Afghan Americans

Afghan American

File:US Permanent Representative Briefs Correspondents in 2007.jpg Zalmay Khalilzad • Ali Ahmad Jalali
Regions with significant populations
West Coast, Northeast
Languages
American English, Persian (Dari), Pashto, Uzbek, and other languages in Afghanistan
Religion
Predominately Muslim, with a small number of Jews

An Afghan American refers to an American with heritage or origins in Afghanistan.

Population

Afghan Americans have a long history of immigrating to the United States, as they may have arrived as early as the 1920s. Due to the political borders at that time period, some of these immigrants may have been Pashtuns from British India (present-day Pakistan) or Afghanistan. During the 1930s and 1940s, well-educated Afghans entered America. Between 1953 and early 1970, 230 migrated into the US. Some of those who entered the United States were often students who won scholarships to study in American universities. After the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, many people from Afghanistan decided to leave their country to immigrate or seek refuge in other countries. Many of these Afghan refugees settled in Pakistan, Iran, the European Union, North America, Australia, and else where in the world.

Those who made it to the United States began to settle in the New York City, California and Washington-Virginia areas, where large Muslim community centers keep them closely bonded. Some figures estimate that there are approximately 80,500 Afghan Americans in the United States but the actual number may be much more higher.

Culture

Some migrants from Afghanistan have attempted to not assimilate into American culture as they have valued their traditional culture even after several generations. Afghan Americans value their oral tradition of story telling. The stories they tell are about Nasreddin, history, myths and religion.

Economics

Afghan Americans have a strong desire for higher education, many of them are attending top univirsities or colleges in the United States. While the early immigrants were well-educated, the subsequent waves of migrants have not been as educated. The first immigrants came to the US by choice and were well-educated. In contrast, current immigrants have fled Afghanistan after it destabilized during the Soviet occupation as this group has had some troubles coping with learning a new language. Those who have pursued their education in America in the middle of the 20th century and traveled back to Afghanistan have faced trouble attaining employment when returning back to the US since their education, often in medicine and engineering, is frequently viewed as outdated. After the Soviet invasion, Afghanistan's education system worsened, causing many migrants in the late 20th century to place less emphasize on educational attainment.

Afghan Americans that do not seek higher education in the United States are experianced in running restaurants, in the same fashion as Italian-Americans or Greek-Americans. The Kennedy Fried Chicken chain of restaurants, which have outlets in many States, is owned by Afghan-Americans.

The overwelming majority of Afghan Americans live in suburban areas of the country, in safe places. It is very rare to find a family of Afghan Americans that live in poverty.

Post 9/11

After 9/11, a mosque run by Afghan-Americans in Flushing, New York donated blood, held a vigil for World Trade Center deceased and funded a memorial for the fire fighters.

Since late 2001, after the U.S. war in Afghanistan, a number of Afghan-Americans were hired to work for the U.S. government as translators.

Discrimination

Despite none of the hijackers being natives of Afghanistan, Afghan Americans have faced discrimination in the United States, notably after the events of September 11. For instance, a few weeks after September 11, an individual went on a shooting rampage in Mesa, Arizona, where he shot at a home owned by an Afghan American. Additionally, vandals defaced an Afghan restaurant with red liquid intended to appear as blood. Moreover, the Afghan Mission to the UN received a letter that contained quotes from Osama Bin Laden along with a dried pig's ear.

Months after September 11, 2001, Afghan-American teenagers residing in Virginia were attacked and called "terrorists". Further, an Afghan-American taxi driver who has lived in the United States for over 20 years was attacked by a doctor visiting from Oklahoma. The attacker clasped the victim's throat and struck him in the head three times after discovering the taxi driver was from Afghanistan.

In more recent acts, Alia Ansari, a mother of six children, was shot dead in California on October 20, 2006, an incident which the victim's family and local leaders deemed a hate crime. While wearing Islamic garb, namely, the hijab, Ansari was gunned down in front of her children. The incident eventually led to local politicians to call November 13 "wear-the-hijab-day".

Other migrants, like U.S. Air Force veteran Mustafa Aziz, have faced long delays in obtaining their US citizenship. The ACLU consequently filed a lawsuit and accused government officials of improperly delaying background checks and allowing applications to linger indefinitely. In 2006, the ACLU claimed victory as Aziz ultimately received his citizenship.

Notable Afghan Americans

File:Khalilzad as Security Council President in May 2007.jpg

Zalmay Khalilzad, the highest ranking Afghan American and Muslim in the administration of George W. Bush.

• Zalmay Khalilzad - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
• Ali Ahmad Jalali - Distinguished Professor at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
• Nazif Shahrani - Professor of anthropology at Indiana University
• Arman Tarzi - President of the American Council of Public Policy
• Khaled Hosseini - Famous author of two books, including the Kite Runner
• Tamim Ansary - Author
• Fariba Nawa - Journalist
• Mithaq Kazimi - Filmmaker

See also

• People of Afghanistan
• Culture of Afghanistan