Statement Condemning the Series “Ghorbat” and Its Attempts to Distort the Ahwazi Identity
In continuation of the systematic Iranian racist approach targeting the Ahwazi identity in the occupied Al-Ahwaz, Iranian media has aired a television series titled “Ghorbat” (meaning “Estrangement”). This media production has turned into a tool for promoting a narrow, racist Persian ideology that seeks to impose Persianisation and distort the Ahwazi people’s authentic Arab values.
The series portrays Arab characters stereotypically and negatively, focusing on alleged negative aspects of Arab culture. It depicts an Arab man from Ahwaz, addicted to drugs, who forces his daughter into a temporary marriage and to sleep with several men, thus presenting a distorted and humiliating image of Arabs, reflecting a condescending view towards them.
The series aims to convey the message that the Arab identity in Ahwaz is an obstacle to progress and development, portraying the Arab citizens as backwards. This is part of the discriminatory policies practised by the Iranian occupation regime against the Ahwazi nation, as they are Arabs who hold firmly to their Arab identity. The series also uses derogatory language to insult Arabs in general and Ahwazis in particular, which reflects the Persian racism towards the Ahwazi Arab culture and identity.
As a result of this hostile media approach, tension has escalated within Al-Ahwaz. The Ahwazi people see these productions as a deliberate provocation to their dignity and an ongoing attempt to erase their Arab identity and culture. This underscores the urgent need for international intervention to stop the spread of such harmful narratives.
While the director, Amir Pourkian, has issued an apology for the series, we must ensure that this apology is genuine and not a result of fear of backlash. We call on the international community to unite in pressuring Iran to cease its discriminatory policies in Ahwaz and to respect human rights. It is vital that we stand together in solidarity with the Ahwazi nation in their struggle for their legitimate rights and the preservation of their Arab identity and culture.
The series’ Ghorbat’ is just one chapter in a long history of dramatic works aimed at justifying the discriminatory policies of the Iranian occupation regime against the Ahwazis as authentic Arabs. This dangerous approach seeks to undermine the Arab identity and weaken the national spirit among the Ahwazi people. However, the Ahwazi people’s awareness of these Persian practices and their resistance against them is a beacon of hope, the first step towards achieving justice and equality for Ahwazi’s national rights.
Additionally, the Iranian occupation regime has completely ignored the presence of Ahwazi in the regime’s report to the United Nations’s Universal Periodic Review. Similarly, the Iranian media, while showing the different idols representing the diversity of people in the so-called Iranian map, the press did not place any idol for the Ahwazi people, which in turn turned into mass protest in Al-Ahwaz.
Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights
26-08-2024
