Hazara are a people in central Afghanistan who may be the descendants of Ghengis Khan. Persecuted for their religious beliefs and ethnic features, the Hazara are featured in the book and movie, ”The Kite Runner.”
Hazara People Who They Are?
The Hazara are a people who mostly live in the central, mountainous region of Afghanistan in an area known as Hazarajat, with smaller communities living in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. There are about 2.7 million Hazara in Afghanistan, and up to 150,000 in Pakistan. The Hazara speak a dialect known as Hazaragi, a form of Dari, one of two official languages in Afghanistan that is also understandable in Iran, which speaks Farsi.
Ethnically, they have Asian features and might be the descendants of the Mongols under Genghis Khan, who lived from 1162 to 1227. Some Hazara believe they are the descendants of one of the sons of Noah. Most likely, they are related to Turkic, Uzbek, or Iranian ancestors. Either way, the Hazara’s Asian features set them apart from most Afghans.
They are mostly Shia, one of the branches of Islam. This has caused difficulties, as most of Afghanistan is Sunni, the other main branch of Islam. They have had a long history of rebellion against and persecution under larger Pashtun and Tajik groups, the main ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
Persecution
Under the dominant Sunni population of Afghanistan, the Hazara for generations have suffered discrimination in education, access to public services, and fewer economic opportunities. This occurred as well under the Taliban, the previous and short-lived government in Afghanistan. Recently, They have been victims of deadly attacks by either what remains of the Taliban or new elements of ISIS (or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), the same group that is fighting in Iraq and Syria.
This religious and ethnic persecution and the general unstable situation in Afghanistan has encouraged the Hazara to flee the country. While there are large Hazara communities in Canada, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, and Australia, many Hazara have died trying to reach places like Australia through dangerous human smuggling routes.
Living in the Southwest Of district Quetta in Pakistan There lives Hazara Community. The community is a distinct minority in Quetta. They make at about 0.5 percent of the total population,
They speak Hazargi as their Mother tongue And practice Shia Islam.
The unique facial features of Hazara people distinguish them from others In the region. As to describe “The Hazara have a moon-type face, swelling eyes, and they have a small nose.
the Hazara community has been a target of sectorial violence for the past 2 decades by Pakistani Government banned Sunni-led militant group (Lashkar-e-Jahngvi).
The response from the Pakistani government authorities to the wave of violence against the Hazara has been to build walls blocking streets leading to their districts from elsewhere in the city or place military checkpoints along with them.
However, The Attacks on the community Are Far less in the last few years but it affected the Hazara tremendously, from dominating the market of Quetta once. Now most of their business is limited to their walled districts.
Hazaragi Language and religion.
When Mongols moved into the appanage of chagatai in the thirteenth century, the area was occupied by Turkic-speaking peoples. The ancestors of the Hazara Mongols appear to have been influenced by thei Turkic subjects during their stay in Transoxiana, for many Turkic as well as Mongol words are present in modern Hazara speech. In Afghanistan the ancestral Hazaras became Persian-speaking. At the beginning of the sixteenth century some Hazaras still spoke Mongol, by the twentieth century, Mongol survived only as a minor vocabulary element. Bellew characterized the Hazara language as representing a thirteenth-century form of Persian. Morgenstierne, a trained linguist, more cautiously described Hazara speech as “a peculiar dialect of Persian”. No descriptive study has been made of any of the Hazaras as are literate
At some period after their entry into Afghanistan the ancestors of the Hazara Mongols adopted the Shi’a Muslim “twelver” faith of the Persians. All Hazaras dwelling within the Hazarajat are “twelvers”. Such
Hazaras on the periphery of the Hazarajat as have been converted to other Shia sects or to the Sunni Muslim religion are not regarded by the twelvers.
People in History
Nasir Sobedar
He was a Hazara migrant who moved to Pakistan. Haji Nasir, Sobedar famous as “Ghazi-e Kashmir” and one of the most popular Plitical figures. He was very active in the struggle for the independece of Pakistan, and was an active member of the Muslim League Party. After the Independece, he led the Hazara trible volunteers of Kashmir. He and his Hazara young men fought galantly and he was given the honorary of “Ghazi-e Kashmir.” he was a sports enthusiast and was responsible for creating an interest in sports, especially soccer among the Hazara youths. He died in early 1950.
Capt (Hon), Ali Dost Khan, 1930, KABUL
Cap (Hon), Ali dost Khan served about 27 years in British Army ( Hazara Pioneer). Later he return to Afghanistan and appointed as Birgadier General in Afghan Army. He died in Kabul.
Ali Dost Khan was known a talented military officer in British Indian Army in in 1920’s. He served with Hazara Pioneer in Biritish Indian army . He participated in different military operation in China Bo
er wars in south Africa and including World War 1st, along with other allied forces against German forces in the front of France. After his retirement he jioned Afghan army and designated rank of Major General during King Aman Ullah Khan era. Ali Dost Khan was awarded several war medals in India during his service.
He wrote his autobiography under title of “Yaag Fararee” (one deserter) in persian. He mentions about his early life starts from Afghanistan, military services with the British army and aftermath. He died in Kabul
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