The Sectarian Divide: Exploring Shiite Presence In Afghanistan's Muslim Population

Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country, with Islam as its official state religion. While most Afghans are Sunni Muslims, there is a significant minority of Shiite Muslims, estimated to be around 7-10% of the population, although some estimates put the figure as high as 35%. The Shiite community in Afghanistan primarily consists of the Twelvers, including the Hazara ethnic group, who have faced discrimination and persecution due to their religious and ethnic minority status.

Shia Muslims in Afghanistan make up a significant minority of the population, with estimates ranging from 7% to 35%

Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country, with Islam as its official state religion. While Sunni Islam is the most practised form, with around 90% of the Muslim population following it, Shia Muslims in Afghanistan make up a significant minority of the population, with estimates ranging from 7% to 35%.

The majority of Shia Muslims in Afghanistan are Twelvers, primarily of the Hazara ethnicity. The Hazara people are the third-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, comprising 10%-20% of the national population. They have faced discrimination and violence in the country for over a century, including during previous periods under the Taliban rule. The Hazara have also been targeted by Islamic State-affiliated groups in South Asia.

The next-largest group of Twelvers are the Farsiwan of the western Herat and Farah provinces. There are also smaller Twelver communities, including the Qizilbash and the Sadat populations.

A minority of Shia Muslims in Afghanistan are Ismailis. They are found primarily in and near the eastern Hazarajat region, in the Baghlan area north of the Hindu Kush, among the mountain Tajik of Badakhshan, and among the Wakhi in the Wakhan Corridor. The Ismailis are considered heretical by the Twelvers, and they make up a smaller portion of the Shia population in Afghanistan.

The Shia population in Afghanistan, particularly the Hazara community, faces the risk of persecution and violence due to their different interpretation of Islam, which challenges the Taliban's claim to religious authority.

The majority of Shia Muslims in Afghanistan are Twelvers, primarily of the Hazara ethnicity

Afghanistan is a country with a rich history of migration, linguistic diversity, cultural diversity, and religious diversity. The country's constitution mentions more than a dozen ethnic groups, and the Hazara people are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Afghanistan. The Hazara people are said to be the descendants of Genghis Khan and the Mongol soldiers who swept through the region in the 13th century. They are primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan but are also found in major cities like Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif. The Hazara people speak the Dari and Hazaragi dialects of Persian.

The Hazara people have been one of the most persecuted groups in Afghanistan, facing violence, discrimination, and marginalization for centuries. During the late 1900s, Pashtun King Amir Abdul Rahman Khan ordered the killing of all Shias in central Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Hazaras. They were also sold as slaves and denied access to public services, higher education, and government positions. This systematic discrimination and violence have led to a significant decline in the size of the Hazara community.

Despite their growing political clout, Hazaras continue to experience discrimination and feel like outsiders in their own country. They have been targeted by extremist groups such as the Taliban and the Islamic State, facing abductions, extortions, violent killings, and mass executions. The Taliban's idealization of Islamic "purity" and their control over the country's opium production further contribute to the persecution of minorities like the Hazara.

The majority of Shia Muslims in Afghanistan are Twelvers, and the Hazara ethnic group accounts for a significant proportion of this population. The Hazara people embraced Shia Islam between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century during the Safavid periods. While the exact percentage of Shia Muslims in Afghanistan is uncertain, estimates range from 7% to 35%.

In addition to the Hazara, other Twelver communities in Afghanistan include the Farsiwan of the western Herat and Farah provinces, the Qizilbash, and the Sadat populations. The Ismaili branch of Shia Islam, known as the "Seveners," is smaller in number and includes communities in the Baghlan area north of the Hindu Kush and among the mountain Tajik of Badakhshan.

The Hazara people have a rich cultural heritage, with distinctive music and literary traditions, including a rich oral history, poetry, and folklore. Their clothing, cuisine, and customs reflect the combination of Central Asian, South Asian, and Persian influences.

In conclusion, the Hazara people, primarily following the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, have endured a long history of persecution and discrimination in Afghanistan. They constitute a significant minority in the country and continue to face challenges in the present day, especially with the rise of extremist groups and the Taliban's return to power.

The Hazara community, the third-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, has faced discrimination and persecution for over a century due to their different interpretation of Islam

The Hazara people are the third-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, comprising 9-20% of the national population. They primarily reside in the Hazarajat region in central Afghanistan and speak a dialect of Dari (Farsi dialect) called Hazaragi. The Hazara are also a significant minority group in Pakistan and Iran.

The Hazara have faced discrimination and persecution for over a century due to their different interpretation of Islam. While most Hazara are Muslim, the majority follow the minority Shiite tradition. Most Muslims around the world follow the Sunni tradition, which recognizes Muhammad's companion Abu Bakr as his rightful successor. In contrast, Shiite Muslims like the Hazara, however, believe that the prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, should have succeeded Muhammad after his death.

Historically, the Shiite minority, regardless of ethnicity, has faced long-term persecution from the majority Sunni population in Afghanistan. During the reign of Amir Abdul Rahman (1880-1901), the Hazara suffered severe political, social, and economic repression, culminating in a state-backed declaration of jihad against them from 1890 to 1893. Abdul Rahman Khan, a Pashtun, mobilized large contingents of government forces and ethnic and tribal militias in the war against the Hazara, promising them Hazara lands and slaves. As a result, thousands of Hazara men were killed, their women and children were taken as slaves, and their lands were occupied and redistributed to Pashtun tribes.

The repression continued even after slavery was formally abolished in 1923. The Hazara faced political, economic, and social marginalization, and their culture and identity were stigmatized. In addition, Pashtun nomads who participated in the conquest of Hazarajat in the 1890s progressively took control of the region's pasturelands and dominated its trade and economic activities. The Hazara were also denied access to education and public sector employment, contributing to their stigmatization and isolation.

In recent years, the Hazara have become targets of violent attacks by extremist groups, including the Taliban and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, ISKP has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Hazara mosques, schools, and workplaces, killing and injuring hundreds of people. The Taliban, despite promising to protect religious minorities, have failed to provide increased security in provinces where attacks have occurred and have themselves committed targeted attacks and forced displacement of Hazara communities.

The Hazara's different interpretation of Islam has made them a vulnerable target for persecution and violence in Afghanistan. Their struggle for survival and basic rights continues amid a climate of impunity, with perpetrators of atrocities often evading justice.

Shia Islam made its way to southern Afghanistan during the Safavid rule in the 16th century

The Safavid dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1501 to 1736, played a significant role in the spread of Shia Islam in Afghanistan. During the 16th century, the Safavids initiated a campaign to forcefully convert the Iranian populace from Sunni to Shia Islam, seeking to establish a new demographic environment where Shia Islam was the majority. This campaign had a direct impact on the regions under Safavid influence, including southern Afghanistan.

The Safavid ruler Shah Ismail, who came to power in 1501, was particularly zealous in his efforts to impose Shia Islam on his territories. He made it mandatory for Shias to curse the first three Sunni Caliphs, offending Sunnis and creating lasting antagonism between the two sects. Ismail's armies propagated Shia Islam among the Turkish tribes of eastern Turkey and recruited Shia soldiers from the Ottoman army, further strengthening the Safavid Empire.

Ismail's successor, Shah Tahmasp, continued the campaign of forced conversion and persecution of Sunnis. He brought in Shia scholars from other regions to replace the Sunni ulama, who were either converted or killed. The Safavids invested heavily in building and decorating shrines of Shia saints, encouraging pilgrimages across their empire. They also established Twelver Shiism as the official religion of their dynasty, distinguishing themselves from their Sunni neighbours, the Ottomans and the Mughals.

The spread of Shia Islam in southern Afghanistan can be attributed to the Safavid rule during the 16th century. The Safavids' aggressive promotion of their faith and the establishment of Shia Islam as the state religion in Iran had a lasting impact on the region. However, it is important to note that the attempt to forcibly convert the Pashtun Afghans of Kandahar to Shia Islam ultimately sparked the rebellion that led to the downfall of the Safavid dynasty in 1722.

The Ismailis are another Shia community in Afghanistan who accept Ismail ibn Jafar as the successor to Imam Jafar as-Sadiq. They are considered heretical by the Twelvers

The Ismailis are a Shia community in Afghanistan who accept Ismail ibn Jafar as the successor to Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. They are considered heretical by the Twelvers, who believe Musa al-Kazim was the rightful successor.

The Ismailis take their name from the fact that they affirm the Imamat of Mawlana Ismail ibn Ja'far as the hereditary Imam after Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. The Ismailis are also known as the Ismailiyya or Isma'ilis.

Ismail ibn Ja'far was the eldest son of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq and his first wife, Fatima, a highly aristocratic lady, and great-granddaughter of Hasan. He was born in Medina between 100/719 and 103/722. Ismail was declared many times by his father as his successor, and said on an occasion, while Ismail was present, that "He is the Imam after me, and what you learn from him is just the same as if you have learned it from myself."

The Ismailis believe that the series of Imamat or Welayat that comes from the first Imami, Hazar-e-Ali, will never end. This is why they have so far reached the 49th Imam, represented by Aga Khan IV.

The Ismailis have been continuously engaged in Afghanistan's political landscape during the democracy era. Following the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the Ismailis established a political party called the National Unity Party of Afghanistan, also known as the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan. Considering about 3-5% of the population of Ismailis in Afghanistan, they managed to send up to four representatives to the Afghanistan National Assembly. They also obtained seats in the Afghan government cabinet, including the State Ministry for Peace in 2020.

Ismaili communities in Afghanistan are less populous than the Twelver community, who consider the Ismaili heretical. They are found primarily in and near the eastern Hazarajat, in the Baghlan area north of the Hindu Kush, among the mountain Tajik of Badakhshan, and amongst the Wakhi in the Wakhan Corridor.

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