Commemorating ‘Cyrus Day’; Prince Reza Pahlavi Called on Iranians to Show the World an Image of a United and Freedom-Loving Nation
Prince Reza Pahlavi, on the eve of the seventh of Aban, Cyrus Day, addressed Iranians in a message saying: “In commemoration of the name and memory of Cyrus the Great, in whatever way and wherever you are, strive to show the world the image of a united, freedom-loving and tolerant nation.”
In this message released Thursday, he described Cyrus as “a monarch who conveyed dignity, grandeur, peaceful coexistence and tolerance,” and who “more than 2,500 years ago, recognized freedom of belief and religion and respected human dignity.”
Reza Pahlavi considered commemorating the memory and name of Cyrus as “a reminder of the good civic and moral qualities of Iranians,” which helps the Iranian nation understand how they want to be Iranian.
Prince Reza Pahlavi described Iran in his vision as “a proud, unified and united Iran, comprised of various ethnicities, religions and beliefs, and of course adorned with the commendable qualities of the modern era such as democracy and secularism.”
He considered Cyrus the Great as “an inspiration for overcoming current destruction” and emphasized: to liberate from the Islamic Republic “which has sought from day one to replace ‘the Islamic ummah’ in place of the Iranian nation-state … we need to be reminded of what Cyrus was and accomplished.”
Prince Reza Pahlavi also, in this message, by recalling the massacre of protesters in Aban 98, introduced Islamic Republic officials as “villains” who “have no connection with Iran’s history and culture and are also terrified of Cyrus’s name and his tomb.”
Although there is no officially recognized day called Cyrus Day in the official calendar of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the seventh of Aban month has been unofficially dedicated to commemorating Cyrus.
Every year, as the date of the 7th of Aban approaches, Islamic Republic officials attempt to prevent the celebration of Cyrus Day and the gathering of Iranian citizens at Pasargadae by closing the road leading to it.
Nevertheless, in recent years, large crowds have gathered around the tomb of this Achaemenid king in Pasargadae located in Fars province on the occasion of Cyrus Day, keeping alive the memory of the “King of Kings.”
Source: Voice of America
