Religion in Afghanistan
Part of |
Majority |
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Sunni Islam |
Minority |
Historic/Extinct |
Controversy |
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Afghanistan is an Islamic state, in which most citizens follow Islam. As much as 90% of the population follows Sunni Islam.[1] According to The World Factbook, Sunni Muslims constitute between 84.7 and 89.7% of the population, and Shia Muslims between 10 and 15%. Other religions are followed by 0.3% of the population.
In 2022, Freedom House rated Afghanistan’s religious freedom as 1 out of 4.[2]
History
Religious demographics in the region known today as Afghanistan have shifted numerous times in history. In ancient and classical periods, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, followed by Buddhism were the primary religions in the region. Islam gradually became the primary religion in the region after first being introduced in the 7th century A.D., when the Rashidun Caliphate conquered parts of the region.
The religion
Before the arrival of Islam Southern Afghanistan used to be a stronghold of Zoroastrianism. There were close relations between Persia and Arachosia concerning the Zoroastrian faith.[6] It is believed that the Avesta had arrived in Persia through Arachosia. Thus the region is also considered as a "second fatherland for Zoroastrianism".[7]
Mainly concentrated in eastern and southern regions of present-day Afghanistan, early
Following Alexander the Great's conquest and occupation in the 4th century BC, the successor-state Seleucid Empire controlled the area until 305 BC when they gave much of it to the Indian Maurya Empire as part of an alliance treaty. The Mauryans brought Buddhism from India and controlled parts of southern and eastern Afghanistan until about 185 BC when they were overthrown.
In the 7th century, the
A large number of the inhabitants of the region of northern Afghanistan accepted Islam through Umayyad missionary efforts, particularly under the reigns of
Until the 1890s, the country's
By the 20th century, Islam made up as much as 99 percent of the population. The country's religious minorities such as Hindus and Jews did, however, enjoy "complete religious freedom" as of the early 1970s.[21]
The 1979 Soviet invasion in support of a communist government triggered a major intervention of religion into Afghan political conflict. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1980-1987) was a secular state; Islam united the multi-ethnic political opposition. The Soviet-backed Marxist-style regime and the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) moved to reduce the influence of Islam. The PDPA imprisoned, tortured and murdered many members of the religious establishment.[22] After National Reconciliation talks in 1987, Islam became once again the state religion and the country removed the word "Democratic" from its official name. From 1987-1992, the country's official name was the Republic of Afghanistan.[23] The Sikh, Hindu, Christian, and Zoroastrian minorities have declined since; in the 1970s, it is estimated the country had around 500,000 Sikhs and 200,000 Hindus, while perhaps 7–10,000 remained in 2017.[24][25][26][27][28]
The Taliban won the
For Afghans, Islam represents a potentially unifying symbolic system which offsets the divisiveness that frequently rises from the existence of a deep pride in tribal loyalties and an abounding sense of personal and family honor found in multitribal and multiethnic societies such as Afghanistan. Mosques serve not only as places of worship, but for a multitude of functions, including shelter for guests, places to meet and converse, the focus of social religious festivities and schools. Almost every Afghan has at one time during his youth studied at a mosque school; for some this is the only formal education they receive.
Minority religious groups
Demographics
A Pew Forum data report in 2009 stated that Sunni Muslims constituted 80-85% of the population, with Shia Muslims making up 10-15%. Other religious groups, mainly Hindus, Sikhs, Baha’is and Christians, together constitute less than 0.3 percent of the population. There were a few hundred Ahmadiyya Muslims and no Jews in the country.[29]
Shia Islam
The
Shia Muslims in Afghanistan are a source of tension between Afghanistan and its neighbor the
Modernist and non-denominational Muslims
One of the most important revivalists and resuscitators of the
Zoroastrianism
According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, 2,000 Afghans identified as
Indian religions
Historically, the Southern and eastern parts of
There are about 1,300 Afghan Sikhs[36][37] and a little over 600 Hindus[38] living in different cities but mostly in Kabul, Jalalabad, and Ghazni.[39][40] Senator Awtar Singh was the only Sikh in Afghanistan's parliament of 2010.[41]
A notable remnant of the Buddhist history in Afghanistan were the massive Buddhas of Bamiyan statues, carved in the 6th and 7th centuries. The statues were destroyed in March 2001 by the reigning Taliban as idolatrous. Taliban soldiers used rockets and guns to destroy them.[42]
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith was introduced to Afghanistan in 1919 and Baháʼís have been living there since the 1880s. As of 2010, there were approximately 16,500 Baháʼís in Afghanistan.[43]
Christianity
Some unconfirmed reports state that there are 1,000 to 18,000 Afghan Christians practicing their faith secretly in the country.[44] A 2015 study estimates some 3,300 Christians from a Muslim background residing in the country.[45]
Judaism
There was a small
Freedom of Religion after 2021
The Taliban took back power in Sept 2021. A report in 2022 report noted that they had stated that the country is an Islamic emirate whose laws and governance must be consistent with
In 2023, it was reported that violations against minorities had increased after September 2021. In particular many minority peoples had fled to neighbouring countries such as Iran and Pakistan, as well as further afield.[49]
See also
- Hinduism in Afghanistan
- Buddhism in Afghanistan
- Jainism in Afghanistan
- Sikhism in Afghanistan
- Irreligion in Afghanistan
- Judaism in Afghanistan
- Islam in Afghanistan
- Baháʼí Faith in Afghanistan
- Christianity in Afghanistan
- Religious freedom in Afghanistan
References
- ^ a b "Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation". The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity. Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. August 9, 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ Freedom House, Retrieved 2023-04-25
- ISBN 978-0-19-513777-4.
- ^ Afghanistan: ancient Ariana (1950), Information Bureau, p3.
- ^ "Chronological History of Afghanistan – the cradle of Gandharan civilisation". Gandhara.com.au. 15 February 1989. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
- ^ The idea of Iran. An essay on its origin, Gnoli Gherardo, page 133
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Taxila
- ISBN 9781610690188.
Historically, north and east Afghanistan was considered part of the Indian cultural and religious sphere. Early accounts of the region mention the Pashayi as living in a region producing rice and sugarcane, with many wooded areas. Many of the people of the region were Buddhists, though small groups of Hindus and others with tribal religions were noted.
- ISBN 9780313233920.
- ISBN 9788182200654.
- ^ "The Pashayi of Afghanistan". Bethany World Prayer Center. 1997. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
Before their conversion to Islam, the Pashayi followed a religion that was probably a corrupt form of Hinduism and Buddhism. Today, they are Sunni (orthodox) Muslims of the Hanafite sect.
- ^ Richard F. Strand (31 December 2005). "Richard Strand's Nuristân Site: Peoples and Languages of Nuristan". nuristan.info. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-81-7022-763-2, page 199.
- ^ Comrie, Bernard (1990). The World's Major Languages. Oxford University Press. p. 549.
- ^ Ancient Pakistan: Volume 3, University of Peshawar. Dept. of Archaeology - 1967, Page 23
- ^ Arabic As a Minority Language, by Jonathan Owens, pg. 181
- ^ The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith, by Thomas Walker Arnold, pg. 183
- ISBN 0-415-29826-1.
- ^ Klimberg, Max (October 1, 2004). "NURISTAN". Encyclopædia Iranica (Online ed.). United States: Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01.
- JSTOR 43950357.
- ^ "COMMUNISM, REBELLION, AND SOVIET INTERVENTION". United States: Library of Congress Country Studies. 1997. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
- ISBN 978-0-631-19841-3. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ Goyal, Divya (28 July 2020). "Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan — how many remain, why they want to leave". The Indian Express.
- ^ Ruchi Kumar (1 January 2017). "The decline of Afghanistan's Hindu and Sikh communities". Al Jazeera.
- TOLOnews. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ Ruchi Kumar (19 October 2017). "Afghan Hindus and Sikhs celebrate Diwali without 'pomp and splendour' amid fear". Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ Bagchi, Joymala. "Sikh Afghan Nationals Narrate Their Stories Of Fear, Suppression And Anxiety Faced In Kabul". businessworld.in. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
- ^ a b US State Dept 2021 report
- ^ "Country Profile: Afghanistan" (PDF). Library of Congress Country Studies on Afghanistan. Library of Congress. August 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
Religion: Virtually the entire population is Muslim. Between 80 and 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 15 to 19 percent, Shia.
- ^ 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica – Hazara (Race)
- ^ Ehsan Yarshater (ed.). "HAZĀRA". Encyclopædia Iranica (Online ed.). United States: Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ^ "Qizilbash". United States: Library of Congress Country Studies. 1997. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- Saudi Aramco World. Center for Islam and Science. 2002. Archived from the originalon 28 October 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "NATION: Afghanistan". www.vanderbilt.edu. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012.
- ^ "Solidarity for Sikhs after Afghanistan massacre". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
- ^ "Country Policy and Information Note Afghanistan: Sikhs and Hindus/" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-27.
- ^ "Country Policy and Information Note Afghanistan: Sikhs and Hindus/" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-27.
- ^ Majumder, Sanjoy (September 15, 2003). "Sikhs struggle in Afghanistan". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2009-02-22. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- ^ Melwani, Lavina (April 1994). "Hindus Abandon Afghanistan". New York: hinduismtoday.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-11. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
January Violence Is the Last Straw-After 10 Years of War, Virtually All 50,000 Hindus have Fled, Forsaking
- ^ "Afghanistan: Dwindling Sikh Community Struggles To Endure In Kabul". www.sikhnet.com. 13 January 2010.
- ^ Dehghanpisheh, Babak (December 31, 2001). "Rebuilding the Bamiyan Buddhas". nbcnews.com. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ "QuickLists: Most Baha'i (sic) Nations (2010)". Association of Religion Data Archives. 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
- ^ USSD Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2009). "International Religious Freedom Report 2009". Archived from the original on 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR. 11 (10): 1–19. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ Washingtonpost.com - Afghan Jew Becomes Country's One and Only - N.C. Aizenman
- ^ As Taliban take charge, uncertain future for Afghanistan's Jewish heritage sites
- ^ "Afghanistan's Last Jew Leaves After Taliban Takeover". Haaretz. The Associated Press. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ Christian Solidarity Worldwide, March 2023 report