

"A sociolinguistic approach to language sees it as a social phenomenon. That is the place of language in society, its influence on society and the influence it receives from society are studied. Language affects our relationships, thoughts and our relationship with institutions in the society we live in. Our language is influenced by these institutions, including television and government institutions," says Qarabagli. 

Reza Baraheni, Writer, Poet, Literary Critic, and Public Intellectual: A Life-long Champion of Social Justice and Freedom of Speech

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
19 April 2022

March 24 saw the death in exile of Reza Baraheni (1936-2022), one of Iran’s most important literary figures of the 20th and 21st centuries and a foremost campaigner for minority rights in his homeland.

Dr. Reza Baraheni

Reza Baraheni was one of Iran’s most important literary figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. Polymath novelist, essayist, translator, and public intellectual he was notably considered the “founder of modern literary criticism in Iran”, and was rated “Iran’s finest living poet” in 1977 by Harper’s Magazine. His works have been translated into English, French, Turkish and other languages. Well known as a prominent advocate of freedom of speech, democracy, and minority rights in Iran, he died on March 24, 2022 in Toronto, Canada, where he had lived in exile with his family since 1997. He was 86.

Interview With Rap Artist Payam Turk: My Music Breaks Stereotypes Around Azerbaijani-Turkish in Iran

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
16 March 2022

The most prominent Azerbaijani-Turkish rap artist in Iran - Payam Turk. His music has millions of views, despite rejection by authorities as "inappropriate." Is it the rap that's the problem, or his mother tongue?

Born in 1990 in one of the villages of Bilesuvar in Ardabil province, Payam Turk is one of the most talented flag bearers of Azerbaijani-Turkish rap in Iran. He has been very active in recent years and is popular not only in Iran but also in Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan. So far, his songs have garnered over 17 million views on YouTube alone.

Filmmaking as a Way of Representing Our Experience of the World: An Interview With Mohammad Alimoradi

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post

2 March 2022

Vahid Qarabagli caught up with Tabriz-based award-winning documentary filmmaker Mohammad Alimoradi. In the interview, he discusses both the joys and challenges of this type of work in Iran. 

Mohammad Alimoradi

Mohammad Alimoradi is a Tabriz-based independent filmmaker, journalist, and environmental activist. His documentaries cover event-driven humanitarian crises, often touching on themes of environmental degradation, language diversity, identity and socio-economic deprivation. Importantly, Alimoradi makes most of his documentaries in ‘minority’ areas of Iran, especially the northwestern region where Azerbaijani Turkish is the predominant local language. “I think the language of documentaries should be in the language of the people they are dealing with,” he says. Though it sounds uncontroversial elsewhere, historically, such a stance has often been challenging in Iran given Farsi-prominence policies. 

#ManoFarsi – Hashtag Activists Addressing Linguistic Marginalization in Iran

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post
10 February 2022

Minoritized groups in Iran have taken to Twitter with the hashtag #ManoFarsi, meaning "Farsi and Me." The campaign is building awareness of ethnolinguistic rights issues and solidarity among non-Farsi speakers.

Image: etekyazi.com

Social media networks offer people with social causes opportunities to share their stories and connect with others who feel similarly. This is especially important for members of marginalized groups who tend to have disproportionately restricted access to mainstream media platforms. So, perhaps it’s not surprising that in the last few years, social media has allowed the birth of powerful anti-racist and feminist movements such as Black Lives Matter and Me Too in what has been dubbed “hashtag activism.” Such activism can help inform lived personal experiences across a range of intersectional barriers (language, gender, ethnicity, religion, class, etc.).    

The Troubled Story of the Tabriz Ark –Are There Deeper Meanings Behind Archaeological Insensitivity?

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post

31 January 2022

What’s still standing of the Ark of Tabriz has a long history. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tabriz is now Iran’s fifth-biggest city and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. However, it was once was a major trade town on the ancient Silk Road. The Venetian merchant traveller Marco Polo praised its beauty and importance for commerce. Over the centuries, it has served as dynastic capital for the Ilkhanids, Aq Qoyunlu, Qara Qoyunlu, and Safavids. For parts of the Qajar period (1794-1925), it was the seat of the Crown Prince. It has always held a special place in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the country. 

The Influence of Turkish TV Series on Turks in South Azerbaijan and Iran

Vahid Qarabagli
The Caspian Post

07 December 2021

Amongst Turkey’s fastest-growing exports are its TV drama serials. Known as televizyon dizileri or dizi for short, these are currently watched by an estimated 700 million people in more than 146 countries, from Latin America to the Balkans, the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Worth barely US$100,000 in 2008, dizi-exports have exploded over the past decade and by 2020 were worth an annual $500 million. And that number is expected to double again by 2023. Remarkably, Turkey is now the world’s second-largest exporter of TV drama after the US.