The Persian dominant ethnic group (less than 50 percent of the state total population) is ruling Iran in the name of the Persian Aryan race and Shiite Islam. The rulers and ministers, judges, diplomats, army officers and executives must be follower of the Shiite sect of Islam. The ruling elite have been claiming legitimacy from the Persian ethno-Nation and Shiite religion for political legitimacy. Tall claim about Aryan ancestry but there is nothing Aryan in Qizilbash.
Iran like many other nation states is divided along ethnic and religious faulty lines. Competition between different ethnic groups have escalated into conflicts; thus in Tehran between the Turk and Persian the two dominant groups in Ahwaz between Arab and Persian, Shiite and Sunni, in Baluchistan between Baluch and Persian, Shiite and Sunni, in Kurdistan between Kurd and Persian Shiite, Sunni.
The Safavid dynasty Qizilbash a Turkic tribe 1501 to 1722 established Twelver school of Shiite Islam and Safavid dynasty was the beginning of the Shiite dynastic rules and the founder of Iran (Persia till 1935). Since 1501 the Shiite religion has been only mobilising source to bond the Persian to Shiite Arab, Shiite Azari-Turk , Gilani people (Gilaki) against Sunni Ottoman Caliph in 17th century later against the Kurd, Baluch inside Iran and the external Sunni majority world.
The ethnic politics in Iran have been suppressed by Persian and religious elite. Claim to ethnicity is treated as a crime. The tension between Persian and Azari-Turk that have been united and fused by religious for centuries will not survive the modern age. The Iranian Turk and Persian or Iranian Arab and Turk apart from Shiite religion have little in common. The ethnic politics is in rise.
The Baluch, Arab, and Kurd have been excluded from policy making and political power on the basis of their ethnic and religious background.
People are the only legitimate source of power. Popular vote has delegitimised dynastic rule and popular vote is delegitimising the religious rules and it has opened the ethnics cleavage because people vote locally on local issue those issues has been suppressed by Tehran politician. The doctrine of individual autonomy and national self-determination and rise of ethnic politics has encouraged the Azari-Turk to challenge the religious elites in Tehran as well as in Azerbaijan.
The Baluch and others ethnic groups exclusion from power have provided the golden opportunities to ethnics nationalism to mobilise their Masses and overthrow the system of government and seize power on behalf of their population. In the past Iranian solve the Baluch nationalist conflicts by buying off the educated as well as tribal chiefs and they will not stop using the Baluch power against the Baluch. Recently the Shiite elite in Tehran have recruited 10000 Baluch border guards to supress the Baluch religious demand and nationalist.
The economic mismanagement, insecurity and competition among Iranian elite over the state power denies the Persian and religious elite opportunities to solve the ethnic conflicts inside Iran between different rival ethnic groups.
The Baluch educated, nationalist, religious scholars notable and tribal chiefs have been ignored and humiliated by Tehran direct rule. And their culture, religion, way of life have been ignored by alien.
The Baluch in Iran are subjected to active targeted formal and informal discrimination with intention of excludes them from regional and National powers.
The surge of ethnic politics in the region and the world, the legitimate claim to national self-determination has legitimised the Baluch struggle for National liberation. If the organisational and resources are discussed and the Baluch masses are mobilised, the conditions in the western Baluchistan can lead the Baluch struggle for the national liberation to National liberation.
M. Sarjov is a political activist based in London strives for an independent Baluchistan.
