Zoroastrian Representative Protests Against Welfare Organization Circular
Esfandiar Akhtiarian, representative of Zoroastrians in parliament, in a letter to the labor minister, described the welfare organization’s circular banning the employment of instructors from religious minorities in kindergartens as discriminatory, strange, and contrary to article three of the constitution.
Employment of personnel from religious minorities in Iranian kindergartens has been prohibited. According to a circular issued by the welfare organization, the hiring of instructors from religious minorities for direct instruction of approved educational content for children is not permitted. Section 19 of this circular explicitly states: “The employment of personnel from religious minorities under any title in kindergartens, except for kindergartens designated for religious minorities, is prohibited.”
Masoud Asima, director general of public relations for the organization, explained this decision: “Given that the educational content of kindergartens in general and religious educational content in particular have been prepared and drafted using the foundations of the Islamic faith, it is necessary that these subjects be implemented in kindergartens by trained instructors.”
Simultaneously, responding to criticism from social media users, he stated: “This restriction applies solely to approved general and religious education, and there are no restrictions for these individuals in other sectors such as visual arts, sports, and music.”
On Monday, the 13th of Khordad, the Zoroastrian representative protested the circular by writing a letter to the labor minister, calling such an action “strange and discriminatory.”
Esfandiar Akhtiarian said: “It is clear that this notification is expressly contrary to the country’s laws, particularly section 9 of article 3 of the constitution, which is based on eliminating unjust discrimination and creating fair opportunities for everyone in all material and spiritual fields.
The Zoroastrian representative noted that despite the regrets expressed by the welfare organization’s director and his emphasis on resolving the issue, no action has been taken in this regard. Esfandiar Akhtiarian requested that the labor minister issue an order to nullify the section prohibiting the employment of religious minority personnel “so that we are no longer witnesses to these inhumane and unethical decisions toward followers of divine religions.”
The related circular contains 20 sections and was issued on the sixth of Khordad 1398.
Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Christian religious minorities are officially recognized in the constitution of the Islamic Republic. Articles 19 and 20 of this constitution, while specifying equal rights for all people of any ethnicity and tribe, emphasize that color, race, language, and the like shall not constitute a cause for preference.
Koroush Niknam, a Zoroastrian Mobed and former parliament representative, previously stated that legal discrimination and employment deprivations play a fundamental role in the negative population growth of minorities. In the 2011 census, the population of Zoroastrians in Iran was reported as 25,271 people.
Source: DW
