Ethnic diversity has been part of Iran’s history since ancient times. Iran is a diverse country representing many cultures, languages, and customs and has several major ethnic minorities including Fars, Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Baluch, Bakhtiaris, Kurds, Lors, and Turkmens. Although each of these groups is unique and deserving of its own evaluation and advocacy, by and large, ethnic communities suffer from four major challenges: extreme poverty and unemployment; hazardous environmental conditions; restrictions on practicing their language and customs, social derision, and discrimination; and arbitrary arrests and likelihood of execution.
The social struggles of Iran’s ethnic minorities predate the Islamic revolution. Societal intolerance and exclusion set the stage for institutional and individual discrimination that has persisted and intensified. A lack of social acceptance and respect is embedded in governmental institutions, placing ethnic communities at a considerable disadvantage.
For instance, Afghan immigrants, including children born to at least one Afghan parent in Iran, suffer from discrimination and marginalization as they are denied identification documents. Without identification many lack access basic resources such as food and shelter. This hinders the Afghans ability to integrate in the society and provide for their families, creating an environment of desperation. Capitalizing on this desperation many Afghan immigrants, including children, are recruited to fight proxy wars with promise of basic social services.
Additionally, ethnic minorities are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned on the grounds of national security charges. Once arrested, they reportedly face harsher physical torture than their Persian counterparts and are more likely to face execution. Kurdish and Baluch groups suffer from a disproportionate rate of executions which are usually happen on a mass scale and hidden from world view. In one instance, as reported by an Iranian government official, nearly all men living in towns in the Sistan and Baluchistan region were executed on the grounds of national security.
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