AHMADINEJAD’S NIGHTMARE: “BABEK”
It
has been almost 1200 years since Azerbaijani Babek passed
away after resisting the Abbasi Soltan Motashem for the
freedom of his people and withstanding the most powerful
army of his time so as not to make his people the slaves of
the sultan. Babek’s struggle was so great and so legendary
that following his execution after being subjected to
tortures all the documents related with Babek were
destroyed.
The
celebrations held in memory of Babak, the national hero of
the Azerbaijanis, have become a tradition. For the Southern
Azerbaijanis, these days are means to commemorate Babek,
remember his legendary struggle and be hopeful of the
future. These celebrations are part of the personality of
the Southern Azerbaijanis, because Babek emerged from
within.
Unfortunately, the Southern Azerbaijanis are under pressure
since the current Iranian Leadership maintains the Farsi
Chauvinism. Iranian Turks cannot celebrate the Babek
Festival properly. The name “Babek frightens the Farsi
Nationalists today as it frightened the Arab nationalist
Motasem 1200 years ago.
The
“logophobic” Iranian Leadership has taken extreme security
measures recently as it has been the case every June. In
this framework, the leadership declared the Kaleyber Region
a military zone, where the Babek Castle is located and
Southern Azerbaijanis are expected to visit intensively.
Several military checkpoints have been set up in the
mentioned region and considerable number of troops have been
deployed there.
Since quite
a number of Azerbaijanis will come to the Kaleyber Region
from Tabriz, Ardabil and Urumiyah provinces, barricades have
been set up at the entrance and exit points of these cities,
several military checkpoints have been established and
departures have been restricted. Moreover, they confiscate
the identity cards of individuals wanting to leave these
cities, detain the mentioned persons who have committed no
crimes and released after being threatened under detention.
In a nutshell, the Leadership intimidates the Iranian Turks.
Having
initiated the preparations well before the celebrations, the
Ahmadinejad Leadership barricaded the roads leading to the
Babek Castle with the vehicles of the Neeruye Antezami
officers. For this reason, the Southern Azerbaijanis wishing
to participate in the celebrations are forced to reach the
castle on foot out of the road.
As if all
these are not enough, the Revolutionary Guards Army
Intelligence and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence
detained more than 2 thousand Southern Azerbaijani
individuals in Tabriz, Meyaneh, Meyandoab, Zenjan and
Urumiyah in May, aiming to intimidate prior to the
celebrations. These people, who are kept under detention in
intelligence units without being dispatched to courts, are
the participants and group leaders of the previous Babek
celebrations.
The
attitude of the Ahmadinejad Leadership is the obvious proof
that the name Babek still frightens them despite all the
years that have passed since his death. The Farsi
Nationalist Ahmadinejad seems to be having sleepless nights
1200 years after the sleepless night that Motasem had
because of “Our National Hero Babek”. Let us cry out Babek,
Babek, Babek so as to frighten them further.
