Mother Tongue: A Right That Belongs to Me 'A Right That Belongs to All'

(What you read is a reprint of a piece published in 2009 on the Radio Farda website) Language... and nearly six thousand other names for just one concept; you and I can hear each other, understand each other, establish a relationship. We can write, convey thoughts, mindsets, and even images to one another. To honor the human identity that 'language' delineates and to not forget this intricate device of thought transfer that simply distinguishes humans from other beings, the United Nations has designated February 21 as International Mother Language Day. A day 'to remember the undeniable right that belongs to all': speaking in one's mother tongue or perhaps, as the German pianist and comedian Bodo Wartke puts it, 'the right to say in all the languages of the world: I love you.' But is honoring such an undeniable right as simple as listening to the melodious and multilingual song of the German comedian? If it were, perhaps the flames of many wars would not have consumed the homes of people. The United Nations has also named a day International Mother Language Day to avoid such widespread fires. UNESCO, the scientific and cultural organization of the United Nations, states in the introduction to the speeches of the Mother Language gathering at the beginning of the 21st century: 'Multilingualism is the root of what brings us to mutual understanding and empathy. As a result, translation and learning languages are the foundation of solidarity and unity among humanity.' See: UNESCO Atlas of Languages at Risk of Extinction (Radio Farda is not responsible for the content of other websites) A familiar word in a familiar script, even for people from various ethnicities and nationalities. Language; an undeniable right In UNESCO's atlas of languages at risk of extinction, 25 languages can be found in the land of Iran; among them are Tati, Ashtiani, Gazi, or Natanz. [See: Atlas of Endangered Languages in Iran] However, apart from these small languages, whose survival depends on the research and academic mechanisms of each country, Iran is one of the countries in the world where large ethnic and tribal groups live and speak languages that are not even part of the Indo-European language family (to which Persian belongs). Iranian ethnic groups, including Turks, Kurds, Baluchis, and Turkmen, despite having the constitutional right to 'learn' in their mother tongue (Article 15 of the Constitution), the Iranian government has not yet granted them this guaranteed right. Among those who took control of the government after the 1979 revolution, few spoke of this legal 'right.' One of the clerics who expressed an opinion on this matter was Ayatollah Montazeri. In the last months of his life and in response to one of his followers, he considered the right to speak in one's ethnic language as a 'religious' right. Mir Hossein Mousavi was also one of the politicians who spoke on this issue. Before the controversial presidential election of 2009, he stated in Tabriz, referring to Article 15 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution: 'I believe that teaching in the mother tongue for the entire country is not only not a threat but an opportunity.' However, the announced results of the tenth election took that potential 'opportunity' away as well. Solidarity, Division Language can - as the United Nations desires - be the basis of unity and solidarity among citizens, but it can also fuel disputes and divisions. With all the concerns that range from the United Nations to citizens of every land, it sometimes seems that it is not necessarily 'language' that causes disputes and divisions among ethnic groups. The role of Iranian ethnic groups on old stamps Years before the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia, learning, teaching, and being taught in the mother tongue was respected for both Czechs and Slovaks. After the Prague Spring in 1969, Czechoslovakia was administered federally, and in both the Czech and Slovak sections, the mother tongue of both ethnic groups was the official and legal language. State television broadcast news in both languages, and both ethnic groups learned both languages in schools. However, the disputes among Czech and Slovak politicians, who distanced themselves from each other after the fall of communism and the onset of democracy in Czechoslovakia, escalated to the point that it ultimately led to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. In the borders of Iran, one can also look to the Indian subcontinent, where shortly after liberation from colonialism, significant changes occurred; in 1947, Pakistan separated from India. Five years later, on February 21, 1952, in East Pakistan, police opened fire on Bengali protesters demanding to learn in their mother tongue, killing four and leading to widespread protests. Bangladesh eventually became an independent country, but this day was named International Mother Language Day in memory of the victims of that incident. Today, according to official government statistics, there are 114 languages in India, and in the Indian Constitution, in addition to Hindi, more than 20 other languages are recognized. Urdu and Bengali are among them. Familiar roles for one, an unfamiliar script for another. Many people do not write their words but 'paint' them. A temple in Tokyo Threat? Every year on International Mother Language Day, some Iranian media address this issue and through it, the problems and challenges of Iranian ethnic groups, presenting various viewpoints. In addition, various blogs and different social and political movements can be found on the internet that are 'against', 'in favor', collecting signatures, or inviting like-minded individuals for a rally in one of the European countries. All of this can also include various groups on social media. Despite all these virtual events, the mother tongue is not a topic that can be easily and publicly discussed. In Iran, it is even difficult to find a conference or gathering that discusses the mother tongue and Iranian ethnic groups. On October 10 of this year, the Strategic Research Center (affiliated with the Expediency Discernment Council) in Iran held a lesser-known conference titled 'Futurology of Collective Identities in Iran', where 'mother tongue', the lack of access to such a right, and its potential impact on separatist actions were discussed. In any case, the idea of finding a ready and immediate answer to such a question seems unlikely with just one or two random conferences, especially since it is not yet seen that the Iranian government has a special program to address it. In fact, some of those who work towards achieving ethnic rights in Iran believe that discussing issues such as the right to learn in the mother tongue is always considered a 'security threat'; Taher Shir Mohammadi, a Turkmen journalist in Germany, tells Radio Farda, 'The Islamic Republic has viewed the language issue of ethnic groups in Iran as a threat since its inception. That is, it has not evaluated this issue as a spiritual treasure and a cultural privilege in Iran. If it had, Article 15 of the Constitution would have been implemented by now.' On the other hand, it seems that the 'importance' of learning and teaching in the mother tongue is not the same for all individuals. Elham Adnani Pour, an Iranian sociologist residing in Sweden, tells Radio Farda, 'The importance of the mother tongue for humans becomes clear when they either live as a minority in their own country or as migrants in another country.' However, in conditions where in some areas of Iran, publications in the local language can be found, there are also numerous programs from the state radio and television not only in the languages used in Iran but also in several other living languages for different countries around the world, many still ask why Iranian ethnic groups have not yet attained the right to learn and teach the literature of their mother tongue.