The Religious Landscape Of Afghanistan: A Diverse Mosaic Of Faiths

Afghanistan is an Islamic state, with approximately 99.7% of the population practising Islam. The majority of these are Sunni Muslims, with estimates ranging from 80-90% of the population. The remaining 10-20% are Shia Muslims, with the largest group being the Shia Hazaras. There are also small communities of Ismailis, Sufis, Sikhs, Hindus, Baha'is, and Christians.

Islam has been the official religion of Afghanistan since the 7th century, when it gradually replaced Zoroastrianism and Buddhism as the primary religion of the region. Today, it is deeply ingrained in the cultural and national identity of the country and influences many aspects of daily life, including dress, diet, and language.

Sunni Islam

The Afghan government is established as a Sunni Islamic republic, and as a result, there is a strong societal pressure to adhere to Sunni Islamic traditions. The moral code of the Islamic doctrine tends to govern the political, economic and legal aspects of an Afghan's life. The cultural and national identity of Afghanistan is deeply shaped by Islam, with faith in the religion noticeable in dress, dietary codes, regular prayers and language. For example, reverence to Allah is evident in the way many people speak; it is common to slip praise into casual conversation.

The Hanafi School of Sunni Islam is the most practised in Afghanistan, with approximately 80% of Sunni Muslims belonging to this school of thought. Over the last 30 years, the Deobandi Movements and Salafists (Wahhabis) have gained power among the Sunnis. Sunni Muslims also include Sufis in their ranks, with most Sufis belonging to the two Sufi orders of Naqshbandi and Qadiri. Their religious leaders in Afghanistan are known as Pirs.

While the vast majority of Afghans believe in God and the holy Quran, not all are formally educated in the religion. Low literacy rates in Afghanistan mean that some people may not have read passages from the Quran and rely on others who have memorised the holy text to pass on the word of God.

Shia Islam

The Ismailis are a smaller community in Afghanistan and are considered heretical by the Twelvers. They are found primarily in the eastern Hazarajat region, the Baghlan area north of the Hindu Kush mountains, among the mountain Tajik of Badakhshan, and in the Wakhan Corridor. The Ismailis believe in the continuity of the series of Imamat or Welayat that stems from the first Imami, Hazar-e-Ali. They have reached their forty-ninth Imam, represented by Aga Khan IV.

Ismailis in Afghanistan have played a role in the country's politics, establishing the National Unity Party of Afghanistan (also called the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan) and obtaining seats in the Afghanistan National Assembly and the Afghan government cabinet. They have also been active in promoting Islamic culture, building large mosques, cultural centres, and the World's Largest Handmade Quran in Afghanistan.

The Shia community in Afghanistan has faced persecution and attacks, particularly from the Taliban and other Sunni extremist groups. They have been targeted by violent attacks, including bombings and shootings, with hundreds of casualties. The Taliban has been accused of failing to provide adequate security and protection to the Shia community, especially the Hazara ethnic group, who have faced decades of abuse and discrimination.

The Shia population in Afghanistan continues to advocate for their rights and safety, calling for more international attention and protection for vulnerable communities in the country.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrians are extremely generous to the poor and needy and believe they will go to heaven by reading or reciting their scriptures. They have three different calendars: Fasli (seasonal), Kadmi (ancient), and Shahenshahi (kingly). Their calendar has twelve months, and each month has thirty days. At the end of the 360-day period, there are five additional days called Gathas. Each day of the month and each month is named after an angel.

Before the arrival of Islam, Southern Afghanistan was a stronghold of Zoroastrianism. The Avesta, a collection of liturgical texts, is believed to have arrived in Persia through Arachosia (a region in southern Afghanistan), making the area a "second fatherland" for Zoroastrianism.

Hinduism

Afghanistan has a rich history of religious diversity, and while nearly all of its 38 million people are Muslim today, this has not always been the case. Indeed, Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the region, with roots that go beyond modern historical dating.

Much of Afghanistan was once part of an ancient kingdom known as Gandhara, which also covered parts of northern Pakistan. The earliest mention of Gandhara can be found in the Vedas, Hinduism's most ancient sacred texts, and it is also described in the Hindu epics the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Gandhara is described as the kingdom from which Queen Gandhari came; her son Duryodhana fought and lost a great war to his cousins, the Pandavas. The region of Gandhara, which included the Peshawar Valley, Kabul River Valley, and the Pothohar Plateau, was a centre of Hinduism since the Vedic Period (c. 1500 – c. 1200 BCE).

The Hindu Shahis, who ruled from the 9th century CE, were the last great Hindu rulers of Afghanistan. They built numerous temples and religious monuments throughout the region, particularly in the Kabul Valley, Gandhara, and Western Punjab. However, the Hindu Shahi dynasty came to an end in the 11th century with the eastward expansion of Muslim forces from Ghazni, and Hinduism went into a sharp decline with the advent of Islam.

Despite this, small Hindu communities continued to exist in Afghanistan, particularly in Pashtun areas and the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad. In the 1970s, there were about 700,000 Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan, but this number fell sharply due to religious persecution and conflict. In 1992, there were an estimated 220,000 Hindus and Sikhs in the country, and by the beginning of 2021, there were only about 400. Most of the remaining community members resided in Kabul, with smaller numbers in Ghazni and other provinces.

Hindus in Afghanistan have faced various forms of discrimination and persecution over the years, including land grabbing, societal discrimination, harassment, and violence. During the Taliban regime, Hindus were forced to wear yellow badges or armbands in public to identify themselves as non-Muslims. They were also banned from marking their religious holidays publicly and were subjected to restrictions on their appearances, including being forced to wear the burqa or niqab.

Due to the lack of religious freedom and security concerns, many Afghan Hindus have sought resettlement outside the country, leading to a further decline in their numbers. As of 2021, there were fewer than 700 Hindus and Sikhs combined left in Afghanistan, and it is estimated that there are now only about 50 Hindus remaining in the country. Despite the challenges, the Afghan Hindu community continues to exist outside of Afghanistan, with Asamai temples named after the famous one in Kabul established in various cities around the world.

Sikhism

The origin of the Afghan Sikh community has two streams. The first are the indigenous Pashto and Dari speakers, descendants of converts to the teachings of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, during his trip to Kabul around 1520. The second stream stems from the later Sikh Empire, which pushed westward, establishing trading routes for Sikh merchants into Kandahar and Kabul. This group speaks Hindko, a dialect of Punjabi. Due to this mixed ancestry, Afghan Sikhs are from various ethnolinguistic backgrounds, including Pashtun, Hindkowan, or Punjabi.

The Sikh population in Afghanistan once numbered between 200,000 and 500,000 (1.8% to 4.6% of the national population) in the 1970s, making it one of the largest Sikh populations in the world at that time. However, the community's numbers have dwindled over the years due to conflict, poverty, and intolerance, with estimates of their population ranging from 700 to 3,000 in recent years. The majority of Afghan Sikhs live in major cities such as Jalalabad, Ghazni, and Kabul, with smaller communities in Kandahar and Khost.

Afghan Sikhs have faced persecution and discrimination throughout their history in the country. During the Taliban rule in the 1990s and after their return to power in 2021, they were subjected to forced conversions, required to wear identifying patches or veils, and prohibited from practising their cremation customs. Their temples and places of worship have been destroyed, and they have faced threats of kidnapping and violence. As a result, many Afghan Sikhs have fled the country, seeking refuge in India, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world.

Despite the challenges, the Afghan Sikh community has persevered and continues to play an important role in the country's history and cultural fabric. They have contributed to various fields, including politics, human rights, and business. Notable Afghan Sikhs include Jai Singh Fani, the first Sikh to be elected as a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan, and Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, a member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

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