“Afghan Refugees” Victims of Discrimination in Iran
Introduction
Afghan refugees have entered Iran as war-torn refugees since the 1970s. The refugee in the first place wants refugee accepting countries to provide them of basic humanitarian assistance. According to the Ministry of Interior of Iran, there are about 3 million Afghans living in Iran who have chosen Iran as a safe place because of its same culture, language and religion.
Difficulties in everyday life
In many parts of Iran, on the walls and billboards one can easily see the ‘’ we don’t want Afghans’ signs. Which this sense of hatred towards Afghans has become widespread in the society due to the lack of culturalization of the racist government of the Islamic Republic, and the lack of governmental support from Afghan refugees has made them cheap laborers who, in many cases, also arise the voices of Iranian workers. In some cases, on the crimes committed by the refugees in Iran, the media wrote so bluntly that as if three million criminals came to Iran instead of three million refugees.
To the point where some officials were clamorous for spoken about the lack of Afghans in their city or province as if they had been struggling with an eradication of a disease.
For example, if we look at Western countries, the authorities of these countries, contrary to the authorities of the Islamic Republic, speak of the amount of aid and refugee resettlement.[2]
The sense of hatred and racism of the Islamic Republic’s authorities towards the Afghans is so widespread that this sense of hatred towards Afghans has also entered the Iranian community and this feeling cannot be attributed to a particular city or group. This feeling can be seen in all Iranian society.
The role and language of the media in fostering hatred against Afghans
The current prejudices against the Afghans in Iran have become widespread due to the role of the Islamic Republic’s media in disregarding the presence of Afghans in Iran. One of the most important role of the media, in addition to reflecting the facts, is the acculturation of society. Converting discrimination against Afghans in the Iranian media and paying less and with a negative burden on them has not only made prejudices against the Afghans, but also expanded the sense of hatred of other nations of the country from one another.
As far as, with the smallest problem in the Islamic Republic, the nations are ready for the isolation of Iran. After the revolution, Iranian media and the government not only did not create a common ground among the nations, but also destroyed the common ground of the nations. The role of the media in discriminating against Afghans is not less than that of government officials, so that they either pass through the stereotypical roles of authorities and people against Afghans, or that report on the news about Afghans is reported or inserted, has a bad language and a negative load.
Absence of planning and community preparation for immigrants
The arrival of Afghan refugees to Iran and the subsequent eight-year-old war between Iran and Iraq had provided an unfavorable economic situation in Iran. In addition to unfavorable economic conditions, Iranian society, as it still has a major emphasis on, has not been hospitable, burning houses of Afghans, families protest against the registration of Afghan children in schools, exploiting Afghans as cheap labor by Employers, the prohibition of the entry of Afghans into cities and special places. All of this indicates that the Iranian community does not accept Afghan refugees.
Government officials are proving to the people that the existence of Afghans has led to the emergence of unemployment growth, which in itself causes the general hatred of the people of immigrants. This does not mean that this hatred is pervasive, but it should not be easily passed through the discrimination and prejudice of the people towards the Afghans. Some of the entries in the social networks and inhumane laws of the Islamic Republic that cannot be gone unseen which forbids the recruiting of Afghan worker. The Islamic Republic’s wrong policies about Afghan refugees and the lack of preparation of society for the acceptance of war-torn immigrants has triggered the hatred of the Iranian community of Afghans in daily life and increased the negative outlook of Afghans. In addition, human trafficking can be highlighted which continues in Iran. Smugglers have abused the law prohibiting the entry of Afghans into certain provinces of Iran and smuggle these migrants to the Turkish border, many of whom are not bordered or arrested or killed on the border.
You can only breathe
Recently, a video showing the overthrow of places and restaurants has been seen on social networks, one of the restaurant’s official said that the work of an Afghan worker in food distribution and distribution centers is a crime [2]. And they don’t accept Afghan workers under any circumstances. This discrimination is not just simply in the field of labor, but Afghans are prohibited from attending parks on the thirteenth of Farvardin, swimming pools, studying, etc., and even the Afghans who are legally resident in Iran are also fired [3]. From being beaten up to burning their homes until they create a general hatred [4]. These are few examples of discrimination against Afghan refugees living in Iran. Immigrants whose hopes have become disappointed.
By-Hamzeh Arbabi
Sources
- https://www.dw.com/fa-af/%D
- . https://www.facebook.com/Abadan.net/videos/1297278163682194
- https://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php/news
- https://www.aparat.com