Seven months have passed since the birth of the child of Sajjad Joulani, a resident of Ardabil, a saz singer, and singer. However, the activist has not yet been able to obtain a passport for his daughter. Azerbaijani activist Sajjad Joulani spoke about this issue in an interview with Anadolu news agency journalist Mustafa Melih Ahishali.
“My wife and I wanted to name our daughter Ayil. For this, we applied to the Sabte Mood Department of Ardabil. However, we were told that this name was not on the list and that we could not choose such a name. They said we could only choose from the names on the list, “he said. The activist said three finalists who taught Persian language and literature in Tehran would make a final decision on the issue. The activist noted that the name fully corresponds to the culture of Azerbaijanis living in Iran and means “be aware” in Persian.
He stressed that Azerbaijani Turks have been subjected to the policy of assimilation in Iran since the time of Riza Shah Pahlavi in 1925. He stated that this process continued after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “They are not just interfering in the choice of names for our children. They also Persianize the names of geographical places of Azerbaijan. For example, Agchay-Sefidrud, Savalan-Sabalan, Goshachay-Miandoab, Palmayer-Pormehr were renamed, “Coulani said.
It should be noted that the blind artist Coulani took part in a rally in support of Karabakh held on September 29 last year in Ciral Park in Ardabil. For this reason, he was arrested and physically abused. He was later released on bail.
