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Afghan National Dialogue

First National Dialogue Meeting Held in Sacramento, Californiaنخستین نشست گفتمان/ مرکه ملی در شهر سکرمنتو ایالت کالیفرنیا برگزار شدملي مرکې د کالیفورنیا ایالت په سکرمنتو ښار کې خپله لومړۍ ناسته وکړه

Date: 2025-08-09Location: Sacramento, California, US

About the event

Continuing the series of meetings held in London, Berlin, Birmingham and Cologne, a National Dialogue (Mili Maraka) meeting was held in Sacramento, California, attended by a large number of prominent academic, political, religious, social and cultural figures.

The meeting opened with a Quran recitation by Qari Ehsanullah Shahid; after the national anthem, Imam Taheri, a leading scholar of Sacramento's Afghan community, delivered a scholarly address in the light of Islamic teachings, and the distinguished writer Mr. Waliullah Malikzai welcomed participants and thanked the organisers.

Mr. Ahmad Ershad Ahrar then spoke on the goals, principles and structure of the National Dialogue, noting that although Afghanistan's crisis is half a century old, it has never been seriously studied to identify its root causes and pursue practical solutions — which is why Afghans need to begin talking among themselves.

In the second part, participants discussed the fundamental challenges, priorities and solutions on the path to national unity, peace and progress, stressing that national unity is the essential condition for peace and political stability and that a major driver of discord is the instrumental exploitation of ethnic issues by certain groups and individuals — a practice they urged the Afghan people to no longer tolerate.

Dr. Mohammad Shoaib Yusufzai spoke on the causes of hatred and division, urging religious scholars to combat its spiritual roots through Islamic teachings, while Mr. Yasini, head of the Afghan Cultural Jirga in California, recalled the sacrifices of all of Afghanistan's ethnic groups in the country's defining historical moments and described education and public awareness as the only remedy for ethnic division sown and sustained by enemies.

Participants underlined that Afghanistan's problems can only be solved by Afghans themselves; Mr. Jamal Naser Farahmand observed that no forum in Afghanistan has ever truly listened to the people's hearts, and that people can endure poverty but not insults to their identity, language and dignity; the meeting closed with a prayer after responsibilities for the next gathering were assigned.

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First National Dialogue Meeting Held in Sacramento, California
First National Dialogue Meeting Held in Sacramento, California
First National Dialogue Meeting Held in Sacramento, California
First National Dialogue Meeting Held in Sacramento, California
First National Dialogue Meeting Held in Sacramento, California