WHY DOES THE
BABEK CITADEL SCARE IRANIAN OFFICIALS?
The “Babek
Citadel”, a place closely known by the world public opinion
in recent years, is a conceptual symbol of a people’s 23
years of defense and struggle. The words of “defense” and
“resistance” that were laid down 1200 years ago as concepts
and content are still maintained with the same meaning in
the Babek Citadel. This historical search for identity that
left a mark in the memories of millions of Southern
Azerbaijani Turks, concretizes the concepts of “returning to
the essence” and “struggle” in the Babek Citadel. The
resistance of Babek and his brothers in arms against the
Arab abusers for 23 years is still maintained today with
“the resistance against the assimilation policies of the
Farsi fascists”, symbolized with the Babek Citadel marching
of the Southern Azerbaijani Turks.
Through the
expansion of the Southern Azerbaijan National Movement and
the process of “the struggle to acquire national rights” by
the students/intellectual circles of the society, the people
of Southern Azerbaijan want to traditionalize the annual
Babek Citadel marches, organizing them regularly. The
current demands for national rights in Southern Azerbaijan
and the Azerbaijani-Turkish identity, tend to merge with the
demands to break off from Iran that appeared during the
period of the struggle for independence. In parallel,
following the independence of Northern Azerbaijan, these
demands gradually started to become widespread. “The Babek
Citadel March” that appeared right at this period has become
a turning point for the search of the Southern Azerbaijani
Turks for their national identities and rights. Although
this ceremony of returning to one’s roots originally
happened to be a small ritual planned by late historian
Prof. Dr. Zehtabi and a group of his student associates, it
gradually turned into “a center of power” and “a ceremony to
resist the Farsi nationalists”.
Held on July
4-5, 1999 for the first time, this ceremony came into being
as a celebration of poetry and music with a political
context, participated by hundred thousands of people.
Through the speeches delivered in the Citadel and the
communiqués issued, they underlined that this movement was
an unprecedented, the most civilized, civilian and
democratic movement of protest in Iran and Southern
Azerbaijan. The Babek Citadel March potentially constitutes
the main dynamism of the political process in Southern
Azerbaijan. On the other hand, the world public opinion has
been following the Freedom Movement of Southern Azerbaijan
by means of the Babek Citadel Ceremonies.
Although the
ceremony held in the Babek Citadel originally appeared as a
small student movement, it turned into a social movement
comprising several strata of the society in a short while.
The participation of all social strata of Southern
Azerbaijan changed the meaning and essence of this social
movement. The first comments of the Islamic Republic regime
indicated that this ceremony was merely of “entertainment”
character. Due to the broad participation of people, there
were comments on the Babek Citadel that “since alcohol,
gambling and music were prohibited in the cities, people
wanted to violate this prohibition in the mountains”.
However, this proved to be wrong in a very short while and
they understood that the gatherings in the Babek Citadel had
a very deep and multifaceted sociological content, beyond
mere entertainment.
In the
framework of assimilation policies, the Farsi nationalists
have long tried to shape the historical memory of the people
of Southern Azerbaijan to their liking for a very long time.
Several diverse interpretations exist on “Babek Khorramdin”.
Farsi nationalists depict Babek Khorramdin as “an Iranian
national hero who resisted against the Arab occupation”.
Clerics like Ayatollah Golpayegani and Ayatollah Mousavi
Erdebili, and a broad part of the Iranian State, on the
other hand, regard Babek Khorramdin as an “infidel” and a
“bandit”. Babek Khorramdin was excommunicated by several
clerics on the pretext that he was an “infidel”. Several
clerics described participation in this ceremony “against
the religion” and called people not to join up.
However, the
Babek Citadel ceremonies evidently displayed that the
efforts of both the Pahlavis (1924-79) and the Islamic
Republic to change the historical memories of Southern
Azerbaijanis have proved futile. Babek Khorramdin is known
as “the national hero of Azerbaijan” in Azerbaijan (South
and North). Through their placards and chants in the Babek
Citadel, the Southern Azerbaijanis demonstrated that they
regarded Babek as the national hero of Azerbaijan, not of
Iran. Hundred thousands of Southern Azerbaijanis still
participate in this ceremony despite the “excommunication”
fatwa of the state and the clerics.
Recently (the 8th
day of month Tir), Azerbaijanis, particularly our young
people hit the road to meet with Babek once again, wearing
scarlet outfits. They headed for the citadel to commemorate
the great hero of Azerbaijan and the people murdered during
the Southern Azerbaijan incidents that took place 40 days
before. This year’s Babek Citadel ceremony had a very
different meaning, because it was also the 40th
day of the death of our people who gave their lives and
blood for the sake of Azerbaijan.
The Iranian
state took security measures specifically for this week.
Keeping at hand several thousand troops belonging to the
Revolutionary Guards and the Basij forces, the regime sent a
few thousand troops in civilian cloths among people. On the
day of the ceremony, people from all over Azerbaijan started
to move to the citadel. However, this time it would not be
so easy to celebrate this innocent ceremony. Most of the
roads coming from Tabriz and Erdebil to Keleyber region and
the Babek Citadel were closed and checkpoints were set up at
six places at the entrance and exit routes of the city of
Ahar. In the cities, Basij forces and security units in
civilian clothes started to attack people, but when people
responded the Basij forces withdrew and escaped. They
besieged the cities of Erdebil, Ahar and Keleyber, and
strictly checked people entering and leaving these cities.
Stopping the cars and asking about their destinations, the
security forces attached barcodes on vehicles and warned
them “not to travel to the Citadel”. Furthermore, they
distributed communiqués indicated that “the participants of
the Citadel ceremony would be in trouble” to all vehicles
and passengers. However, the people of Southern Azerbaijan
wanted to head for the Citadel in determination and on their
own will only, and to maintain their struggle on the way to
freedom and independence.
Despite all
these strict measures, upon the request of Abbas Lesany, who
is currently in prison, several young activists of the
Azerbaijan National Movement managed to reach the Babek
Citadel and conquered it, although symbolically. During the
ceremonies, some of the honorable Azerbaijanis living in the
surrounding villages were captured. The only crime these
innocent people committed was to help people traveling to
the citadel, showing them concealed routes and giving them
bread and water!
Despite all the
political, cultural and ideological pressures and practices
of the Farsi nationalists, Southern Azerbaijanis claimed
Babek Khorramdin worthy of a national hero of Azerbaijan and
wanted to hold an extensive and vivid ceremony in the
citadel, displaying genuine desires, concerns and wishes of
this people. The Babek Citadel has become a historical place
where people used to express the broad Azerbaijan-Turkish
identity in Iran after its appearance as a political fact.
From now on until forever, it will stay as a symbol. The
choice of the Babek Citadel by Southern Azerbaijanis
indicates that they are in a search for liberation. Southern
Azerbaijanis are yearning for a liberation that would
accomplish their objectives and a new political searching
based upon their Azerbaijani-Turkish identities.
