Leili Khodaei

A poet and cultural activist speaking to Voice of America believes that, in addition to other difficulties, girls in Iranian Azerbaijan lose their self-confidence because they are forced to receive education in a language other than their mother tongue.

Girls face pressure even in the simplest matters. Riding a bicycle, playing football, going to the stadium, dressing as they wish—all of these come with restrictions.

Leili Khodaei emphasizes that from the very first day girls enter school in Iran, they are constantly faced with limitations:

“Children between the ages of 6 and 11 are in a stage where they should not be afraid to fail freely. They should recognize their talents and prepare for the future. They should be able to stand up to insults and work harder. But at this very stage, girls—future women—are subjected to the imposition of the hijab at an age when they should be free. They are made to dress in ways they do not want, cover their heads, and go to school,” she says.

Khodaei points out that the dress code imposed on girls in the Islamic Republic is even stricter than what is mandated by Sharia law:

“According to Islamic law, wearing the hijab becomes obligatory after the age of nine. But unfortunately, in Iran, girls are forced to wear the hijab as early as age seven, when they first start school.”

This experience, beginning on the first day of school, “hurts their spirit and personality,” Khodaei says. “This is a reality throughout the entire country. But in Azerbaijan, there’s an additional problem. Girls are confronted with a foreign language they neither speak nor understand. They leave their Turkish language at home and are forced to attend school in a different language.”

The cultural activist, who lives in the Netherlands, adds, “This affects their emotional state. They are afraid. They want to get good grades, but their self-confidence is taken away from them. These future women, stripped of their self-confidence, cannot even defend their rights. Because from childhood, they are taught that they have no right to defend themselves, as the law is against them.”

She believes that the ban on education in one’s mother tongue harms girls the most.

“Boys are freer in different areas of life. They have more freedom in society and in their relationships. That’s why they develop a certain level of self-confidence. But as girls grow up, they begin to see the restrictions and become more silent, more fearful. They face pressure even in the simplest matters—riding a bicycle, playing football, going to the stadium, dressing how they want—all of these come with limitations,”