The recent events in the country- III
(Let's make another Balcan!)
We have had a tradition here being practiced for centuries:" Erase a problem rather than solving it!". It is applicable to diverse problems ranging from daily life to those having deep roots in our history and society. Ethnic problems are one of them.
Iran is a multi-cultural country. Beside Fars people who consist about 50 percent of the society, we have Kurds in the north west, Azeris in the same region, Arabs in south west, Baluch in south east, Turkmens in North east, Lors in the western part, not to mention Guilaks in the North (they don't have a language but a dialect). I am not a sociologist nor an expert on this issue, but just to tell you briefly, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens have a different language. In small cities and in rural areas there are not a few those who don't know Persian- the official language of the country. Among above mentioned, Kurds, Blauches and Turkmens belong to Sunni minority.
I don't know when this problem between Fars and non-Fars people began but we do know for sure that in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, we have had a kind of federal government for about one year (1946-1947). The Azeri local government basically consisted of pro-soviet communists succeeding to make valuable changes in the infrastructure of Azerbaijan for the first time in its history. They could win a vast support among the ordinary Azeri people. University, roads, electricity, land reform, labor law, women clubs are the least of the memories old Azeris tell you when they look back to those days. The Azeri government was suppressed savagely during a bloody attack by the central government of Shah. Those who remember those days will tell you horrible stories of rape, slaughter and bloodshed. The same happened to a local government in Kurdistan. The leaders of the movement were hung in the central square of Mahabad (one of major cities in Kurdistan) and the movement was suffocated in cold blood.
The relationship between ethnic minorities (if Azeris with a population of millions can be called 'minority' at all!), have had fluctuations. But the anger and the rage piled in the hearts of the people have had certain reasons. These regions are usually more deprived than other parts of the country. The budget coming from Tehran is cut off many times before reaching to the destination in the remote part of the country. The rate of illiteracy and unemployment is usually higher there. The people rarely have a right to educate in their language, etc.
Khatami's time was an exception here. In Kurdistan (which has experienced the bloodiest troubles with the central government), the Kurdish language classes began to open. The MPs began wearing their national costumes. The people felt more free to be themselves. For the first time in our history, a Kurd was assigned as the governor of the Kurdistan province.
(Let's make another Balcan!)
We have had a tradition here being practiced for centuries:" Erase a problem rather than solving it!". It is applicable to diverse problems ranging from daily life to those having deep roots in our history and society. Ethnic problems are one of them.
Iran is a multi-cultural country. Beside Fars people who consist about 50 percent of the society, we have Kurds in the north west, Azeris in the same region, Arabs in south west, Baluch in south east, Turkmens in North east, Lors in the western part, not to mention Guilaks in the North (they don't have a language but a dialect). I am not a sociologist nor an expert on this issue, but just to tell you briefly, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens have a different language. In small cities and in rural areas there are not a few those who don't know Persian- the official language of the country. Among above mentioned, Kurds, Blauches and Turkmens belong to Sunni minority.
I don't know when this problem between Fars and non-Fars people began but we do know for sure that in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, we have had a kind of federal government for about one year (1946-1947). The Azeri local government basically consisted of pro-soviet communists succeeding to make valuable changes in the infrastructure of Azerbaijan for the first time in its history. They could win a vast support among the ordinary Azeri people. University, roads, electricity, land reform, labor law, women clubs are the least of the memories old Azeris tell you when they look back to those days. The Azeri government was suppressed savagely during a bloody attack by the central government of Shah. Those who remember those days will tell you horrible stories of rape, slaughter and bloodshed. The same happened to a local government in Kurdistan. The leaders of the movement were hung in the central square of Mahabad (one of major cities in Kurdistan) and the movement was suffocated in cold blood.
The relationship between ethnic minorities (if Azeris with a population of millions can be called 'minority' at all!), have had fluctuations. But the anger and the rage piled in the hearts of the people have had certain reasons. These regions are usually more deprived than other parts of the country. The budget coming from Tehran is cut off many times before reaching to the destination in the remote part of the country. The rate of illiteracy and unemployment is usually higher there. The people rarely have a right to educate in their language, etc.
Khatami's time was an exception here. In Kurdistan (which has experienced the bloodiest troubles with the central government), the Kurdish language classes began to open. The MPs began wearing their national costumes. The people felt more free to be themselves. For the first time in our history, a Kurd was assigned as the governor of the Kurdistan province.
posted by Laila @ 12:11 AM
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