9.4 South of the Border

Winter 2001 (9.4)
Page 11

Reader's Forum
South of the Border

I'm from South Azerbaijan [in present-day Iran]. I study at Tehran University and am interested and concerned about our nation, its culture, language and history. I would like to translate some of the articles from Azerbaijan International to Farsi or Azeri using the Arabic script. Please grant permission to translate the Mammad Amin Rasulzade article (Autumn 1999, AI 7.3). Also would it be possible to ask his grandson Rais Rasulzade to write something of an introduction for Iranian readers?

You ask what Azerbaijanis in Iran are thinking about. The ones I meet seem to be interested in one of two nationalistic directions: Azeri or Turkic. Some of the ideas I hear being discussed in relation to the "Turkic" trend include: (1) The contemporary history of the Turkic world; (2) whether a common Turkic language would be possible along the lines of Arabic; (3) Turkic forefathers such as Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Ismayil Gaspirali, Seyyed Jafar Pishevari and others; (4) philosophical discussion about nationalism and identity; (5) the past, present and future of relationships among Turkic countries and groups; and (6) Turkic minorities around the world.

Erfan
Tehran (Iran)

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From Azerbaijan International (9.4) Winter 2001.
© Azerbaijan International 2002. All rights reserved.