A brief overview of Afghanistan
Located within South and Central Asia, Afghanistan is a landlocked country, bordering Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east. The terrain is one of rugged mountains and vast deserts. Nearly 75 percent of its land is covered by mountain ranges, including those of Hindu Kush. Afghanistan has an arid climate, with hot and dry summers and cold winters. Rainfalls are sparse and irregular. The vast majority of Afghans live in isolated communities in the hills and valleys of the mountain regions. They tend to be self-sufficient, growing their crops and tending to their animals.
Serving as a passageway for waves of migrating peoples throughout the ages, Afghanistan has become one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse countries. It is believed to be home to some 40 languages, with over 200 different dialects. The 1964 Afghanistan Constitution accorded both Pashto and Dari (widely known as Afghan Farsi) the status of official languages in Afghanistan. Dari serves as the lingua franca, although the Constitution designates Pashto as the national language. While being ethnically and linguistically diverse, the Afghan population shares fundamental values and principles, the strongest bond being religion. Islam is the main religion and is practiced by over 99 percent of the Afghan population. It plays an important role in their economic, political, and personal lives.
Afghanistan has been on the receiving end of much violence for centuries to count. It has seen hundreds of troops coming in and out of the country, having been a sought after place by nations bent on expansion, serving as a buffer state between imperial Russia and the British Empire, and becoming the final battleground of the Cold War. Amongst other issues, the spreading of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the Soviet invasion in 1979, and the U.S. invasion in 2001 have led to Afghanistan’s current situation of chaos and terror.
As a result of decades of incessant warfare and internal conflicts, the educational system in Afghanistan has collapsed. Primary school attendance is estimated at 54 percent, with great disparities between rural and urban areas. Afghanistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, with approximately 17 percent for women and 42 percent for men, according to a 2015 UNESCO report. However, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, several reconstruction efforts have achieved substantial progress on social and economic fronts. Nevertheless, Afghanistan still faces serious challenges before it can overcome the burden of the legacy of its past.
Discrimination against Hazaras
Hazaras belong to the largest ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, making up approximately 10 percent of the Afghan population. They reside in the Hazarajat territory, a region in the mountainous central highlands. Their Mongol origin and their use of Hazaragi language set them apart from other Afghan ethnic groups. While most Afghans – including the predominant ethnic Pashtuns – embrace Sunni Islam, Hazaras are Shiite Muslims. As a result, they are considered to be of inferior status by other Afghan ethnic groups.
Hazaras have endured centuries of discrimination and abuse. The first period of their systematic oppression began in the late 19th century, when Abdur Rahman Khan came to power in Afghanistan. Perceiving the Hazaras as a threat to Pashtun dominance, he ordered the deportation and killing of entire Hazara villages, and fostered the hatred between Pashtuns and Hazaras. The systematic discrimination of Hazaras and denial of basic human rights continued well into the 20th century.
When the predominantly Pashtun Taliban came to power during the 1990s, the Hazaras’ persecution was stretched to new extremes. The Taliban openly declared war on Hazaras, and claimed that their policy was to exterminate the Hazara people. In 1998, thousands of Hazaras were killed, when the Taliban captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northwest Afghanistan. During this period, the Hazaras faced particularly severe oppression, including several more mass killings.
After the overthrow of the Taliban regime in late 2001, the situation for the Hazara population in Afghanistan started to improve. In recent years, they have been able to gain more power, both politically and economically. However, the Taliban has since begun to regroup and reconstitute strength, and the expansion of ISIS in Afghan territory poses as yet another threat for Afghanistan. The situation today remains volatile, and Hazaras continue to face hardships in many areas of the country.