Writer: Hashmat Behzad
During the Herat Security Dialogue, among the various contentious issues among the expatriate groups, one was the anthem sung in the gatherings and meetings of the fallen republic, which has gained some popularity among certain people as the national anthem. This anthem is still played in some gatherings and meetings outside the country, having both supporters and opponents. However, unlike other gatherings, this anthem was not played at the Herat Security Conference, leading to strong reactions from many expatriates and supporters of the anthem.
Recently, Davood Moradian, an organizer of the Herat Security Conference and head of the Institute for Strategic Studies of Afghanistan, explained to a media outlet why the anthem was not played at the conference, saying, “The anthem is not like tea that we can drink anywhere to quench our thirst; we didn’t understand it, so we didn’t play it.” His explanation has faced severe backlash from anthem supporters, who have criticized him for his remarks and actions.
According to Moradian, since Tajikistan had previously not allowed the singing of this anthem, and this time the other host country (Spain) also did not agree to its singing, they instead sang Wahab Madadi’s song. On the other hand, the supporters of the anthem reacted strongly to Moradian’s statements, accusing him of bias, reckless comments, lies, ignorance, audacity, insult, and illiteracy. The anthem’s supporters on social media also accused him of being part of a foreign project aimed at sowing discord, suspicion, and hatred among Afghans, and the non-singing of the anthem was clear evidence of this.
The anthem created during the Republic, which was approved by the convened Loya Jirga at that time along with other matters, has had both supporters and opponents over the past two decades. Even during the fallen Republic, there were disputes between supporters and opponents both inside and outside Afghanistan, and this issue had infiltrated the governmental and state systems of that time, leading to physical confrontations over whether to play it or not.
Moradian also stated in his interview that the national anthem should be in Persian, as Pashto is not a common language. He made similar biased remarks in his interview, which have provoked strong reactions from other former officials and the general Afghan public. In particular, his biased comments against the Pashto language have become a hot topic among social media users.
The issue of the anthem has now become a significant point of contention between both sides outside the country, with supporters playing it in all their meetings and gatherings and expecting others to do the same. However, opponents refuse to play it in their meetings and gatherings, instead playing ethnic and factional songs and other anthems from the time of the civil wars, which further widens the existing rifts.
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