Sholaye-e Inquilab (Persian: شعله انقلاب, 'Flame of the Revolution') was a Tajik Persian weekly newspaper published from Samarkand, Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Republic between April 1919 and December 1921.[1][2][3] The newspaper was founded by Sayyed Reza Alizadeh.[4] The first issue of Sholaye-e Inquilab was published on April 10, 1919.[4] It was the first Tajik Persian newspaper founded in Soviet Turkestan.[1][4] The newspaper disseminated the ideological line of the Communist Party of Turkestan.[1]
| Type | Weekly |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Sayyed Reza Alizadeh |
| Founded | April 10, 1919 |
| Political alignment | Communist |
| Language | Tajik Persian |
| Ceased publication | December 1921 |
| Headquarters | Samarkand |
Most of the articles in the newspaper were authored by Alizadeh himself, albeit he used various pen names to conceal the lack of writers. The newspaper called for the creation of a Persian national identity on linguistic lines. Publishing of Sholaye-e Inquilab was discontinued in October 1919. The newspaper had failed to reach 1,000 readers, and the income from its sales did not match the costs of running it. The Samarkand branch of the Communist Party felt unable to continue supporting it economically.[4]
In November 1919 the newspaper was re-launched, by the Turkkommissiya based in Tashkent. During this period the newspaper was joined by Sadriddin Ayni and Hoji Muin, both prominent writers at the time. The issue of Persian national identity was no longer emphasized, instead the new writers would prefer to talk about 'Turkestanis'. It continued to refer to its language as 'Persian' though.[4] The newspaper condemned the regime of the Amir and called for support to the Red Army.[5]
Albeit being the sole Persian-language publication in the area, the newspaper continued to fail to gain a wider readership.[4] The newspaper was closed down in December 1921, after its ninetieth issue.[1] Not until August 1924 did a new Tajik newspaper appear (Awaz-e Tajik-e Kambaghal), with Alizadeh, Mu'in and Ayni in its editorial team.[6]
References
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- ^ a b c d Adel, Gholamali Haddad, Mohammad Jafar Elmi, and Hassan Taromi-Rad. Periodicals of the Muslim World: An Entry from the Encyclopedia of the World of Islam. EWI, 2012. p. 28
- ^ Ajni, Sadriddin, and John R. Perry. The Sands of Oxus: Boyhood Reminiscences of Sadriddin Aini. Costa Mesa, Calif: Mazda Publ, 1998. p. 12
- ^ Baldauf, Ingeborg, Moshe Gammer, and Thomas Loy. Bukharan Jews in the 20th Century. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 2008. p. 42
- ^ a b c d e f Bergne, Paul. The Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic. London: Tauris, 2006. pp. 23-25
- ^ Rhyne, George N., Edward J. Lazzerini, and Bruce Friend Adams. The Supplement to The Modern Encyclopedia of Russian, Soviet and Eurasian History. Gulf Breeze, Fla: Academic International Press, 1995. p. 18
- ^ Bergne, Paul. The Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic. London: Tauris, 2006. p. 76