Afghan Migrants Hold Memorial Ceremony in Mashhad
A memorial ceremony marking the 40th day after the funeral and burial of the “martyr leader of the Islamic Ummah” was held at the Herati Husseiniyeh in Mashhad, with the حضور of a number of Afghan migrants living in the city. A group of officials, cultural figures and social activists also attended the event.
The ceremony was organised by the Popular Headquarters of Afghan Migrants Residing in Razavi Khorasan. Abdul Rauf Tawana, head of the Shahid Tawana centre, Hojatoleslam Seyed Javad Wahidi, head of the Afghanistanis Residing in Iran Cultural and Social Foundation, and Amirallah Shamkhani, deputy for security and law enforcement at the Razavi Khorasan governorate, were among the speakers.
According to Tasnim News Agency, the speakers at the ceremony stressed the importance of preserving unity and cohesion among Afghan migrants and continuing the path they said was emphasised by the “martyr leader.” They also spoke about the cultural, religious and historical commonalities between Iran and Afghanistan.
In part of his remarks, Amirallah Shamkhani said that 4,800 news items about Afghan migrants had been published over the past week in Persian-language media on cyberspace. He said that of these, 1,280 were related to Razavi Khorasan and Mashhad.
He also claimed that some of the published material about Afghan nationals had been released to create a particular atmosphere and fuel anti-Afghan sentiment. Shamkhani said raising public awareness and remaining vigilant against rumours and media narratives was necessary.
Mashhad is one of the cities that has hosted a large number of Afghan migrants in recent years, and social and cultural relations between the residents of the two communities have a long history there.
