Pashtun Vs Hazaras

Afghanistan is a culture-rich land consisting of many ethnic tribes. The largest of these groups is the Pashtun tribe which constitutes an estimated 40% to 55% of Afghanistan’s total population. The third largest group in the country is the Hazara tribe which comprise between 15% of the population (Barfield 26). Historically, the Hazara people have been largely persecuted by other tribes in Afghanistan. In Martin Ewan’s book, Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics, he writes, “There has in the past been little love lost between [the Hazaras] and other Afghans, who despise them on both religious and racial grounds, while they themselves have a particular hatred

A source for queries is the fact that Hazaras are physically distinctive from the other ethnic groups in Afghanistan” (Justin, 159). “This distinctiveness has also had the effect of making it increasingly difficult for Hazaras to assimilate into majority cultures, either voluntarily or by force (Justin, 159).

In fear of being killed, in fear of being homeless and in fear of being sent the place that they fear the most. The Pashtuns take advantage of their numbers in doing so. This is discrimination based on both, Pride and Fear. The Pashtuns take pride in their race and the Hazaras fear the same.

“’Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our wantan. They dirty our blood….

Hosseini incorporation of cultural conventions and hierarchy introduces the complex relationship between Hassan and Amir. Hassan was a member of the Hazara caste; a historically socially, politically and economically oppressed group. In contrast, Amir was a Pashtun, a historically dominant, richer and overall higher caste. The conflict between Hazaras and Pashtuns stems from a difference in religious beliefs. The Hazaras were Shi’a Muslims, whereas Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims. Their conflict regarding the successor to Prophet Muhammed, translated into social, and economic oppression and persecution. “Throughout Afghan History, the Pashtuns [held] the highest influential rank above other ethnic groups, specifically the Hazaras”. Hosseini directly infuses this historical context into the text when Amir found a history book, wherein he learned that “…the Pashtuns…had persecuted and oppressed the

4. Pashtuns are of the wealthy class. They are the ones that usually get a good education and become powerful. Baba, Amir, Rahim Khan, Assef, Wali, and Kamal have been introduced as Pashtuns so far.

For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man

The land in Afghanistan is mountainous. Jagged, impassable ranges divide the country and make travel much more difficult. Due to these physical divisions, the people are extremely provincial,

In Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner, one of the most surprising motifs is of ethnic division and violence in Afghanistan. The groups that commit such acts , though brutally primitive, have deep set reasons and justifications for their actions. In totality, ethnic violence is an enduring problem for humanity that is due to differences that exist between people of various cultures and ancestry as well as foreign intervention from world powers.

Similar to people of colour, the Hazaras were also extremely despised, and looked down upon in Afghanistan. They were often kept as servants, as shown through Hassan’s case, in which his family had been servants for Amir’s family, and they were considered of lower value and worth than the Pashtuns. From an early age in his childhood, Hassan has therefore dealt with racial segregation and actions expressing distaste towards him from the larger community. It was very clear that as someone of lesser authority and worth due to his ethnicity, he was merely someone who did housework for Amir. When society itself is promoting acts of racism and disdain toward the Hazaras while often keeping them as slaves, those who are of that group cannot help but feel unsafe, or unhappy with the ethnicity they were born into. The hatred towards the Hazaras can lead to the victims slowly believing these insults. This would make them hesitant to approach others for fear of being humiliated about their race. Hassan’s decrease in self-worth is evident when he

Before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, race and wealth defined power. At the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder were the Hazaras. The Hazaras had no power at all and some even thought they were a disgrace to Afghanistan, like Assef believed “Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this flat nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood.” (Hosseini 33).

In The documentary Opium Brides shows the inequality in the system and the weakness of the sovereign in the Afghanistan. Because the authorities are corrupt and the poverty is extremely. The poor people become slaves of the Taliban who decide who the poor people have to live. The documentary also shows the intervention the CIA who works in order to prevent the exportation the opium to U.S from the Pakistan. Thus documentary shows how the inequality in the race is important in the society. It is possible to see how the Taliban control people’s lives in Afghanistan; especially the poor people who deal with a weak economy for survive. The Taliban gives these poor people to choose cultivate drugs and life or death because the government does

In Afghanistan, there is a divide between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras; the Pashtuns are upper class citizens who are treated with respect while the Hazaras are lower class, minority citizens who are treated poorly. Because of the contrasting history of the two groups, their responses to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul were complete opposites. The Pashtuns “danced on [the] street,” (Hosseini 200) while the Hazaras cried “God help the Hazaras now” (Hosseini 213). The conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in “The Kite Runner” directly reflects the real life issues in Afghanistan starting in the late 70’s and continuing on past 2001.

This also occurs in central government and has been a bone of contention for those pressing for a more meritocratic system in the country. A recent incident with exemplifies Afghanistan's ethnic tensions even at the highest level of government was the appointment of Mohammad Mohaqiq as deputy Chief Executive Officer. Upon his appointment Mohaqiq declared that he wanted 22 percent of ' of all cabinet ministries and governorships for his ethnic group', the Hazaras. In spite of this, President Ghani does deserve commendation for selecting a Hazara representative in such a high post which is a rare occurrence. However, this is at the cost of putting merit before personalities, which is a systemic problem in the country. Tensions were also heightened when the country's President and Chief Exectuive Officer, Abdullah Abdullah, considerably delayed appointing a new cabinet, which it was claimed was due to disputes over power-sharing

Hosseini puts an emphasis on the presence of class discrimination in Afghanistan where the Pashtuns are the pure class that dominates over the minority group of Hazaras and the poor in the society. The novel reveals the violence and cruelty predominant in the society against the weak in the society. In fact, people cannot get married in another class that is not of their status and the Hazaras are the most affected class in the story. The Hazaras (people from the low class) are degraded, and this is evident with the emotional, physical, psychological abuse they get from the Pashtuns (Bloom 46). The minority group from the Hazaras is violated by the upper class who are the Pashtuns because they are powerless. A good example is that of Amir and Hassan whereby Amir had established a class distinction between them because his friend was from the minority group and he was the son of a wealthy businessperson in Kabul. Hassan and his father were treated like servants from a low