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Separatism in Iran

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Iran ethnoreligious distribution (2004)

This page lists of separatist movements for the country of Iran. There are several separatist movements in Iran, most of which are associated with a particular minority ethnic group. Iran is a highly diverse country: in 2015, it was estimated that Persians―Iran's dominant ethnic group―only made up about 61% of the Iranian population.[1]

Some researchers believe that Iran's ethnic divisions present a viable threat to the country. They argue that the economically disenfranchisement of ethnic minorities, combined with policies to limit political, social, and cultural rights, promote further unrest.[2][3] A 2005 report by Amnesty International found that Iranian government supported policies that economically disenfranchised ethnic minorities and limit their political, social, and cultural rights.[3] Brenda Shaffer contends that ethnic divisions are a driving force behind the Mahsa Amini protests.[4]

Other researchers argue that the ethnic divide in Iran is overstated, pointing to a study that many people in Iran identify with more than one ethnic group.[5][6]

Khuzestan province

Main article: Arab separatism in Khuzestan
Khuzestan

Khuzestan is a region in the southwest which is inhabited by Khuzestani Arabs, who comprise about 33% of its population.[7] Arabs have lived the area that now consists of the Khuzestan province before it was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century.[8] Arab immigration continued during the Safavid and Qajar dynasties. These dynasties were not concerned with the language spoken in the region, and the region was not economically important until the early 20th century.[9] Supported by the British, Khuzestan was an independent state until it was conquered by Pahlavi Iran in 1924. After it was incorporated into Iran, the government tried to Persianize the region.[9] Following the Islamic Revolution and Saddam's invasion, Arab nationalisms and demands for autonomy grew. Several periods of unrest and insurgency took place in the region in the 21st century, including protests and an attack on the Revolutionary Guard[10] in 2018.

Groups like the Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz (which is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization) advocate for Khuzestan's independence[11] under the name Al-Ahwaz.[12] Militant organization advocating for Khuzestani independence include the National Liberation Movement of Ahwaz and the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz.[13][14][15]

Kurdistan

Main article: Kurdish separatism in Iran
Iranian Kurdistan

Historians debate when Kurdish separatism began to emerge, but most agree that it emerged as an ideology sometime in the early 20th century.[16] Following World War II, the Soviet Union established the Republic of Mahabad, an unrecognized puppet state, under which Kurdish nationalist sentiment grew. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDP or KDP-I), which led the Kurdish nationalist movement at the time, did not engage in serious conflict or government opposition until the Iranian revolution.[17] Kurdish anti-government action resumed in 1979, with the KDP even laying out a plan for an independent Iranian Kurdistan. However, the Iranian government cracked on the insurgency, with some reports saying that thousands of Kurds were arrested, imprisoned, or killed.[18] In the 1980s, Iran legalized Kurdish-language publishing to quell domestic nationalist sentiment and, during the Iran-Iraq war, even provided monetary support to Iraqi Kurdish separatist groups in an effort to destabilize Iraq.[18] In the 2000s, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) formed and has been engaged in a conflict with the Iranian government. Iranian officials have claimed that the PJAK is an Israeli and U.S. proxy,[19] and there are reports of both Israeli and U.S. involvement with the group, but this topic remains debated.[20][21][22] The U.S. designated the PJAK as a terrorist organization in 2009.[23]

Many current separatist movements advocate for the unification of Kurds in Turkey, Iraq and Syria to form Kurdistan or to create the Commonwealth of East Kurdistan.[24] Some political parties advocating for Kurdish independence from Iran include the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, which is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. Militant organizations advocating for Kurdish independence include Kurdistan Free Life Party and the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

Iranian Azerbaijan

Main article: Whole Azerbaijan
South Azerbaijan

This movement advocates for the independence of Azerbaijani majority territories in Iran. Separatists propose either an independent South Azerbaijan or unification with Azerbaijan.[25][26][27] Some political parties and militant organizations advocating for Azerbaijani separatism are the Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement and the Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization.

Sistan and Baluchestan

Main article: Insurgency in Balochistan
Sistan and Baluchestan

Separatists in Sistan and Baluchestan mainly advocate for the creation of a ethnically Baloch country called Balochistan, which would also include the Balochistan province of Pakistan and ethnically Baloch territories in Afghanistan.[28][29] One militant organization advocating for Baloch independence is Jaish ul-Adl.


References

  1. ^ "Iran". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Bradley, John R. (2007). "Iran's Ethnic Tinderbox" (PDF). The Washington Quarterly. 30 (1). The Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 181–190. Archived from the original on 26 Sep 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Iran New government fails to address dire human rights situation". Amnesty International. February 16, 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
  4. ^ Shaffer, Brenda (October 19, 2022). "How Iran's Ethnic Divisions Are Fueling the Revolt". Foreign Policy.
  5. ^ Zimmit, Raz (August 2, 2021). "The 'Balkanization' of Iran is a fantasy. Here's why". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Rasmus, Elling; Harris, Kevan (10 Mar 2021). "Difference in difference: language, geography, and ethno-racial identity in contemporary Iran". Ethnic and Racial Studies. doi:10.1080/01419870.2021.1895275.
  7. ^ Bahrani, Nawal; Modarresi Ghavami, Golnaz (August 2021). "Khuzestani Arabic". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 51 (2): 299–313. doi:10.1017/S0025100319000203. S2CID 235915108.
  8. ^ E. L. Daniel. "ARAB iii. Arab settlements in Iran". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  9. ^ a b Svat Soucek (1984). "Arabistan or Khuzistan". Iranian Studies.
  10. ^ "Iran's Revolutionary Guards targeted in Ahvaz military parade | News | al Jazeera". Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Iran's Troubled Provinces: Khuzestan".
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) National Libration [sic] Movement of Ahwaz
  13. ^ "Poverty, Separatism, And Bloody Memories Of War: Why Iran's Khuzestan Matters".
  14. ^ "Iran says it captured Arab separatist group leader suspected of military parade attack".
  15. ^ "Iranian Arab Separatism Through the Lens of Ahvaz".
  16. ^ Entessar, Nader (2010). Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. Lanham: Lexington Books. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7391-4039-0. OCLC 430736528.
  17. ^ Chelkowski, Peter J.; Pranger, Robert J. (1988). Ideology and Power in the Middle East: Studies in Honor of George Lenczowski. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 397-401. ISBN 978-0-8223-0781-5. OCLC 16923212.
  18. ^ a b Stokes, Jamie (2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East: p.390. ISBN 9781438126760. Archived from the original on 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  19. ^ "Iran kills, arrests people linked to gas pipeline blast". Reuters. August 1, 2011. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2017.,
  20. ^ Wood, Graeme (June 12, 2006). "Iran Bombs Iraq: Meet the Kurdish guerrillas who want to topple the Tehran regime". Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2006.
  21. ^ Hersh, Seymour M. (November 20, 2006). "The Next Act". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 23, 2006. Retrieved November 19, 2006.
  22. ^ Gunter, Michael M. (2020). "Iran's Forgotten Kurds". Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. 43 (2): 54–67. doi:10.1353/jsa.2020.0009. eISSN 2766-0176.
  23. ^ Treasury Designates Free Life Party of Kurdistan a Terrorist Organization (press release), U.S. Department of the Treasury, (February 4, 2009)
  24. ^ "Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan". Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
  25. ^ "Whole Azerbaijan Pdf".
  26. ^ "Bütöv Azerbaycan!". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  27. ^ "Elçibey'in "Birleşmiş Azerbaycan" ideolojisi – KAFKASSAM – Kafkasya Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi". 5 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  28. ^ Aryan, Hossein (22 October 2009). "Iran Offers Short-Term Solutions To Long-Term Problems". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  29. ^ SAAG (2016-11-16). "Greater Balochistan: A Quiet Frontier Set To Explode – Analysis". Eurasia Review. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
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