THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC DOES NOT
RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES INCLUDED IN
ITS OWN CONSTITUION!
A new constitution
has been written based on the ideology and ideal of the
Islamic Revolution a year before the victory of Islamic
Revolution in 1978. Although there were some obvious
shortcomings in this constitution, the constitution that
materialized in line with the interests of the people
was observed to have articles that may bring the mind a
real revolution if performed. One of these articles was
Article 15 that grants the right of education and
publication in their own languages. After a few years
all the tribes understood that these points were present
in the constitution as a decoration and vain rumors
aiming for ceasing the revolt of the ethnic powers.
We see that
although 28 years have passed by the Islamic Revolution,
none of the Articles 12, 15
and 17 of the constitution regarding ethnic groups and
sects have been applied and the Iranian tribes (ethnic
groups) have been made to wait in vain for years. The
expectations to this end in the first ten years of the
Islamic Revolution during which Iran-Iraq war occurred,
were delayed by the regime under the pretext of that the
war ended and a stable period started.
The later era was
called “Structuring Era”. The symbolic representative of
this era the scope of which programs did not include
“the structuring among ethnic groups and their cultural
revival” was Hashemi
Rafsanjani. The corruption occurred in many places
throughout Iran in their so-called structuring is also
the result of this.
The following era
in which Muhammad Khatami
was the leader who came to the stage with the slogan of
“Iran belongs to all Iranians” and by growing hope in
the heart of the tribes subject to discrimination was
called “Era of Reforms”. In addition to the performance
of Article 48 of the constitution that stipulates the
distribution of the wealth for all the regions of Iran
in a just way, the Iranian tribes were pressing for the
performance of the Article 15 of the constitution. The
Iranian tribes were requesting the revival of the
languages and cultures that have been assimilated by
emphasizing the Article 15 of the constitution.
After a short
while it was understood that the slogans chanted by the
reformists were nothing but deception carried out by all
the Iranian tribes including Iranian
Turkmens. In face of the
absolute power of the Spiritual Leader directing all the
issues of Iran in accordance with his stiffened view
only with an order, if the reformers concede to, they
did not have the power to stop and display the power of
firmness to defend the righteous requests of Iran.
Iranian tribes did not only witness them not fulfilling
their promises and not applying the articles of the
constitution but also became the targets of the secret
attacks carried out against their language and cultures
within the assimilation policy of the Islamic Republic
during 28 years when Islamic regime prevailed.
For example, the
jokes with offensive nature have been spread by the
flatterers of the Islamic Republic to buffoon the
Turkish language. Such jokes caused most of the Iranian
Turks who did not want to be subject to insult to
conceal their Turkish identities.
A similar policy was also applied in the
Turkmensahra area of Iran
with the following difference: all the people of
Turkmensahra with a
population of two million are proud of their own
history, language and ethnic identity and a Turkmen
always have talked about his being a Turkmen with pride.
The Turkmens being mentioned
with their knighthood and bravery have made the job of
the regime difficult. The regime understood years before
that the humiliation policy that it had applied in
Azerbaijan will not be of use in
Turkmensahra have resorted to other methods. It
made intensive efforts not use Turkmen name in the
written press and government departments and to wipe
these names off the minds in some way. The regime uses
the word “Bumi” instead of
“Turkmen”, the name “Desht-i
Gorgan” instead of “Turkmensahra”.
The regime changed “Shehr-i
Garki” and
Emcheli” that was in
Turkmenish to “Siminshehr”,
it changed “Mami
Zuytunli” to “Neginshehr”
and “Gomish
Dephe” that is a historical
province of
Turkmens
to a meaningless name “Gomishan”.
To give a Turkmen
name to the children in Tukmensahra
is also one of the main cultural problems of Turkmen
people. In order for a Turkmen to give his/her child in
Turkmenish name he/she has
to go through long and difficult process and overcome
all the difficulties or else he/she would have to adopt
a Persian name that has nothing to do with his/her own
culture. There is no single publication published in
Turkmenish in Iranian
Turkmensahra. Only one
weekly journal some pages of which have been allocated
to Turkmenish and a couple
of seasonal journals exist. The authorities in the
region try to bring up a barrier against this with any
pretext. The instruction in
Turkmenish and in fact the application of the
Article 5 of the constitution has turned to an
unreachable wish. Turkmens
now completely believe that as long as this regime is in
power, no move will be made for the revival of their
language and cultures. Therefore, it is necessary for
Turkmens to protect the
remaining of the heritage that passed from their
ancestors and it is necessary for Turkmen intellectuals
to turn the cultural work in the field enthusiastically.
While the
protection of the language and cultures of the ethnic
groups are emphasized in
declaration of United Nations and the declaration of
human Rights, while it is mentioned in the UNESCO’s
report of March 2006 that a language disappears in the
world every two weeks and it is necessary to find a
solution to this situation, efforts are made for the
languages of the ethnic groups to be destroyed by the
application of humiliation and press embargo.
Our ancestors have
told that Persian is sugar and Turkish is art. While we
respect Persian one of the world’s oldest and richest
languages, we emphasize that
Turkmenish is one of the arms of Turkish. Also,
we warn the Islamic Republic that keeps on not abiding
by the rules of the United Nations, human rights and
Iranian Constitution, it will
have to pay a high cost. We declare that our language
and culture are our honor and ,
and in order to protect it we are ready for any kind of
struggle.
The authorities
of Islamic Republic should remember that the people of
Turkmensahra is a fire
partly covered with ashes, it will inflame again with
the blowing of the wind and it will give the required
reply to those who are bad intentioned! This day is not
far.
سازمان آزادیبخش ترکمن صحرا – تورکمن صحرا آزادلیق
قوراماسی
TURKMENSAHRA AZADLYK GURAMASY
TURKMENSAHRA LIBERATION ORGANIZATION
