| Ethnic Minorities In Iran |
Article Index for Ethnic |
Shopping Minorities |
Website Links For Ethnic |
Information AboutEthnic Minorities In Iran |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ETHNIC MINORITIES IN IRAN | |
| ethnic groups in iran | |
|
OVERVIEW Iran is an ethnically diverse state, with Persian s forming the majority of the population. The main ethno-linguistic minority groups in Iran include the Azeris , Kurds , Arabs , Baluchi s, Turkmen , Armenians , and Assyrians . The tribal groups include the Bakhtiari s, Khamseh , Lurs , Qashqai , as well as others. Though many of the tribal groups have become urbanized over the decades, some continue to function as rural Tribal Societies . Ethnicity/race: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%. Many of these ethnic groups have their own Language s, Culture s, and often Literature . Their differences occasionally emerge as political ambitions. Some of these groups are also Religious Minorities . For instance, the majority of Kurds and Baluchi s are Sunni Muslims, while the state religion in Iran is Shi'a Islam. The overwhelming majority of Persians and Azeri s are Shi'a. One of the major internal policy challenges during the centuries up until now for most or all Iranian governments has been to find the appropriate and balanced approach to the difficulties and opportunities caused by this diversity, particularly as this internal diversity has often been readily utilized by foreign powers. CURRENT POLICY The current governmental policy can be characterised by a mixture of celebrating and furthering cultural diversity under a joint Iranian national umbrella, while holding down (occasionally violently) political Separatism . Some ethnic minorities have reported Racial or Religious Discrimination . Many Iranian provinces have Radio and Television stations in local language or dialect. School education is in Persian , the Iranian Official Language , but use of Regional Language s is allowed under the Constitution Of The Islamic Republic . Article 15 of Iran's constitution stipulates: "The Official Language and script of Iran, the lingua franca of its people, is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and texts, as well as text-books, 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." Article 19 of the constitution adds: "All people of Iran, whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong, enjoy equal rights; color, race, language, and the like, do not bestow any privilege." However, human rights groups have accused the Iranian government of violating constitutional guarantees of equality. In a report entitled ''Iran: New government fails to address dire human rights situation'', published in February 2006, Amnesty International says: Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, individuals belonging to minorities in Iran, who are believed to number about half of the population of about 70 millions, are subject to an array of discriminatory laws and practices. These include land and property confiscations, denial of state and para-statal employment under the gozinesh criteria and restrictions on social, cultural, linguistic and religious freedoms which often result in other human rights violations such as the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience, grossly unfair trials of political prisoners before Revolutionary Courts, corporal punishment and use of the death penalty, as well as restrictions on movement and denial of other civil rights. {Link without Title} Many members of ethnic minorities have made a successful political career. Most provincial governors and many members of the local ruling classes and clergy are members of the relevant ethnic groups. Many, if not most, members of the national cultural and political elite have mixed roots. Separatist tendencies, led by some groups such as the in Iran which was the second independent Kurdish state of the 20th Century , after the Republic Of Ararat in modern Turkey ; and the second time after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 . Similar tendencies have been observed in other provinces such as Baluchistan , Khuzestan (see '' Ethnic Politics Of Khuzestan '') and Iranian Azerbaijan . HISTORICAL NOTES Iran (then called Persia ) traditionally was governed over the last few centuries in a fairly decentralised way with much regional and local autonomy. In particular, weaker members of the Qajar Dynasty often did not rule much beyond the capital Tehran , a fact exploited by the imperial powers Britain and Russia in the 19th Century . Reza Shah Pahlavi , and to a lesser degree his son Mohammed Reza Pahlavi , successfully strengthened the central government by using reforms, bribes and suppressions. In particular, the Bakhtiaris, Kurds, and Lurs until the late 1940s required persistent military measures to keep them under governmental control. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|