Afghanistan can affect the hazaras security situation negatively, descriptions of the various groups and their agendas are included in the report. Central asian cultural intelligence for military operations hazara in. In a single incident in 1998, iranian forces killed more than 630 refugees, mostly hazaras, in the safed sang camp detention center. Hazaras are another ethnic group who resides in afghanistan.
The hazara historical narrative of oppression focuses on the groups rural. Hazara, people possibly of mongol descent who at the beginning of the 21st century dwelled primarily in the mountains of central afghanistan. The religious identity of the hazaras of afghanistan and modernday. The hazaras now constitute about 9% of afghanistans population. The soviet invasion of december 1979 has been the major determining factor in afghanistans ethnic relations since that point in time. These groups have been residing collectively for hundreds of years. The hazaras now constitute about 9% of afghanistan s population. The hazara backed the wrong candidate in a succession struggle in the late 19th century, and ended up rebelling against the new government. The best known of these mongol peoples are the hazara mongols, or hazaras, whom the writer visited in 193839 for ethnographic study. Afghanistan remained in the hands of greek empire till the year 5 b. The hazaras are one of afghanistans largest ethnic minorities until the 1970s, afghan law barred hazaras from holding office or any position of national authority the 2004 afghanistan. It is one of the most wartom, most ravaged, and most besieged of all nations.
For people living here, it is clear there was an understanding between hazaras and the taliban for the past 17 years, he told radio free afghanistan. For afghanistan we have the tabakati nasiri of minhajuddin. Hazara people simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. May 05, 2017 timeline world history documentaries 5,872,427 views 48. The hazaras have recently come into a more influential position largely shiia by religion and farsispeaking, the hazaras traditionally inhabited central afghanistan. Significant communities of hazara people also live in quetta, pakistan and mashad, iran as part of the hazara and afghan diasporas. In the late 1900s, pashtun king amir abdul rahman khan ordered. Hazaras have developed a strong unified sense of identity. The soviet invasion of december 1979 has been the major determining factor in afghanistan s ethnic relations since that point in time. The hazaras of afghanistan and their shia orientation.
The hazara and the 2004 constitution justin desautelsstein introduction it seems rather natural to respond with ambivalence to the news of afghanistans recent foray into constitutionmaking. Pdf the hazaras of afghanistan and their shia orientation. Prolonged, unchecked dogmatic bigotry has led to a sharp increase in sectarian violence in pakistan, particularly between shia and sunni sects. Hazaras form a majority of the population in the central highland region of afghanistan known as hazarajat, and are a significant minority in the cities of kabul and mazari sharif. The giant buddha statues had long been central to the identity of the hazara community. The topics addressed are comprehensive, and the report does not intend to provide an. It said the hazaras had tried to rise against the pashtuns in the nineteenth century, but the. Report hazaras and afghan insurgent groups refworld. They are mostly shia, with small sunni and ismaili minorities. The majority of ethnic hazaras are shia muslims and 90% of shia muslims are hazaras. Largely following shia sect of islam, hazara also has minority which consists of ismailia and sunnis.
However, we do hold resentment towards the genocide of our people. On the one hand, the emergence of a national charter allegiant to the united nations, international law, and. Pashtun leaders, with occasional support from uzbek and tajik leaders, have denounced hazaras as. The arabs introduced islam in the 7th century and the turks briefly made afghanistan the center of islamic power and civilization at the beginning of the 11th century.
They spea k the ha zaragi variant of persian, one of the two official languag es of afghan istan they are the thirdlargest ethnic group in afghan istan, also making up a significant minority group in the neighboring pakistan, with a population of. Modern history reveals that, king nader shah afshar, ruler of iran, after having occupied afghanistan, took away with him a number of efficient hazara cultivators of badghis region of afghanistan to asfareen in iran and granted them fertile lands for cultivation. Jul 26, 2016 isil killed at least 80 from afghanistans hazara community and wounded more than 230 during a peaceful protest on saturday. The conflict between the hazara and the pashtun started when abdur rahman khan became the ruler of afghanistan. The hazaras and their role in afghanistan the hazaras and their role in afghanistan by rauf zeerak introduction the history of afghanistan is a very tragic one in so many ways. Consequently hazaras formed part of the northern alliance forces that opposed the taliban and took power after the taliban fell in 2001. The 2004 afghanistan constitution pdf granted hazaras equal rights, and they were wellrepresented in the administration of former afghan president hamid karzai. The darispeaking hazara people live in afghanistan, pakistan and iran, and are believed to be of turkmongol descent. A general description on the history of the hazara people in afganistan. Send article as pdf chief ethnic groups in afghanistan are pashtuns, tajiks, uzbeks and hazaras. Over the centuries tajiks and arabic sayeds joined the. Central asia, including both mongolia and afghanistan, lies on the fringes of the historical world. Hazaras are one of the national ethnic minorities recognized in the. In 1229 a mongol army was is patched to the west, of which a part was stationed in.
Jan 03, 2016 the hazaras claim to have descended from mongol troops, who were left behind in presentday afghanistan as the mongols retreated from their failed invasion of india at the end of the th century. Hazaras settled in other areas of afghanistan as early as the th century and were forced into their current location by pashtun and sunni expansionism in the 18th and 19th century. Consequently, hazaras formed part of the northern alliance forces that opposed the taliban and took power after the taliban fell in 2001. History of the hazara people researchers cannot fully reconstruct the origin of the hazaras, but due to their physical appearance, it is believed that they might have a close relationship with the turkic and. In it, i read that my people, the pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the hazaras. A study of historical records indicates that the hazaras are descended from mongols who entered what is now the hazarajat in central afghanistan at various times between a.
Persistant rumors hold that they are descended from genghis khans army, members of which mixed with the local persian and turkic people. Their status political, economic and cultural has been precarious in modern history due to their being both an ethnic and a religious minority. The hazaras are twelver shia muslims and are the third largest ethnic group in afghanistan and a significant majority group in pakistan. Afghanistan can affect the hazaras security situation negatively, descriptions of the various groups. For the mongols we have the secret history, originally compiled by anonymous mongol authors ca. Persecution of the hazara people did not begin with the coming of the taliban. As afghanistans third largest ethnic group, a sizable majority are shia muslims with some sunnis and ismailis, the latter affiliated with the aga khan. It is cited that the hazaras form 9 % to 25% of the population in afghanistan. Hazaras in the view of british diaries british secret diaries during genocide of hazaras by pushtun ruler of afghanistan, amir abdur rahman khan pdf an estimated 60% of hazaras were exterminated between 1884 and 1905, and tens of thousands of hazara men, women, and children, were sold as slaves. In 2014 there were6,864,056 hazaras in afghanistan with 1. On july 23, 2016, several hundred hazaras were protesting the development of a power line, disagreeing with the route that had been chosen by the government. What are some of the reasons behind the hazara pashtun conflict. Current issues since the overthrow of the taliban in 2001 the situation of hazaras in afghanistan has improved considerably.
Afghanistan is one of the most indigent and impoverished nations of the world. Political mobilization among the hazara of afghanistan. Their exact numbers which could be relatively large, are not available due to the absence of census in the country, which itself is intentional and political. The hazaras and their role in afghanistan the hazaras. The 2004 afghanistan constitution pdf granted hazaras equal. By the end of the day, the protest had been devastated by violence and the minority hazara community in afghanistan had been shaken. The hazaras claim to have descended from mongol troops, who were left behind in presentday afghanistan as the mongols retreated from their failed invasion of india at the end of the th century.
This is a study of the second largest but least wellknown ethnic group in afghanistan. S led military intervention in afghanistan marks the fourth phase in the countrys twentythreeyearold civil war. The agony of the hazaras and the indifference of the afghan state. They are mostly shiite muslims and comprise the third largest ethnic group of afghanistan, forming about 18% according to other sources up to 25% of the total population. The rise of the hazaras and the challenge of pluralism in afghanistan 19782011. Human security, peacebuilding, and the hazara minority of. The number of hazaras worldwide is unknown, but estimates range from 5 to 8 million. History of the hazaras free download as powerpoint presentation. Western and eastern hazara speak different dialects of persian and differ in faith. The history of afghanistan is a history of war and conflict even up to present day. A key moment in recent hazara history is the destruction of the bamyan buddhas by the taliban in 2001. This is an excellent description of how sectarian politics in afghanistan offered foreign powers an opportunity to intervene in afghanistans politics. The persecution of hazara people refers to discrimination against the hazaras, who are primarily from the central highland region of hazarajat in afghanistan.
Largely shia by religion and farsispeaking, the hazaras traditionally inhabited central afghanistan although because of the war they are now scattered in large numbers across the country and in neighbouring countries as well. Overall, hazaras have no hatred towards any group least of all tajiks from afghanistan. That they were mongoloid was attested by their sparse beards and high cheekbones. Introduction the response of afghanistans hazaras to the. Abdur rahman khan favored the pashtun people and despised the hazara people. This man, he said, was the main contact between hazaras and the insurgents in jaghori. Mar 29, 2009 a study of historical records indicates that the hazaras are descended from mongols who entered what is now the hazarajat in central afghanistan at various times between a.
Thay are owerwhelmingly twaler shia muslims an mak up the third lairgest ethnic group in afghanistan. The discrimination and violence against the hazaras in. In 1747, the pashtun, the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan, established their dynasty. Largely shia by religion and farsispeaking, the hazaras traditionally inhabited central afghanistan although because of the war they are now scattered in large numbers across the. Most speak dari, a form of persian, or many other languages. Hazaras can usually be recognised by their physical appearance see background and demography. Why are the taliban attacking hazaras in afghanistan.
Isil killed at least 80 from afghanistans hazara community and wounded more than 230 during a peaceful protest on saturday. Understanding the agonies of ethnic hazaras message from the chairman the past two decades of pakistans history have been plagued by the scourge of violent religious extremism. Over the centuries tajiks and arabic sayeds joined the original mongols through intermarriage. Hundreds of thousands of hazara have settled as refugees in europe, the americas, and australia. Millions of hazara people throughout history have been forced to leave their original homeland today called afghanistan hazaristan. The hazara are an afghan ethnic minority group of mixed persian, mongolian, and turkic ancestry. The hazaras and their role in afghanistan the hazaras and. Hazaras are the most discriminated ethnic groups in afghanistan and somehow around the world. In 1229 a mongol army was is patched to the west, of which a part was stationed in the region of ghazni until 1241. They contribute to 20 to 25% of the population of afghanistan and are one of the largest ethnic minority groups, which is concentrated in the central region of afghanistan known as hazarajaat and in baluchistan, province of pakistan.
Timeline world history documentaries 5,872,427 views 48. Hazara people live primarily in several central asian countries such as hazaristan afghanistan, iran, turkmenistan, kazakhstan, pakistan, and india. An analytical historical survey article pdf available march 2014 with 861 reads how we measure reads. In both cases the victims were primarily hazaras, a shia muslim. This study is also important in terms of how external forces and internal conflicts combined to have disastrous consequences for the hazara community in afghanistansas humayun sarabi. Whilst all ethnic groups in afghanistan want social. Through the discussion of a history of religious and ethnic persecution in afghanistan i show how the. Because of the war they are now scattered across the country and in neighboring countries in large numbers as well. Three revolts over the last 15 years of the century ended with as many as 65% of the hazara population being either massacred or displaced to pakistan or iran.
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