Speaker : Mr. Hamid ATIYEH - Ahwaz Studies Centre PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF MINORITIES YOUTH RIGHTS click here and watch the speech. Side event in Human Rights Council,Tenth session – 30 November -1 December 2017_ Genev I am speaking on behalf of Ahwazi-Arab youth minority group in Iran. Ahwzi-Arabs or Arab minorities in Iran suffer from denial of thier identity Residing mainly in the southwest of Iran – their population is estimated to be 5-7 millions or some 10% of the population. the region name was changed by iranian government in 1936 from Arabistan to the Khuzestan – this was done to deny their Arab identity of the region. Arab-majority Khuzestan accounts for up to 90% of Iran’s oil revenue- yet Ahwazis live in abject poverty.
young ahwazis are subjected to stereotype and government media is enforcing the negative image of young arab men and women systemically. for example arab young portrait as uneducated , emotional and criminals and for women are mostly shown as dispred, unable to control her life. young minority youth don't have real representation in the political life within iran, and arab community never had a political party to reflect their demands. the political activities is banned and even count as a crime. civil activists been detained and subjected to arbitrary arrest for example the Iranian security services arrested number of ahwazi youngs due to their activities in the field of promoting Arab culture and organising cultural events to preserve the Arabic identity in the face of Iranian government systematic forced assimilation of Arabs in Iran, as well as civil activities such as the assistance of the victims of the floods that hit (Alahwaz). Despite of the high number of unemployment between educated young Ahwazis and lack of personals in the education section in the Ahwaz. in last governmental work appointment in the section of education in Al-ahwaz only less than 10 percent of assigned personals were from arabs . respecting the language right is cornerstone concern the minorities all around the world and in iran as well. iran has only one official language. And no mother tongue in the education system is allowed. Even activist from all minority groups have subjected to persecution for demanding the implementation of the article 15 in iranian constitution which refer to right of minorities to study in their language. Speaking in arabic in class room between students are forbidden, last month a teacher punished to girls in the classroom for speaking arabic. So not only studying in mother tongue is forbidden , not only speaking in arabic lead to discrimination and punishment , but even teachers from locals areas are not appointed in the region. Administration of education this years past new regulations for teachers. According to those regulations minorities can not be a teacher, because they speak Persian with accent from the mother tongue. so in the end, unless this centric , nation state governing change to inclusive , decentralized system the discrimination of the minorities will continue and will escalate which nobody can predict how will finish. we young of ahwazi arabs aside other minorities in iran hope for better future base on mutual respect.
Middle East Forum for Development co-organised a panel event on 27th of February together with the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Freedom of Religion or Belief titled ‘The Persecution of Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Iran’. The speakers included Dr Ahmed Shaheed, current UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights situation in Iran; Mosa Zahed, executive director of Middle East Forum for Development; Amir Saedi, representative of Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation UK; a representative of Iran’s Christian minority and Paulo Casaca, executive director of Alliance to Renew Co-operation among Humankind.
Among attendance were officials from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, a representative of the US Embassy in London, Members of Parliament and representatives of various human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Open Doors UK and Middle East Concern. Also in attendance were members of Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran (CNFI), representing Iranian Kurds, Ahwazi Arabs and the Baloch people of Iran , in addition to Ahwazi Arab lawyers and activists .
in his speech ,Amir Saedi the director of Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation in Uk underscored that Iran’s minority groups “have not been accorded equal citizenship and their ethnicity or religion are not officially acknowledged [by the authorities].” He emphasised that “Arabs in Iran are caught in between an unfortunate phenomenon; they are subjected to racism due to historical Persian-Arab animosity.”
“Ahwazi Arabs have been one of the excluded constituent nationalities and socio-economically, among the most oppressed and rank at the bottom” and further stressed that “the Arab-populated border cities destroyed during the Iran-Iraq war have largely remained untouched. The regime damned and diverted the water of our rivers such as Karun to non-Arab areas of Isfahan, Yazd and Kerman while Khuzestan severely suffers from a shortage of [clean] drinking water.”
Full text of Mr.Saedi’s speech :
Good afternoon Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished gusts.
My Name is Amir Saedi and I am the director of Ahwaz Human Rights Organization in UK. My especial gratitude to the honorable Mr. Paulo Casaca and Mr. Mosa Zahed of Middle East Forum, he All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group, and other organizers of this event.
Iran is the most diverse country in the region. A multinational state that is comprised of six major nationalities including Arabs, Baluchis, Kurds, Persians, Turks, Turkmen and smaller groups of other ethnic/linguistic and tribal groups. No one ethnic group has a numerical majority. Iran is also home to Sunnis, Christians, Jews, Bahis, manadis and others. These ethnic and religious groups comprise at least 50 to and by some estimates 2/3 of the society. Yet these groups has not been accorded equal citizenship – their ethnicity and/or their religion are not being officially acknowledged. Constitutionally, Persian language is the sole official language, and –Jafari Shiais is the offcially-santioned religion all other are ignored, oppressed, negated or at best marginalized. According to to Mr. Hajbabaei, former deputy minster of education, only 30% of Iranian students entering first grade speak Farsi. An Iranian Shia and Fras/Persian is by default have been positioned in a great advantage and dominance visa-a-vis non-Persian nationalities – in multinational, multilingual and multicultural Iran.
Using Shia theology and Persian literature, history, language and the education, the system, strategically and deliberately, privileged one ethnic group over others, thus creating socio-economic inequality, exclusion and oppression thereby stifling any chance of democratic transformation.
Promoting aggressive nationalism in Iran often times manifest itself in anti-Arab racism and sometimes against Iranian Turks, Kurds and Baloch and non-Muslims such as Baha’is, and Sunnis and other minorities. Arabs in Iran are caught in between an unfortunate phenomenon; they are subjected to racism due to historical Persian-Arab animosity. Ahwazi-Arabs have been one of the excluded constituent nationalities and Socio-economically, among the most oppressed and rank at the bottom. There can’t be equality in citizenship if you do not speak the language of the court and the state.
Residing mainly in the southwest of Iran, the Ahwazi -Arabs are one of Iran’s most disadvantaged and persecuted ethnic groups. Arabs estimated to be between 5-7 million or about 10% of the population who live in the southwestern region of Iran, in the province of Khuzestan or as called by its indigenous name, eghlim Al-Ahwaz or Arabistan. The regime changed the Arabic name to Persian one to deny the Ahwazis their Arab identity – a durable solution would be to change to its original name, Arabistan.
Ahwazis are an ethnic, national and linguistic minority in Iran. Historically, this indigenous Arab community has been marginalized, excluded and discriminated against by successive governments in Iran. The province accounts for up to 90% of Iran’s oil GDP. Also 80% of Iranian wealth comes from our land- allocate some portion of the oil revenue to the region through legislation.
Ahwazi Arabs are subjected to a mixture of Persianisation, forced migration, violent political repression and economic exclusion – The regime has been resisting a proposal to establish a quota of 33% (1/3) employment for the local natives.
The Ahwazi Arab Nation in Iran has not been allowed to participate in running its own affairs. It does not have local or genuine national representation. The Arab minority in Iran is totally deprived of its civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights - a durable solution would be to allow local governance with representation from Ahwazis. Khuzestan’s political, military and security commanders, officers, mayors and all high and mid-level government officials of Khuzestan have consistently been appointed from non-Arab areas – allow local employment in government
Among Ahwazis, the illiteracy rate is 4 times the national average. And unemployment is 6 times the national average. Arabic and all other non-Persian languages such as Kurdish, Turkish and Balch are banned therefore denying them their linguistic rights and the competitiveness in the job market- Implement Iran articles 15 and 19 by allowing local Arabic mother language to be though in elementary schools
While Khuzestan oil from funds 90% of Iranian economy, Arabs live in abject poverty and do not share the riches of their land- and no part of this oil- zero%- has been allocated to them- There are not hired in the oil and gas companies- No employment quota is imposed on foreign companies to hires local Arabs, despite repeated demands by the local population.
Their demands for basic human rights, including education in mother tongue, social and economic justice has often been labeled as "separatist”, “secessionist”, “Wahabis” or called “stooges of foreign countries” or “danger to territorial integrity”.
The Islamic Republic government continues the forced resettlement policy to force the Arab population out of Arabistan by providing economic incentives and enticements to re-settle non- Arab population on the expropriated Arab farmlands.
The Arab-populated border cities destroyed during the Iran-Iraq war have largely been untouched. The regime dammed and diverted the water of our rivers such Karun to non-Arab areas, of Isfahan, Yazd and Kerman while Khuzestan severely suffers from shortage of drinking waters.
The regime does not permit any genuine Arabic newspapers and media in Arab-majority Khuzestan. Now, as in the previous regime, governor general of Khuzestan, all other province’s political, military and security commanders and officers, mayors and all high and mid-level government officials of Khuzestan have consistently been appointed from non-Arabs outside of the native Arab population.
Often, the Iranian government authorities in the Khuzestan refuse to register and issue birth identity cards to Arab newborn-babies, who do not assume Persian or Shiite names. Names of cities, towns, villages, rivers and other geographical landmarks were changed from Arabic to Persian during the previous Pahalavi regimes. These historical Arabic names existed for centuries. The regime refuses to consent to the Ahwazi Arabs’ request to change the names of these landmarks back to their historical Arabic names.
This regime, like the previous one in Iran, prevents any public mention of the Ahwazi Arab minority population. It has imposed a silence and news blockades in the national and international media against the existence of Arabs in Iran.
Iranian government in the past 8 years, a ironically in the past year since the election of Mr. Rouhani, intensified its campaign of repression against Arab freedom fighters, human rights and political activists and students by publically executing over 30 activists including writers, poets, high school teacher Mr. Shabani, Rasehedi.
Notwithstanding all the oppression, various Ahwaz-Arab political parties as well as Ahwazi-Arab confederation of tribal leaders are against and reject all forms of terrorism and violence. They struggle for the establishments of a civil society and strengthening the principles of democratic values.
Good or bad, defeat and suppression of various anti-regime democratic movements in Iran has proven that
All constituent members of Iranian society must participants in any democratic transformation. The recent June 2009 Green movement that remained confined to the capital Tehran and was crushed has shown that unless the movement can expand and spread throughout the country to the Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, Balochi and Turmen regions, the chances of any democratic transformation will be a challenging one - that is these oppressed ethnic, linguistics and religious minorities, along the women, students, youth and workers, will play a critical role in future of Iran.
for more information about the panel please click on the lick below :
