One of the issues along with usual security and political issues was the Nawroz Eid celebration in the country. Indeed, its celebration goes far beyond written history; it is said that its history finally gets lost in fables. It is a celebration of season change. When people settled down and transferred into a new period of history, agricultural age, they used to celebrate it in several countries.

Few years ago, it was registered by UNESCO as global cultural heritage. There are always discussions and sometimes arguments among intellectuals of different countries that celebrate the festival. Iranians have always claimed that it belongs to them; however it is celebrated around several other countries. Due to cultural poverty left as result of decades of war and instability, Afghans are in a weaker state regarding to claim that this Eid does not belong to any country but to all. Moreover, Afghans believe it was born in Balkh Province in the northern country. In fact, there is variety of reasons for such claim that Balkh was once upon a time the cradle of civilization and the festival was introduced to world from this particular geography.

Due to wide spread illiteracy and dominance of ideologies and several other factors which have kept Afghans not to notice the importance of the Eid, the true meaning of the day is not recognized. During our history, sometimes the festival did not receive enough attention from rulers. During Taliban regime, no one was allowed to celebrate it. After the collapse of the regime in 2001, people started celebrating once again.

 Unfortunately, there are still many people who believe that celebration of the festival is against Sharia and thus should not be celebrated.

An intense campaign declaring Nawroz as an un-Islamic celebration has been active these days. A radical Kabul-based group was behind the campaign through media and it’s preachers in mosques. They would urge people to avoid attending Nawroz celebrations as it’s un-Islamic.

Surprisingly, the Government was silent on this all. In media debates, cultural artists and intellectuals would defend the malicious extremist view against Nawroz saying it’s a traditional celebration observed for centuries by people. It has roots in the agricultural life, without having to do anything with religious dogma. Nor it is against the practices of a faithful Muslim, neither anything un-Islamic about it.

The Ministry of Culture and Information on Thursday bothered to speak clearly about the campaign saying it is baseless. Deputy Minister Mubariz Rashidi said, "We should not use religion to fight with the beauty and traditions which have been embraced for generations. There has been no reaction to the spring festival from our religious leaders in the history. How can we say that God brings a green spring and we should say we are against it?"

Rational and appropriate statement, but the Government should come out against the radical elements with stronger condemnation on more serious level asking the President and Ulema Council to issue statements to undermine the few extremists related to a so-called religious reform party spreading hatred and radicalism within an intense campaign across the country. Given their active programs, the group seems to have considerable foreign financial backing from the Gulf States.

Thousands of people participated in the main events in Kabul and Mazar. The cultural celebration is an ancient tradition of this region and some extremists are now out to change that. What is most unfortunate is that some elements in senior positions within Government are supporting the radicals to preach against Nawroz causing religious polarization among people.

We urge the intellectuals and media to be pro-active in condemning this wave of radical preaching against our ancestral centuries’ old cultural practice. The Government is equally responsible for such polarization and spread of extremism by keeping silence at best and some elements having sympathy with messengers of hate at worst.