IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 244
Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH24, 2025
Ms. L
OFGREN(for herself, Ms. ANSARI, Mr. BACON, Mrs. BICE, Mr. CARSON,
Mr. C
ONNOLLY, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. HIMES, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. MIN,
Mr. M
ULLIN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PETERS, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. SHERMAN,
and Mr. S
WALWELL) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of
Nowruz.
Whereas Nowruz marks the traditional Iranian New Year,
which originated in ancient Persia, and dates back more
than 3,000 years;
Whereas Nowruz, meaning a ‘‘New Day’’, occurs on the
vernal equinox and celebrates the arrival of spring;
Whereas Nowruz symbolizes a time of renewal and commu-
nity, it harkens the departure from the trials and tribu-
lations of the previous year, and it brings hope for the
new year;
Whereas Nowruz is celebrated by nearly 300,000,000 Ira-
nians and other peoples all over the world, including in
VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR244.IH HR244
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2
•HRES 244 IH
the United States, Iran, and other countries in Central
Asia, South Asia, the Caucasus, Crimea, and the Balkan
region;
Whereas Nowruz is also celebrated by other peoples all over
the world, including in Armenia, Bosnia, Iraq, Pakistan,
India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Syria, Turkey, China, and other countries;
Whereas Nowruz is celebrated by Iranian Americans of all
backgrounds, including those with Baha’i, Christian,
Jewish, Muslim, Zoroastrian, and nonreligious back-
grounds;
Whereas Nowruz serves to remind the United States of the
many lasting contributions of the Persian civilization to
the world and the noteworthy impact of Iranian Ameri-
cans to the social and economic fabric of society in the
United States;
Whereas Iranian Americans continue to make contributions
in all sectors of American public life, including govern-
ment, military, and law enforcement officials working to
uphold the Constitution of the United States and to pro-
tect all people in the United States;
Whereas Iranian Americans maintain strong ties to the peo-
ple of Iran and desire to see a democratic Iran that re-
spects human rights;
Whereas, since September 2022, following the in-custody
death of Mahsa Amini, widespread protests erupted
across Iran, with all segments of society demanding fun-
damental human rights in support of the Woman, Life,
Freedom movement, which the Iranian Government bru-
tally suppressed through extreme violence, internet shut-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR244.IH HR244
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3
•HRES 244 IH
downs, and ongoing repression, yet the movement en-
dures today with women leading a quiet revolution by re-
jecting the mandatory hijab;
Whereas promoting internet freedom in Iran is a critical ele-
ment of supporting the Iranian people in their struggle
for a peaceful and democratic Iran;
Whereas Congress supports the Iranian people’s right to free-
dom of expression and speech, including support for
internet freedom programs that circumvent the Iranian
regime censorship and internet blackouts; and
Whereas Nowruz embodies the tradition that each individ-
ual’s thinking, speaking, and conduct should always be
virtuous, and the ideal of compassion for our fellow
human beings regardless of ethnicity or religion, and con-
nects the Persian New Year to the values of human
rights: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
(1) recognizes the cultural and historical signifi-2
cance of Nowruz; 3
(2) expresses its appreciation for the contribu-4
tions of Iranian Americans to society in the United 5
States in observance of Nowruz; 6
(3) recognizes the hopes and aspirations of all 7
people, including the people of Iran, for human 8
rights, religious tolerance, open access to the inter-9
net, and freedom as embodied in the spirit of 10
Nowruz; 11
VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR244.IH HR244
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4
•HRES 244 IH
(4) commends the observance of the Nowruz 1
holiday in both the United States and Iran, and 2
strongly supports the right of all Iranians to exercise 3
freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and 4
freedom of speech; and 5
(5) wishes Iranian Americans and the people of 6
Iran and all those who observe this holiday a pros-7
perous new year. 8
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Mar 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR244.IH HR244
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB