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| Afghanistan | |
| Taliban bans Nowruz Celebration in Afghanistan's Daikundi, rebellious Afghanis celebrate anyway | |
| 2023-03-22 | |
From a few days ago. [ANInews] Taliban have banned the celebration of the Afghan festive Nowruz ...the Persian New Year, also celebrated by Shiites... in the central Daikundi province, warning residents if they are caught celebrating the occasion, they will be treated accordingly, Khaama Press reported. Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in an announcement said the group's regulators have told people "Islam prohibits the celebration of Nowruz". According to this announcement, Taliban observers have met with the worshipers of at least 35 mosques in Daikundi, and have asked them to resist the "Western ideas, Khawarij and rituals that are not in line with Islam", Khaama Press reported. In this declaration, Nowruz is attributed to the "era of ignorance" and people are warned that the occasion is promoted by "foreigners" among Muslims. The ministry of vice and virtue of the Taliban has warned ordinary people to refrain from celebrating "alien and un-Islamic customs, and days that are not "holy in Islam", Khaama Press reported. The popular festival was banned during the Taliban's previous rule between 1996 and 2001. However, last year the group said they will not celebrate the Nowruz, but have no problem with those celebrating it. Nowruz has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years, observed by adherents of both the main branches of Islam, Sunnis and Shias in Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, and parts of the Middle East - and usually marked by a public holiday. Banning the Nowruz celebration, which marks the arrival of spring in Daikundi, indicates the ruling regime's opposition to the popular festive, which prompted widespread criticisms in the past as well. Nowruz celebration is one of the ancient rituals of the people of Afghanistan, being celebrated in different ways, similar to other countries' so-called "Nowruz region". The United Nations officially recognized the "International Day of Nowruz" with the adoption of Resolution 64/253 by the United Nations General Assembly in February 2010. Nowruz is to be observed on March 21 this year. Kabul Residents Celebrate New Solar Year With Flag-Raising
At the ceremony, they urged the Islamic Emirate to provide equal rights to men and women and to offer work opportunities to residents in the new year. "The flag-raising ceremony is being held every year as usual in Mazar-e-Sharif of Balk province and in Kart-e-Sakhi of Kabul," said Ahmad Fahim, a resident of Kabul. "We hope to have a year full of peace, serenity, intimacy and a good new year," said Abdul Manan, another resident of Kabul. Some in Kabul celebrated the first day of the new year by going to entertainment venues, visiting friends, and praying for a year full of happiness and progress. "We hope that this year will be a happy year and that the economic situation of the people will improve and that schools will be opened for girls," Aryan, a resident of Kabul told TOLOnews. Only men and boys were present in the parks and entertainment areas, according to Fahim, a father who celebrated Nowruz by bringing his three children to one of Kabul's amusement parks. "There is a big difference, in the past years, there weren’t such bans. The only good thing about this year is that the security is ensured," Fahim, a resident of Kabul told TOLOnews. The Islamic Emirate cancelled the Nowruz holiday and forbade the celebration of the first day of the solar year. Despite restrictions, residents in the capital and the provinces celebrated Nowruz last year with more enthusiasm. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |