Mother Tongues in Iran; When Even the President Abandons His Mother Tongue

Less than a week ago, Masoud Pezeshkian, as the President of Iran, received a warning while reciting a poem in Turkish at a public ceremony, which led him to stop his recitation in that language. International Mother Language Day, celebrated annually on February 21 (2 Esfand), was designated by UNESCO in 1999 to preserve and promote linguistic and cultural diversity. This day commemorates an event in 1952 in Dhaka, the current capital of Bangladesh, when students protested against the Pakistani government's decision to impose Urdu as the sole official language, resulting in the deaths of several of them. This event ultimately led to the independence of Bangladesh and the recognition of the Bengali language. What is the status of mother languages in the world and Iran, and why does the Islamic Republic, contrary to what is stated in the country's constitution, easily reject the strengthening and promotion of any non-Persian mother language, and what are the consequences? According to recent research (2019 to 2022), about 7,100 living languages are spoken worldwide. However, this number is constantly changing as some languages disappear, some evolve, and sometimes new languages are discovered. Some statistics indicate that 40 to 50 percent of these languages are at risk of extinction, especially as the number of their speakers is very small. In contrast, only 23 languages cover more than half of the world's population. English, Mandarin (Chinese), Hindi, Spanish, French, and Arabic are the most spoken languages in the world. The point is that languages are a significant part of the cultural and identity capital of any society, and when they are marginalized, parts of the history, literature, music, traditions, and culture of the people are also forgotten. Iran is one of the countries with significant linguistic diversity, home to various ethnic groups and speakers. Estimates suggest that at least 75 different languages and dialects are prevalent in Iran, the most important of which are Persian, Azerbaijani Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Balochi, Turkmen, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Lori, and Tati. This linguistic diversity places Iran among multilingual countries, but it faces challenges in language management. National solidarity in countries with diverse ethnicities and languages is heavily dependent on how linguistic and cultural management is handled. In Iran, the Persian language has played a significant role as a unifying national element, but some language issues have led to challenges in social cohesion, the most important of which is the issue of 'feeling of participation or exclusion.' In countries where minority languages are recognized in the educational and administrative systems, linguistic groups feel more involved in the political and social system. However, in Iran, some ethnic groups feel discrimination and neglect due to limitations on education in their mother tongue, which can also impact national solidarity. This is while, according to Article 15 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which declares Persian as the official language and script of the country, 'the use of local and ethnic languages in the press and media and the teaching of their literature in schools, alongside Persian, is free.' However, in practice, education in mother languages is rarely implemented in the country's formal educational system, leading to dissatisfaction and a sense of discrimination among some non-Persian-speaking ethnic groups. Comparing Iran's linguistic diversity with other countries, some countries like Iran have significant linguistic diversity but have adopted different methods to manage it: India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with 22 official languages and education in mother languages being possible in various states. This policy has managed to maintain national unity while allowing linguistic diversity. Switzerland has four official languages (German, French, Italian, and Romansh), and each region receives educational and administrative services based on its language. A notable point is the demographic distribution of these official languages: German accounts for about 62 percent, French about 23 percent, Italian about 8 percent, and Romansh only about one percent of the total population; a situation of cultural diversity that has also played a significant role in the national identity of the people of this country. Canada has two official languages (English and French) and has allowed the province of Quebec to set its own language policies. Despite this, the language issue has created tensions at times, but overall, the participation of various ethnic groups in political decision-making has strengthened solidarity. In China, despite high linguistic diversity, the government has imposed Mandarin as the primary language, and some minority languages have come under pressure, leading to social protests. Education in Iran and the challenge of mother languages: Iran's linguistic diversity is similar to that of countries like India and China, but the official policy of the Islamic Republic, like that of the Pahlavi era, is closer to a monolingual model (like China) and fundamentally does not pay attention to multilingual models like Switzerland or India. Language management, focused on a Persian-centric monolingualism while resisting the preservation and strengthening of other indigenous and ethnic languages, is what has fueled feelings of exclusion and alienation among some ethnic groups instead of national solidarity. In other words, it can be said that the Persian language is considered a unifying factor for the country, but recognizing and strengthening indigenous languages can also help increase the sense of national solidarity, and the experiences of successful countries show that multilingual policies are not only not a threat to national unity but can also strengthen it. National unity or security concerns? Despite the fact that the lack of formal education in mother languages and the focus of the media on the Persian language have led to a decrease in the use of local languages, especially among younger generations, grassroots and non-governmental efforts to revive indigenous languages, including holding educational classes and publishing books in local languages, continue; a situation that sometimes takes on a political aspect in the government's response, to the extent that some language rights activists have faced security and judicial pressures for their efforts to promote and teach their mother tongue. For example, Zahra Mohammadi, a Kurdish language education activist who voluntarily taught Kurdish for 12 years in Sanandaj and its surrounding villages, was arrested in 2019 on charges related to mother language education and ultimately sentenced to five years in prison in 2021. Another noteworthy example occurred on February 15 of this year when Masoud Pezeshkian, the President, received a warning during a public ceremony in Tabriz while reading a poem in Turkish and decided not to finish the poem after this warning, stating, 'Well, it doesn't matter; reciting two Turkish poems doesn't create a problem.' Apparently, from the perspective of the Islamic Republic, any promotion of non-Persian mother languages is considered a 'political-security problem.' It should not be forgotten that in the educational system of the Islamic Republic, the teaching of Arabic (though not as the language of the Arab minority in Iran) is mandatory in schools, while, according to experts, about one-third of students in Iran do not have the opportunity to learn their mother language even at a basic level. One of the main reasons the Islamic Republic resists strengthening mother languages is the concern over the strengthening of ethnic identities and the increase of autonomy demands. The government believes that granting official status to local languages could lead to the expansion of ethnic sentiments and ultimately threaten the territorial integrity of the country. On the other hand, the government in Iran has introduced Persian as the common national language and a factor of national cohesion from the Pahlavi era to the present, arguing that having a common official language facilitates communication and coexistence among ethnic groups and prevents the formation of separate linguistic islands. However, the main reason for this, especially in the Islamic Republic, may be the issue of 'cultural and ideological dominance,' particularly considering the compulsory teaching of Arabic as the language of Islam and the Quran, and the government's desire for cultural and linguistic uniformity. In fact, overall, the language policies of the Islamic Republic indicate that the existing restrictions in this area are due to an ideological and security perspective on mother languages and are oblivious to the sociologists' recommendations that neglecting the linguistic rights of ethnic groups can lead to increased social discontent and weaken the sense of national belonging among a wide range of the country's population.