Iranian Azerbaijanis: Difference between revisions

This article is about Azeris in Iran. For Azeris in general, see the respective article.

The Azeri (also known as Azerbaijani) population of Iran is mainly found in the northwest provinces: East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and in some regions of Kordestan, Hamadan and Markazi. Many others live in Tehran, Karaj and other regions.^[1] Generally, Azeris in Iran have been, "a well integrated linguistic minority", according to academics such as anthropologist Patricia Higgins.^[2] In fact, until the Pahlavi period in the 20th century, "the identity of Iran was not exclusively Persian, but supra-ethnic", as much of the political leadership, starting from the 11th century, had been Turkic.^[3] The Iranian and Turkic groups were integrated until 20th century nationalism and communalism began to alter popular perception.^[3] Despite friction, Azerbaijanis in Iran came to be well represented at all levels of, "political, military, and intellectual hierarchies, as well as the religious hierarchy."^[2] In Iran the term "Azeri" is used formally; however, informally, Azaris and other Turkic speaking Iranian populations are colloquially referred to as "Tork" (Turks), Azaris, however, are a non-Turkic Iranian people despite the fact they speak a Turkic regional dialect in addition to Persian

The Iranian origins of the Azeris likely derive from ancient Iranic tribes, such as the Medes in Iranian Azarbaijan, and Scythian invaders who arrived during the eighth century BCE. It is believed that the Medes mixed with an indigenous population, the Caucasian Mannai, a Northeast Caucasian group related to the Urartians.^[4] Ancient written accounts, such as one written by Arab historian Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Masudi(896-956), attest to an Iranian presence in the region:

The Persians are a people whose borders are the Mahat Mountains and Azarbaijan up to Armenia and Aran, and Bayleqan and Darband, and Ray and Tabaristan and Masqat and Shabaran and Jorjan and Abarshahr, and that is Nishabur, and Herat and Marv and other places in land of Khorasan, and Sejistan and Kerman and Fars and Ahvaz...All these lands were once one kingdom with one sovereign and one language...although the language differed slightly. The language, however, is one, in that its letters are written the same way and used the same way in composition. There are, then, different languages such as Pahlavi, Dari, Azari, as well as other Persian languages.^[5]

Scholars see cultural similarities between modern Persians and Azeris as evidence of an ancient Iranian influence.^[6] Archaeological evidence indicates that the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism was prominent throughout the Caucasus before Christianity and Islam and that the influence of various Persian Empires added to the Iranian character of the area.^[7] It has also been hypothesized that the population of Iranian Azarbaijan was predominantly Persian-speaking before the Oghuz arrived. This claim is supported by the many figures of Persian literature, such as Qatran Tabrizi, Shams Tabrizi, Nezami, and Khaghani, who wrote in Persian prior to and during the Oghuz migration, as well as by Strabo, Al-Istakhri, and Al-Masudi, who all describe the language of the region as Persian. The claim is mentioned by other medieval historians, such as Al-Muqaddasi.^[8] Other common Perso-Azeribaijani features include Iranian place names such as Tabriz^[9] and the name Azerbaijan itself.

Various sources such as Encyclopaedia Iranica explain how, "The Turkish speakers of Azerbaijan (q.v.) are mainly descended from the earlier Iranian speakers, several pockets of whom still exist in the region."^[10] The modern presence of the Iranian Talysh and Tats in Azerbaijan is further evidence of the former Iranian character of the region.^[11][12] As a precursor to these modern groups, the ancient Azaris are also hypothesized as ancestors of the modern Azerbaijanis.

Resentment came with Pahlavi policies that suppressed the use of the Azerbaijani language in local government, schools, and the press.^[13] However with the advent of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, emphasis shifted away from nationalism as the new government highlighted religion as the main unifying factor. Within the Islamic Revolutionary government there emerged an Azeri nationalist faction led by Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari, who advocated greater regional autonomy and wanted the constitution to be revised to include secularists and opposition parties; this was denied.^[14] Azeri nationalism has oscillated since the Islamic revolution and recently escalated into riots over the publication in May 2006 of a cartoon that many Azeris found offensive.^[15][16] The cartoon was drawn by Mana Neyestani, an ethnic Azeri, who was fired along with his editor as a result of the controversy.^[17][18]

Despite sporadic problems, Azeris are an intrinsic community within Iran^{[citation needed]}. Currently, the living conditions of Azeris in Iran closely resemble that of Persians:

The life styles of urban Azarbaijanis do not differ from those of Persians, and there is considerable intermarriage among the upper classes in cities of mixed populations. Similarly, customs among Azarbaijani villagers do not appear to differ markedly from those of Persian villagers.^[1]

Azeris in Iran are in high positions of authority with the Azeri Ayatollah Ali Khamenei currently sitting as the Supreme Leader. Azeris in Iran remain quite conservative in comparison to most Azeris in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Nonetheless, since the Republic of Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, there has been renewed interest and contact between Azeris on both sides of the border.

Andrew Burke writes:

Azari are famously active in commerce and in bazaars all over Iran their voluble voices can be heard. Older Azari men where the traditional wool hat and their music and dances have become part of the mainstream culture. Azaris are well integrated and many Azari Iranians are prominent in Persian literature, politics and clerical world.^[19]

According to Bulent Gokay:

The Northern part of Iran , that used to be called Azerbaijan , is inhabited by 17 million Azeris. This population has been traditionally well integrated with the multi-ethnic Iranian state. ^[20]

Richard Thomas, Roger East, and Alan John Day state:

The 15-20 million Azari Turks living in northern Iran, ethnically identical to Azeris, have embrased Shia Islam and are well integrated into Iranian society^[21]

According Michael P. Croissant:

Although Iran's fifteen-million Azeri population is well integrated into Iranian society and has shown little desire to secede, Tehran has nonetheless shown extreme concern with prospects of the rise of sentiments calling for union between the two Azerbaijans.^[22]

However, with regard to this issue there is also other opinions. Recent years marked tension between Azerbaijanis and the central government in Iran.

According to Svante Cornell:

Formerly, the dominance of Persian culture and its pejorative attitude towards Turkic culture had an effect of socializing many Azerbaijanis into the Persian culture, perceived as the ‘high culture’ in Iran. Contact with Turkey has nevertheless shown the far greater level of social and economic development of Turkey compared to Iran, and has boosted a sense of ethnic pride and identity – in many ways erasing the feeling of cultural inferiority that the Persian elite had long sought to impose upon the ethnic minorities of Iran.^[23]

The number of protests against the Iranian state have increased since the late 1990s. These protests were met with repression as they were subdued by the authorities. In January 2000, government forces opened fire on a demonstration in Tabriz. A commemoration of Babak Khorramdin hero with 8,000 participants was broken up by Iranian authorities in August 2002. Tabriz University has been a focal point of the organization of the protests, including a large protest movement in the Summer of 2003. Following these demonstrations, the Iranian government cracked down on student as well as nationalist organizations. A 19-year old Azeri girl was executed by Iranian authorities in July 2003 for her role in the protests.^[23] May 2006 was marked with criots caused by an alleged Anti-Azerbaijani cartoon. In cities across northern Iran in mid-February 2007, tens of thousands of ethnic Azeris marched in observance of International Mother Language Day, although the subtext was a protest against what they perceive to be the systematic, state-sponsored suppression of their heritage and language.^[24]

According to Amnesty International:

"Iranian Azeri Turks, who are mainly Shi’a Muslims, are the largest minority in Iran, [and are] believed to constitute between 25-30 per cent of the population. They are located mainly in the north and north-west of Iran. As Shi’a, they are not subject to the same kinds of discrimination as minorities of other religions, and are well-integrated into the economy, but there is a growing demand for greater cultural and linguistic rights, including implementation of their constitutional right to education through the medium of Turkish. A small minority advocate secession of Iranian Azerbaijan from the Islamic Republic of Iran and union with the Republic of Azerbaijan. Those who seek to promote Azeri Turkish cultural identity are viewed with suspicion by the Iranian authorities, who often accuse them of vague charges such as 'promoting pan-Turkism'".

^[25]

In addition, the current Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, is an Azari, along with much of Iran's military, economic^[26], and political leadership, a fact which seriously undermines claims of discrimination of Azaris in Iran or that they do not have equal opportunities compared to other ethnic groups in Iran, such as Persians. However, At the end of June 2005, scores of people were reportedly arrested following an Azari gathering at Babak Castle in the city of Kalaybar. Much more wide spread protests across major cities of Iranian Azerbaijan in May, 2006 triggered by a cartoon, drawn by an Azeri cartoonist, allegedly with abusive contents towards the Azerbaijani language, were met with repression.[1] [2].

In contrast to the claims of de-facto discrimination of some Azeris in Iran, the government claims that its policy in the past 30 years has been one of pan-Islamism, which is based on a common Islamic religion of which diverse ethnic groups may be part, and which does not favor or repress any particular ethnicity, including the Persian majority. Persian language is thus merely used as the lingua franca of the country, which helps maintain Iran's traditional centralized model of government. But Azari language and culture is still nevertheless taught and studied at the university levels in Iran. [3]

Furthermore, Article 15 of Iran's constitution reads:

"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."^[27]

Azeris (Azaris) - Turkic speaking and non-Turkic speaking - have participated in Iran's history and politics, and continue to do so. Some of the most famous Azeris of Iran involved on national levels are:

• Seyyed Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi
• Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran ^[28]
• Parviz Davoudi, current First Vice-President of Iran
• Mohammad Khatami, former president, is half Azari ^[28]
• Parviz Fattah, current Minister of Energy
• Yahya Safavi, head of IRGC
• Ali Meshkini, chairman of Assembly of Experts
• Grand Ayatollah Musavi Ardabili - former Judiciary Chairman
• Mir-Hossein Mousavi, former Prime Minister of Iran
• Sattar khan, constitutional revolutionary leader
• Bagher Khan, constitutional revolutionary leader
• Ali Soheili, Prime Minister of Iran
• Ebrahim Hakimi, Prime Minister of Iran
• Ahmad Kasravi, Iranian nationalist politician and author
• Ebrahim Nabavi, political journalist/satirist
• Samad Behrangi, political writer
• Iraj Mirza, poet and politician
• Mina Ahadi, Communist Activist from WPI
• Mahmud Jam, Prime Minister of Iran
• Sadegh Khalkhali, hardline Shia cleric of the Islamic Republic
• Mohammad Khiabani, famous cleric, politician
• Ramin Jahanbegloo, political philosopher
• Hassan Roshdieh, famous cleric, politician
• Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
• Mehdi Bakeri, Iranian war hero

In addition to those mentioned above:

• Abul-Qassim Khoei
• Allameh Tabatabaei
• Ayatollah seyyed Mohammad Ali Ghazi Tabatabaie
• Fazel Lankarani
• Mousa Shubairi Zanjani
• Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari
• Javad Gharavi Aliari
• Moslem Malakouti

• Karim Bagheri, soccer star
• Rasoul Khatibi, soccer star
• Ali Daei, soccer star
• Hamid Estili,
• Hamid Derakhshan,
• Mohammad Nosrati,
• Aliakbar Ostad-Asadi,
• Javad Allahverdi,
• Ahad Sheykhlari,
• Aziz Asli,
• Yahya Golmohammadi,
• Farshad Pious,
• Gholamreza Fathabadi,

• Haydar Hatemi, Artist-Painter
• Maziar Ashrafian Bonab,Scientist (Human Population Genetist/Archaeologist/Forensic Doctor)[4]
• Kazem Sadegh-Zadeh
• Parvin E'tesami, poetess
• Googoosh, singer and actress
• Shams Tabrizi, mystic
• Mohammad Hossein Shahriar, famous poet
• Arteshbod Ghareh baghi, Iran's last Army Chief of Staff under the Pahlavi regime. ^[29]
• Ali Javan, famous physicist
• Aydin Aghdashloo, painter
• Sona Babai, oldest naturalized Iranian American
• Sami Yusuf,singer-songwriter
• Hadi Saei,Iranian Taekwondo athlete
• Yousef Karami,Iranian Taekwondo athlete

• Azerbaijan (Iran)
• Iran
• List of Azerbaijanis
• Azerbaijani people
• Iranian origin of the Azerbaijanis
• Demographics of Iran