Iran entrenches persianization policy in Ahwaz through the cultural event “Yar Mehraban”

Iran continues its systematic policy of Persianization in occupied Ahwaz through cultural activities that outwardly promote reading but, in reality, aim to erase the Arab identity and impose Persian language and culture.

The Iranian Ministry of Guidance and Culture in Ahwaz announced the organization of an event titled “Yar Mehraban” (The Kind Friend) in the city of Ahwaz, with the participation of institutions affiliated with the regime, including colleges, universities, and Persian religious figures.

Iranian authorities claim that the purpose of this event is to “encourage reading.” However, its programs and content focus entirely on Persian literature, while the Arabic language the native language of the Ahwazi people is completely absent.

The event includes readings from the Persian epic “Shahnameh,” theatrical performances, and children’s sections, all designed to promote Persian culture within Ahwazi society, including in rural and working-class areas.

Ahwazi intellectuals believe that Iran uses such activities as part of an organized cultural project aimed at erasing the authentic Arab and Islamic identity of Ahwaz.

They emphasize that these events take place while Arabic books are banned, Arab cultural centers are shut down, and Ahwazi writers and artists are persecuted.

Observers point out that the so-called “Yar Mehraban Festival” falls within Iran’s broader Persianization strategy, in which educational, cultural, and religious institutions under Tehran’s control are used to spread Persian ideology and alter the linguistic and cultural structure of Ahwaz.

Thus, according to activists, these events have shifted from being cultural initiatives to soft colonial tools used to impose a foreign identity on the Arab land of Ahwaz.