Zoroastrian representative protests against welfare directive
Esfandiar Ekhtari, a Zoroastrian representative in parliament, wrote to the Minister of Labor that the Welfare Ministry's circular prohibiting the employment of teachers from religious minorities in kindergartens was discriminatory, strange, and contrary to the third article of the Constitution.
The employment of personnel from religious minorities in kindergartens in Iran has been banned. According to a circular issued by the Welfare Organization, the employment of instructors from religious minorities to directly teach children approved educational content is not permitted. Paragraph 19 of this circular explicitly states: “The employment of personnel from religious minorities under any title in kindergartens, other than those specifically designated for religious minorities, is prohibited.”
Masoud Asima, the organization's director general of public relations, explained this decision: "Given that the educational content of kindergartens in general and religious educational content in particular are prepared and compiled using the fundamentals of the Islamic religion, it is essential that these topics be implemented in kindergartens by trained educators."
At the same time, in response to criticism from social media users, he said: "This restriction only includes approved public and religious education, and there are still no restrictions on the activities of these dear ones in other sectors such as visual arts, sports, and music."
On Monday, June 3, a Zoroastrian representative wrote a letter to the Minister of Labor protesting this circular, calling such a move "strange and discriminatory."
Esfandiar Ekhtari says: "It is clear that this announcement is clearly contrary to the laws of the country, especially Article 9, Article 3 of the Constitution, which states that unfair discrimination should be eliminated and fair opportunities should be created for everyone, in all material and spiritual fields."
The Zoroastrian representative noted that despite the Welfare Department head's regret and his emphasis on resolving the problem, no action has been taken in this regard. Esfandiar Ekhtari asked the Minister of Labor to issue an order to revoke the clause prohibiting the employment of religious minority personnel "so that we no longer witness these inhumane and immoral decisions for followers of divine religions."
The relevant circular has 20 clauses and was issued on June 25, 2019.
The Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Christian religious minorities are recognized in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic. Articles 19 and 20 of this law also stipulate the equal rights of all people of every ethnicity and tribe, emphasizing that color, race, language, and the like will not be a reason for privilege.
Kourosh Niknam, a Zoroastrian cleric and former member of parliament, has previously said that legal discrimination and employment deprivation play a major role in the negative growth of the minority population. In the 2011 census, the Zoroastrian population of Iran was reported to be 25,271.
Source: DW
