Tabriz, South Azerbaijan, July 17
A recent racist remark by the Minister of education against non-Persian ethnics who lives in Iran geography has sparked a sharp reaction from social network users and national and political activists.
Mohammad Bhtohei the minister of Education at the meeting of the undergraduate elementary education and education official’s tribes on Saturday 14 July 2018 said: “The teaching of students to Persian literature and speech in the Persian language is our red line. Even in nonperson region teachers should teach the whole lecture in the Persian language which is the unity of our country.”
He continued his following racist statements: “In some parts of the country, the local language is taught to students that are very dangerous. They should learn the official language of the country at school and their mother language at home.”
It should be noted that many MPs also objected to the minister’s remarks.
After the Islamic Revolution of Iran, due to the fact that ethnic minorities had played a significant role in the realisation of the revolution, and also because the new regime had not established itself as a forceful authority, the Islamic state gave in to the pressure of the communities, and reluctantly alluded to the rights of Iranian minorities in Article 15 of the Constitution.
According to Article 15 of the Constitution, “The official language and script of Iran, the lingua franca of its people, is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and texts, as well as textbooks, must be in this language and script. However, the use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools, is allowed in addition to Persian”. However, as everyone knows, even this vague article is practically never upheld, forbidding teachings in mother tongues in regions where Farsi is not the primary language. Languages other than Farsi are only used on a limited basis on radio and television, which of course is not intended to promote that particular language and culture, but used as a platform to deliver the governing ideologies and principles of the Islamic regime to non-Farsi nationalities.
