Iran has a habit of defending minorities’ human rights in Arab countries. But what about their own?
I attended a conference in Istanbul, Turkey, last week, organized by the Ummaya Center for Research and Strategic Studies. Under the title, “The reality of human and minority rights in Iranian society,” Turk, Arab and Iranian researchers discussed the status of minorities in Iran.
It may surprise many to learn that only a third of Iranians are Farsi. The rest are Arab, Kurd, Balochi, Turk, Azerbaijani, and others. While the Shia sect makes up the majority (60%) of the population, they, however, are not all equal! While the Farsi Shiites are treated as “first class” citizens, others, mostly Arabs, are not as privileged.
Most Shiite Arabs live in Al-Ahwas area (Arabstan), on the Arabian Gulf, where most mineral treasures are located, including 70-80% of petrol and gas reserves. Their land hosts the major ports of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas, and it is where the largest nuclear station is based. It is also the only part of Iran that has access to the Arabian Gulf.
The Ahwasi Arab who attended the conference presented a detailed picture of the situation in his homeland. Since Iran occupied his Arab Emirate, 1925, it implemented a systematic program to erase its culture, history and language.
The land that produced most Iranian wealth is much poorer and less developed than the Farsi land. Jobs, especially in public service, are given more to Shiite Farsi. University seats, and leadership positions in military, ministries, parliament, diplomatic and political departments have a glass ceiling for all minorities, especially Sunnis and Arabs.
The Constitution defines the state as Shiite, and the sect as Jafari. While it doesn’t define Iran as Farsi, most leaders, since the ancient empires, came from Farsi race.
Similarly, the Sunni Kurds and Bloch are not treated as equal citizens. Sunni Farsis are also discriminated against, but fare much better than Shiite Arabs. However, in Tehran, today, there is not a single Sunni mosque. The last one was demolished last year. At the same time, Jewish synagogues and Christian churches are permitted.
Azerbaijanis are Shiite too. But since they come from Turkish origins, the Farsi government won’t give them equal citizenship rights, too. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is Azeri, but he is a descendent of Al-Hussein, the second son of Caliph Ali and Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Al-Hussein won a special place in Farsi Shiism for two reasons: One, they failed him in the Karbala battle, and he was killed because of their treason. The second reason is the fact that Al-Hussein married a slave, who happened to be the daughter of the last Farsi king. Shiite holy imams are in the direct line of this marriage.
The Balochis have more difficult problem. They come from Balochistan, an arid region on the Iranian plateau in southwestern Asia, named after the native Baloch tribes. Being Sunni, brought them double discrimination. Proud and strong as they are, they fought the Farsi domination for ages. The vicious circle of violence is increasing with the state’s ruthless suppression of the Balochis.
The Kurds too do not fare any better. They, too, fought the Farsi domination during the Shah rule and since the Islamic revolution. They received help from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Israel and the West, at different times. They nurtured for ages an enduring dream of a united Kurdistan (the land of the Kurds) that includes parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. In addition, they complain about discrimination — that they are forbidden to study their own language, culture and heritage.
In recent years, Turkey, Iraq and Syria have given Kurds most of their demands, including self-rule in Iraq. Iran, however, gave them almost nothing. Like other Muslim minorities, they have been forced to study and speak Farsi. As untrusted Sunnis, they have no say, and were given no prominent positions in government, army, security, academic or intelligence.
As much repressed are opposition groups. The Revolutionary Guards’ main job is to guard the Islamic Revolution from perceived enemies. They are not part of the government, answering only to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Guards harshly put down the Green Revolution that erupted in response to the rigging of the 2009 presidential elections. Al-Quds Force, headed by Gen. Qasem Soleimani, is responsible for international military interventions and “missions” against enemies such as Iranian dissidents abroad.
In such an environment, I believe, Iran is a country in disintegration. Like the Soviet Union, their military spending and adventures will eventually bankrupt them. Meanwhile, the world community should investigate and help. Human rights violations are crimes against humanity. Iran should be forced to stop such violations and respect minorities’ rights.
Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at kbatarfi@gmail.com. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
