Saed News: On the international stage, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey—who previously did not even allow the celebration of Nowruz by the Kurds in his country—has made a clear shift, calling Nowruz a "shared celebration of the Turkic world."
According to the political section of Saed News, quoting Farhikhtegan:
Nowruz, one of the oldest civilizational celebrations in the world and a symbol of Iranian identity, is commemorated not only in Iran but also across a range of regional countries that have been influenced by Persian civilization. What set Nowruz 1404 (2025) apart, however, was its coincidence with the holy month of Ramadan—a month that holds a special place for Muslims in Iran and around the world. This overlap created a unique opportunity to showcase the deep connection between the national and religious identity of the Iranian people.
Nevertheless, this cultural-religious event faced challenges from both internal and external forces aiming to undermine this bond and promote a false dichotomy between Iranian identity and Islamic identity. While the Iranian people prepared to welcome the new year and set the Haft-Seen table while also observing the rulings of Ramadan and the Nights of Qadr, certain actors—out of ignorance or hostility—sought to break this cultural and religious harmony and fabricate a fake dualism between Iran and Islam.
Yet, the people of Iran, who view their national and religious identities as interwoven, once again—just as in past years when Nowruz coincided with Islamic occasions—celebrated this “Ramadani Nowruz” without conflict, frustrating attempts to impose fake narratives.
As Ferdowsi said, “If you have eyes, see with different vision.”
At the moment of the New Year, some individuals gathered at the tombs of poets like Ferdowsi and Hafez, chanting slogans that tried to pit Aryan identity against Islam. These slogans, lacking historical and logical foundation, were not taken seriously by a society well aware of Islam’s role in the flourishing of Persian culture. It is worth noting that the great Iranian poets whom such groups reference were themselves devout Muslims. Poets such as Ferdowsi, Hafez, and Khayyam—pillars of Iranian national identity—demonstrated in their works how Islam and Persian culture can thrive together. Hafez, famed for memorizing the Quran, and Ferdowsi, whose Shahnameh is filled with ethical and religious values, are prime examples of this synergy.
This historical truth shows that attempts to create a binary between Iran and Islam not only contradict reality but also seek to distort the layered identity of the Iranian people.
On the other side, a speech by a religious cleric in Neyshabur stirred unnecessary controversy by making claims about the destruction of Khayyam’s mausoleum. After a video circulated online in which someone claimed that the Friday Prayer Leader of Neyshabur had announced a court order for the evacuation of Khayyam’s tomb, the Imam of Neyshabur responded, saying: “No order has been issued regarding the evacuation or demolition of Khayyam’s mausoleum, and the video has nothing to do with me. The individual in the video is someone else, and the claims made are completely false.”
Here’s what happened: On the 2nd of Farvardin (March 22, 2025), during a mourning ceremony for Imam Ali at the shrine of Imamzadeh Mohammad Mahrooq, some attendees reacted to what they considered norm-breaking at the Nowruz celebration. During the event, a cleric named Hojjatoleslam Robati claimed that there was a court order to evacuate Khayyam’s mausoleum. The Imamzadeh Mohammad Mahrooq shrine is located in a large garden adjacent to Khayyam’s tomb. According to previous statements from the Friday Prayer Leader, the garden is endowed (waqf) property belonging to the Imamzadeh and was allocated for Khayyam’s mausoleum before the revolution. The two spaces—Khayyam’s tomb and the Imamzadeh’s shrine—are separated by a fence and both host national and religious ceremonies throughout the year.
Once again, Erdoğan is part of the false narrative
On the international front, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—who previously did not even permit the celebration of Nowruz by the Kurds in his country—has made an abrupt pivot and called Nowruz a “shared celebration of the Turkic world.” This claim, aimed at appropriating this Iranian cultural heritage, is part of Turkey’s increasingly assertive neo-Ottoman policies. Erdoğan, by imagining a so-called “Turkic World” geography, has labeled cities in various countries of the region—including Tabriz in Iran—as part of this realm.
Such statements, which border on threats to national sovereignty, are being closely watched by Iran and other countries in the region. These policies, now moving from behind-the-scenes influence to overt actions, reflect Turkey’s ambitions to reassert its historical influence in the region. However, Nowruz—rooted in Persian civilization and registered by UNESCO as global cultural heritage—cannot easily be fit into Turkey’s false narrative.
Public and official responses in Iran have once again emphasized the Iranian identity of Nowruz, nullifying Erdoğan’s efforts. At the same time, developments in Urmia rang alarm bells over foreign interference. A call to hold a “Nowruz Festival” on Esfand 29, 1403 (March 19, 2025) was circulated by some groups, and the event was held with Interior Ministry approval on Esfand 28 (March 18).
However, the presence of a number of separatists—who raised the flag of the fictional Kurdistan Region and attempted to politicize the festival—cast a shadow over the event. In response, Pan-Turkists and even some members of Urmia’s city council echoed calls for demonstrations, escalating the situation into a security concern.
These events reflect the complex nature of ethnic issues in Iran and the efforts by some domestic and foreign actors to exploit them. The raising of the Kurdistan Region flag—which has no official or historical link to Iran’s Kurds—and Pan-Turkist activities (possibly supported by some regional governments) follow playbooks aimed at weakening Iran’s national unity. The vigilance of the Iranian people and security institutions ensures that such attempts will not succeed.
The Lesson of the Ramadani Nowruz to Tension-Mongers
The Iranian people, who have defined their identity for centuries through a blend of Persian culture and Islamic teachings, once again demonstrated during Nowruz 1404 that these two elements are not in opposition but are, in fact, complementary and reinforcing.
Setting up the Haft-Seen table in the shrines of the Imams, alongside observing fasting laws and holding the spiritual Nights of Qadr ceremonies, painted a beautiful picture of this coexistence.
Nowruz 1404, with its overlap with Ramadan, served as a test of the Iranian people's national and religious identity—a test they passed with grace. Efforts to create a rift between “Iranian-ness” and “Islamic-ness,” whether from domestic ignorants or foreign players, were met with the cultural and social resistance of the Iranian public. This resistance is rooted in a historical awareness and deep understanding of their multilayered identity and strong cultural bonds.
The Persian-speaking poets, pillars of Iranian culture, are the best witnesses to this connection—showing that Islam and Iranian identity are not only not in conflict, but are deeply intertwined. The “Ramadani Nowruz” of 1404 will be remembered not just as a holiday, but as a symbol of unity and the Iranian people’s resilience in the face of divisive attempts. It proved that the Iranian identity, with all its richness and diversity, remains firm against distortion and threats.
