Iran: Information on an ethnic group called Lor (Lur)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRN25032.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran: Information on an ethnic group called Lor (Lur), 1 October 1996, IRN25032.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acc174.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A professor of anthropology specializing in Iranian issues at Concordia University in Montreal provided the following information during a telephone interview on 25 September 1996.
During the first years of the Islamic regime, the new government was assisting Iranian tribes such as the Lors by implementing developmental programmes such as constructing schools. However, the government was also trying to impose the Islamic code of conduct on Iranian tribes by forcing them to change their traditional clothing and dress. Moreover, the government was putting restrictions on their traditional celebrations such as banning traditional dances in which men and women dance together. These restrictions and pressures have continued to this date.
A professor of political science specializing in Iranian issues at the University of York in the United Kingdom provided the following information during a telephone interview on 30 September 1996.
Generally speaking, with the exception of religious minorities, the current Iranian regime does not recognize minority groups such as ethnic groups, including the Lors, or confer on them certain recognized rights. The regime considers the entire Iranian population as one nation with one identifying religion and language. As a result, local languages are not recognized and ethnic minorities cannot have their own local governments.
The professor is not aware of any specific policy of the Iranian regime towards the Lors.
The attached pages from Encyclopedia of the Third World, Iran: A Country Study, and Iran: Travel Survival Kit, provide general information on the Lors (Lurs) in Iran.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Professor of anthropology specializing in Iranian issues, Concordia University, Montreal. 25 September 1996. Telephone interview.
Professor of political science specializing in Iranian issues, University of York, UK. 30 September 1996. Telephone interview.
Attachments
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992. 4th ed. Vol. 2. Edited by George Thomas Kurian. New York: Facts on File, p. 869.
Iran: A Country Study. 1989. Edited by Helen Chapin Metz. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army, pp. 87-8.
Iran: Travel Survival Kit. 1992. Edited by David St. Vincent. Victoria: Lonely Planet, pp. 21-3.
