The rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran to use their mother tongue are infringed by the Iranian authorities, limiting their cultural expression, the article in The Geopolitics magazine said, Trend reports.
According to the author, although South Azerbaijani activists and organizations have long advocated for the expansion of linguistic and cultural rights, the Iranian government has responded with further repression by cracking down on dissidents.
The Iranian Government has banned the use of the Azerbaijani language in the media, literature, and the arts, as well, which has resulted in a suppression of cultural identity and a lack of representation for South Azerbaijanis in Iranian society, the article said.
Moreover, as the author noted, this policy has resulted in a high rate of students dropping out of schools early in Iran’s marginalized non-Persian regions, due to the challenges of learning the Persian language.
As the author rightly pointed out, the efforts to promote and provide education in the Azerbaijani language can positively impact Azerbaijani students’ psychological well-being and academic achievement in Iran.
“Providing instruction in one’s mother tongue can help students feel a greater sense of belonging, cultural identity, and pride in their heritage. It can also help them better understand and engage with the material being taught, leading to improved academic achievement and a greater likelihood of completing their education,” the article said.
“The Iranian regime refuses to give up its forcibly acquired acquisitions and will seek to preserve them by oppression and extremism. What no one in positions of power in Iran appears capable of understanding is that the Persian language will not actually be jeopardized if the non-Persian peoples gain the right to receive education in their own languages; indeed, people are less likely to resent it if they also have the chance of proper education in their mother tongue,” the article concluded.
