For all the years of existence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, nothing like this has happened in this country, the current wave of anti-government protests against the regime in Iran is something exceptional, Professor of US Naval Post Graduate School and member of the American Political Science Association Brenda Shaffer told Report's correspondent, sent to Zangilan and Jabrayil districts.
What is happening now in Iran is exceptional, because the population is not only demanding a change in policy or candidate, or because of the elections, people are demanding a completely new system of government, she said, adding that what happens in individual provinces of Iran is very important.
Commenting on the Iranian events, standing on the bank of the Araz River, near the Khudafarin bridge, Brenda Shaffer emphasized that the provinces of Ardabil, East Azarbaijan are on the other side of the river.
These dramatic events are taking place literally a few meters away, not only in large cities, but also in small villages, small places, she said, adding that this is because people see how some groups have freedoms, while others in Iran cannot have schools in their native language, and this applies to more than half of the population of the country, for example, in Azerbaijan there are schools in other national languages, while in Iran, it is forbidden for certain groups, such as Azerbaijanis or Balochs, for example.
According to the professor, her new book entitled ‘Iran Is More Than Persia’ will be released soon, which is obvious, since more than a third of the population of Iran are ethnic Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War had a much greater impact on the growth of self-consciousness, self-identification of Azerbaijanis in Iran. Many became more active, feeling pride in Azerbaijan’s achievements during the war, she said.