I understand you completely but truth is from my what I have been told there are 3 main types of azeris in Iran, atleast amongst them neighbouring kurds. Which many of my relatives do in Tikaw or in turkish Tikan Tepeh. There are many azeris who fully support the regime as they're shia themselves, just like there are shia kurds supporting the regime. and that the regime is favoring azeris over kurds in mixed areas bcoz of this and of coruse due to the history, so for instance in Takab or in Urumiye azeris are being granted the highest positions in most of the institutions. My relatives told me that many of the azeris in Takab don't have work because of that many left for Tabriz or Zanjan which have turned the town 70% Kurdish, 30 % Azeri but in order to make sure the rest do not leave, the regime have granted them houses in Qom aswell as letting them have the top positions. Then there are the nationalist azeris, some who are fanatic and hate kurds more than anyone plus vice versa, but majority are more of the secular more patriotic like yourself. And then the ones who are just secular and wants a free Iran. correct me if wrong.
You are not wrong. People are exactly divided into these 3 categories(Islamists, seculars(two sub-branch of Ultra nationalists(grey wolves), and moderate seculars), and neutrals). what is changing, is the number of people who belong to each category.
Islamists have decreased significantly in numbers which has 2 reasons. 1. failure of islamic republic 2. Independence and influence of the secular (Northern) Azerbaijan republic. I have seen some islamization caused by AKP and turkish media but the 2 mentioned reasons have been more strong to push the islamists to go to absolute minority.
neutrals in general are common people who normally have no interest in politics, but if some tension starts, they will quickly start to polarize and mostly side with seculars.
Seculars were only leftists who as you mentioned, were previously working with Kurdish leftist groups since they did not have considerable support among common people and their only friends were kurdish leftists and some people in Soviet Azerbaijan. But, now the seculars are mostly liberals, with a grey wolves minority, who have maintained good relations with kurds and Baku.
I have been to Iran once which was this summer, mainly to meet relatives and sign some papers(inheritance) I were at my relative's business and when one of his workers brought some Istak
and talked in Kurdish to us, then my relative replied in Turkish to him, so I was kind of surprised. I also found out that a couple of relatives were half Kurdish, half Azeri. So it seems that things are working out good between both sides and alot of interractions are going on in many levels but in the same time when there was a war in Takab between Peshmerga and the regime, most azeris sided with regime, which was natural of course. which did turn the town into an ethnic conflict.
That was wrong but people were religious back then and people like Hasani were doing propaganda that kurdish Atheists (socialist was equal to Atheist for religious Iranians) are killing people which caused a big panic. There was no independent media back then and opposite to now, almost all Iranians were trusting mullahs like they are saints. Almost the same thing happened during Iranian invasion against Azerbaijani Democrat Party, which now many people regret for not supporting them.
I'm just hoping that this will change and when the next revolution comes, everyone won't unite against kurds like last time but that azeris takes advantage of the situation and demands their rights along side every opressed minority aswell. there were also of course hundreds of leftist azeris who fought in the ranks of PDKI, Komala togheter with Kurds after the regime had cracked down fadaye and other iranian leftist parties.
It has completely changed among both Azeris and Kurds. Young generations are much more awakened now.
Hearing that his son is dead pleased me alot, thanks! Could you give a short summary on Saman's story? All I have gotten from PKK fanboys is that his last words were "Biji Apo".
my farsi isn't that good, I only understand a bit.
Reshid Hasani was a member of a Communist organization(Fada'iyaan e Khalgh). mullah hasani himself, handed his son to be executed. I have heard that another child of hasani killed herself in later years after she found out about how her father has killed her brother.
PKK fanboys are not right. He remained on his ideology for achieving human rights for kurdish people. He is arrested when he was 16 years old, his family were so poor that other people in their village gave them money to pay to a bus to bring them to the city and ask about their children's status. hearing about their living conditions, brings tears into eyes. Many of these young kurds who join PKK, are frustrated from the huge bias against Kurds and Sunnis, and the awful living standards of Iran. They want their legitimate human rights, having access to learn in Kurdish language, having a basic job, and such demands.