Protest against changing the name of BBC Farsi continues

KABUL (SW): A number of civil society organizations have been protesting today at a news conference in Kabul, following a name change from “BBC Afghanistan” page to “BBC Dari. According to these institutions, BBC creates separation with the parting of dialects and divisions of names between the Farsi speakers of the world.

Najib Barwar, from the Sazman Utaq-e Fiker Jawanan (Youth Think Tank), and Haroon Mutaref, from Junbesh Guzar (Transition Movement), regarded their demands beyond the change in BBC’s strategy, saying that the government should convert part of the Afghanistan’s currency and national anthem into Farsi, and insert the world “Farsi” into the curriculum of schools as it was in early twentieth century.

However, Kabir Ranjbar, a lawyer told Salam Watandar in a conversation that Farsi and Dari are the same language and these issues should not be fueled further. Though, Kabir Ranjbar referring to the slogans of the protestors today said that the claim to change the currency and the national anthem is unconstitutional.

The institutions that participated in this meeting said that if the BBC news network and the government do not respond to their demands positively, they will continue with broader protests.

Three weeks ago, the Facebook page of BBC radio Afghanistan changed its name to BBC Dari. This change faced the widespread reaction of the Farsi speaking audience. Sometimes later, more than 180 prominent Farsi speaking cultural figures from three countries; Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan, in an open letter to the BBC protested against what’s called “distortion of history and culture” in this News agency. 

Wasf Bakhtari, Rahnaward Zaryab, Kazem Kazimi, Najib Mayel Herawi, Atiq Rahimi, and Dadfar Spanta from Afghanistan and  Mahmoud Dawlatabadi, Dariush Ashoori, Bahauddin Khurram Shahi, Ali Dehbashi, Goli Emami, Amir Hussein Chehlton, Hassan Anooshe, and Mohsen Makhmalbaf from Iran have signed this letter.

ENDS