By: Dr. Adnan Bozan 

To the sons and daughters of our great Kurdish people, to the peoples of the region yearning for peace and justice, and to all who believe that freedom is not a privilege, but a fundamental right born with the human being and only stripped through oppression, but oppression does not last, for the flame that ignites in hearts is stronger than the chains of injustice...

Nowruz greets us once again, that holiday which is unlike traditional holidays; it is not a fleeting seasonal celebration, nor a rigid folkloric ritual, but a renewed declaration of revolution, an eternal legacy of struggle, and a continuous birth of freedom. Nowruz is not just a celebration of nature’s rebirth, but a marking of the moment when the oppressed voiced their words, igniting a fire that cannot be extinguished—a fire that burned injustice and illuminated the path to freedom.

When Nowruz is renewed, it is not merely a celebration of nature’s revival, but an eternal proclamation of the victory of will over oppression, and the kindling of light in the tongues of flames that have burned since time immemorial. Nowruz is not a day that passes in the calendar, but a renewed chapter in the struggle between those who seek to bury freedom and those who rekindle it, no matter how thick the darkness in the sky.

In a world governed by interests and whose maps are drawn in blood, Nowruz remains a political stance par excellence, a cry against those who seek to erase the identity of peoples, and a resistance against those who believe that history can be reshaped by the sword or the power of tyranny. Nowruz is not a neutral celebration, but a commemoration of a revolution that was not extinguished by decades of repression but grew hotter and more intense, because the peoples who burn in the fire of despotism never fail to rise from their ashes stronger.

Nowruz is the antithesis of all attempts by despotism to impose a false reality, and of all policies that sought to uproot the roots from their land and impose identities that do not resemble their owners. It is the living proof that freedom does not die, even if its dawn is delayed, and that the peoples who pulse with it may bend but will never break, may suffer but will never compromise, may wait but will never forget.

In Nowruz, justice is redefined as a condition for stability, not a gift bestowed by regimes on those who have accepted submission, nor a concession of rights from those who have chosen peace without dignity. It is a reminder that the security of the region can only be achieved by acknowledging the rights of peoples, and that those who seek stability without freedom bring nothing but more chaos.

The peoples who celebrate Nowruz do not seek privileges, but rather exercise a fundamental historical right, and anyone who stands against this right stands against the very movement of history itself. Just as the fire of Kawa the blacksmith blazed against the ancient despotism, it still burns today in the hearts of the free, who know that freedom is not given but taken, and that every delay in its realization is but a brief pause before the peoples return to demand their rights once more.

Nowruz is the promise of dawn, no matter how long the night, and the pact that every fire lit by the oppressors to extinguish freedom will only be a flame that lights the path of the peoples toward their future.

Brothers and Sisters,

When Kawa the blacksmith lit the flame of Nowruz, he did not just illuminate the darkness of despotism; he laid the foundation for a revolutionary school from which peoples draw their strength in confronting tyranny. That fire marked the beginning of a revolution that continues to this day, manifesting in every cry of resistance, in every heart beating with love for freedom, and in every soul that refuses to bow before oppression and despotism.

Nowruz is not only a past we carry, but a present we live and a future we build. It is the holiday that reminds the world that peoples, no matter how long the period of oppression, do not die—they continue to fight, to challenge, and to dream of a free homeland where justice and equality prevail. It is the holiday of courage in the face of enslavement, the holiday of dignity in the face of denial, and the holiday of existence in the face of attempts to cancel it.

Nowruz: The Holiday of Freedom, Stability, and the Unity of Peoples

Nowruz, with its deep historical roots, does not belong to one people alone but is a call for true brotherhood among peoples, where there is no stability without justice, no peace without mutual recognition of rights, and no brotherhood without respect for free will. Nowruz is the call of humanity in a world torn by wars and conflicts, to be a symbol of the spirit of coexistence, where people gather around a single fire, sharing bread and hope, dancing the dance of freedom beneath the banners of light.

Nowruz arrives at a pivotal historical moment, as our region witnesses ongoing unrest and conflicts, where the hopes of the peoples for freedom and stability blend with the complexities of the political scene and regional and international interventions. In this context, Nowruz remains more than just a holiday; it is a symbol of continuous struggle and a message that the will of the peoples to determine their destiny is stronger than any restrictions.

The Middle East is going through a highly sensitive phase, where political and economic struggles overlap with deepening social crises. Between the collapse of states once considered “stable,” and the rise of new forces seeking to redraw political maps according to their interests, the peoples remain the true victims of this conflict.

In Syria, the ongoing war, which has lasted for more than a decade, continues to tear apart the social fabric amid complex regional and international interventions, turning the country into a battleground for international power struggles. Despite all of this, the Syrian people, in all their components, continue to search for a solution that restores their dignity and rights and ensures their future free from despotism and foreign interventions.

In Iraq, despite being freed from previous regimes of repression, it still suffers from recurring political crises that hinder the building of a true democratic state that ensures stability for all its components, foremost among them the Kurdish people, who have waged a long struggle for the recognition of their legitimate rights.

In Turkey and Iran, both face internal and external challenges related to the Kurdish issue, where the oppressive policies against the Kurdish people’s aspirations continue to fuel internal turmoil and escalate regional tensions, rather than seeking fair solutions that ensure stability and peaceful coexistence.

Nowruz comes to remind everyone that freedom does not mean chaos, stability does not mean acceptance of injustice, and peace can only be achieved with justice. Any sustainable solution in the region must be based on the recognition of the rights of the peoples, respect for their will, and a rejection of policies of repression and discrimination.

The region will not enjoy true stability as long as the rights of the peoples are marginalized, and as long as repression and exclusion are used as tools to manage crises rather than address them. Nowruz is the voice of the free in the face of tyranny, a symbol of renewal and change, and an open invitation to all forces striving for true peace, which can only be achieved by the will of the peoples, not by the plans of regimes.

O Free Ones,

Nowruz is not just an occasion for celebration, but a reminder that the peoples who fight for their freedom will not be defeated, and that oppression can never be an eternal fate. Just as Kawa lit the flame of freedom in the face of injustice, today, the peoples are capable of igniting a new dawn of justice, dignity, and peaceful coexistence.

The philosophy of Nowruz goes beyond mere celebration; it is a constant reminder that the peoples who seek the sun cannot remain in the shadow, and that those who choose resistance as their path will see their dawn rise from the womb of darkness. Nowruz asks the eternal question: Can freedom be given, or is it taken? And it answers: "There is no freedom for those who do not struggle for it, and no dignity for those who accept humiliation."

Nowruz is the uprising of the spirit against submission, a voluntary burning in the fire of hope to rebirth the bird of freedom. It is a message to every tyrant: No matter how hard you try to extinguish the flame of the peoples, the spark of light will remain alight, because history does not forgive those who try to erase the truth.

O Free Ones,

Nowruz is not just a memory, but a vow that we must renew our commitment to every day. It is a historical responsibility that compels us not only to celebrate, but to carry the flame and continue the journey, to build a free homeland worthy of our sacrifices, to create a just peace that is not submission, to ignite the fire of revolution in our hearts until the chains of oppression melt away, and until freedom blooms in every corner of our homeland.

? Every Nowruz, may you be free.

? Every Nowruz, may the peoples of the region be closer to just peace.

? Every Nowruz, may the fire of freedom never be extinguished.

March 20, 2025