Nowruz is one of the oldest and most magnificent cultural and national celebrations of Afghanistan, which has been uniting different ethnic groups in our homeland for centuries with a message of empathy and solidarity.

Nowruz is not a religious celebration and does not conflict with any particular religion, including the holy religion of Islam. This ancient celebration, beyond religious and national borders, is a common cultural heritage of humanity and a symbol of universal values ​​such as coexistence, cultural diversity and respect for human heritage; a ritual that is internationally recognized as “World Nowruz Day” and is celebrated in Islamic and non-Islamic countries.

By banning this ancient and historical celebration in Afghanistan and replacing joy, poetry, art, music and culture with violence, oppression, gender apartheid against women, linguistic discrimination against Persian and Dari, flogging, spreading hatred and crime, the Taliban group seeks to weaken and eliminate vital parts of the culture and history of the Afghan people; a policy that has led our country towards a fragile and painful human and cultural crisis.

Nowruz is not just the beginning of a new year; it is also an opportunity to protect our identity and culture and a strong bastion of cultural resistance against the Taliban group and Taliban ideology. With this appeal, we invite all citizens of Afghanistan, especially women's protest movements, cultural figures and intellectuals, to raise their voices of opposition to the Taliban and their crimes against humanity by celebrating Nowruz and its rituals in a grand and conscious manner.

#Right_Justice_Freedom

Purple Saturdays Movement

Date: Wednesday, March 17