Nowruz an opportunity to create regional, cultural synergies & unity: Imanipour

Islamabad: The head of the Organization of Islamic Culture and Communications (ICCO), Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimeen Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour on Sunday said Nowruz in addition to its cultural value is an opportunity to develop the cultural relations of his beloved country Islamic Republic of Iran with its neighbours and also to develop regional synergies and unity through cultural affinity.

Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimeen Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour, in his message, felicitated the Iranians and others nations on the arrival of the ancient Nowruz and the beginning of the Iranian new year 1402, especially Iranians living abroad, statesmen and citizens of the cultural and religious sphere of Nowruz.

The Organization of Islamic Culture and Communications issues Imanipour’s message here.

Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour said the spiritual and civilized view of Nowruz could become a point of the deep connection between the nations of the region. “Looking at Nowruz as an ancient ritual and tradition is not the whole story. Nowruz originated from a kind of original civilization and has the power to create a cultural-civilizational union in different countries,” he added.

In the region of Central Asia, Caucasus and West Asia, Nowruz could become more than a “common tradition” but rather a “common cultural center” to reach a “unified cultural system”, he emphasised.

He underlined that this cultural system was not limited to a specific time (the end of winter and the beginning of spring) and its extension included all the days of the year.

This cultural-civilized capacity should be considered and promoted by the countries that celebrate Nowruz for utilising it as a tool to unite and enhance cultural and people-to-people bilateral relationships, he added.

He also quoted a Persian saying, “The breath of the Saba wind will blow

The old world will be young again.”

Mahdi Imanipour elaborated that Nowruz was the crystallization of new life in the body of nature and a new opportunity for people to reflect on their life and circumstances and seek help from God to reach the best.

“Nowruz is an opportunity for renewal and interpretation of the human need to evolve in a holy path full of signs of the power of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),” he said.

This transformation and delivery was at the same a divine tradition that Nowruz could be considered as a turning point, he said, adding, “The harmony of the nations of Nowruz brings their hearts and minds closer to each other in the glorious and beautiful moments of the New Year beginning. The breath of Saba gives a sense of renewal to the Persian-speaking nations and even the non-Persian-speaking nations who consider Nowruz as the ancient heritage of their ancestors.”

On the other hand, he said in the religious teachings and life of the elders of Islam, Nowruz was considered as an example of modernisation, beauty and transition to a new era in human life.

“This exalting look at the category of New Year and Nowruz delivery shows that the guardians of the religion also have a look at it beyond a ceremony or tradition and consider it a turning point in the promotion of human values.

What now makes the necessity of observing the ancient Nowruz celebration more evident is the use of this common opportunity for the optimal coexistence, synergy and convergence of nations and the development, stabilization and evolution of their cooperation around this common civilization view,” he suggested.

Nowruz, he said guaranteed the unity of the nations and governments of the region and had a special place among the nations of the region and also guaranteed the creation of an exemplary and continuous alliance in the way of interaction between the nations and governments of the region.

The renewal hidden in the ancient Nowruz feast could be considered as a tool to promote a certain lifestyle based on “effective transformation” in the individual, social and international relations of the nations, he added.

“We believe that the regional and extra-regional capacities of the ancient Nowruz Eid have not yet been fully realized, and this issue doubles the need for the relevant institutions to play a role in the countries that organize this beautiful tradition. In this framework, the ‘Islamic Culture and Communication Organization’ as the guardian of the cultural diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, considers it necessary to identify and strengthen the current capacities in the Nowruz tradition as a tool for the civilizational and religious solidarity of the countries,” he said.

He also prayed, “May we see the convergence of more countries around this rich tradition in the near future. The realization of this path will mark a bright future for those interested in Nowruz.”

“Our dear compatriots inside and outside the country, as in the past, can have a significant impact on the development of Nowruz culture, that is, the culture of empathy.”

He again congratulated the arrival of the ancient Nowruz and the beginning of the Iranian new year 1402 to the Iranians, especially the Iranians living abroad and the statesmen and citizens of the cultural and religious sphere of Nowruz, and wished them a year full of success, goodness and blessings.