Hazaras
| File:Hazara Girl.jpg A Hazara girl wearing traditional decorated attire | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 5 million[citation needed] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Afghanistan | 3 million[1] |
 Iran | 1,300,000[citation needed] |
 Pakistan | 900,000[citation needed] |
 Australia | 10,000 - 20,000[citation needed] |
| Languages | |
| Persian (Hazaragi and Dari dialects) | |
| Religion | |
| Shi'a, some Sunni | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mongol, Turkic, Iranian | |
The Hazara are an ethnic group who reside mainly in the central region of Afghanistan, called Hazarajat or Hazaristan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims and speak the Hazaragi dialect of the Persian language.[2] Because of a lack of accurate census data, as well as a history of centuries of discrimination, estimates of the size of the Hazara population vary greatly and are highly politicized. Estimates range from the most common 9%[1] to higher numbers, but the lack of an accurate census for decades means that there is little verifiable information at present. Significant populations of Hazaras also live in Iran, Pakistan, Scandinavia, Afghanistan, Australia and New Zealand.
History
The main theory states that the Hazara have Mongolian origins with some Caucasoid admixture, as evidenced by physical attributes and parts of their culture and language. It is commonly believed that the Hazara are descendants of the armies and settlers of Genghis Khan's Mongolians, who marched into the area in the 13th century.[2] Oral traditions among Hazaras claim direct descent from Genghis Khan himself. Studies in genetic genealogy have identified a particular lineage of the Y-chromosome characteristic of people of Mongolian descent ("the Y-chromosome of Genghis Khan"). This chromosome is virtually absent outside the limits of the Mongol Empire except among the Hazara people, where it reaches its highest frequency anywhere. About two thirds of their sample Hazara males carry a Y chromosome from this lineage.[3] The main theory is further strengthened given that the Il-Khanate Mongols rulers, beginning with Oljeitu, embraced Shia Islam. Today, almost all Hazaras adhere to Shiism, whereas Afghanistan's other ethnic groups, excluding the Qizilbash, are predominately Sunni.
However, the main Mongolian mixing theory is somewhat contested on the basis of historical events surrounding Genghis Khan's invasion of what today constitutes central Afghanistan. The invading Mongol armies encountered fierce resistance from the locals around Bamyan, who may have had physical features like the invading Mongols.[citation needed] If true, this suggests that people with Mongolian features inhabited central Afghanistan, possibly of Uyghur Turkic origin, long before Genghis Khan's invasion and probably arrived there in much earlier waves of migration out of Central Asia.[citation needed] However, this belief is vitiated by historical records which mention that in a particularly bloody battle around Bamyan, Genghis Khan's grandson Motochin was killed, and he ordered Bamyan burnt to the ground in retribution, renaming it Ma-Obaliq ("Uninhabitable Abode") while replacing the local population with his armies and settlers.
There are other beliefs holding Hazaras as descendants of the Kushans[4], the ancient dwellers of Afghanistan famous for constructing the Buddhas of Bamyan[5]; proponents of this view hold the geography of Hazara homeland and the similarity in the facial features of the Hazaras and those on the frescoes and Buddha's statues in Bamiyan. However there are some who claim that Hazaras are of Turkic origin.[6]
Emergence of the Hazaras
After the fall of the Il-Khan empire in Persia, the Safavid Shah Abbas drove out the Mongols from Persia to their eastern province of Khorasan (present-day Afghanistan). Some sources say he drove out the Uzbeks but the distinction is unclear. Around 1550, the first mention of Hazaras are made by the court historians of Shah Abbas, as well as in the Baburnama distinguishing Hazaras from the Chughtai Turks. This is when the national identity of Hazaras apparently began.
Language
The Hazaragi language is a distinctive dialect of the Persian language, with some Mongolian and Turkish vocabulary. Many of the urban Hazaras in the larger cities of Kabul and Mazari Sharif speak Dari, while Hazaras from the Dai Kundi and Dai Zangi regions have the many admixture of the Mongolian in their language. Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan date back to around 1890 many of whom served in the British Indian ArmyCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page)., and use more Urdu and English words.
Religion
Hazaras are predominantly Twelver Shia Muslims, although there are significant populations of Ismaili Shi'as and Sunni Hazaras in north and northwestern Afghanistan. Often Sunni Hazaras can blur the lines with the Tajiks and Pashtuns.
Political
In Afghanistan since the early 1990s, the Hizb-e-Wahdat political party is the most important Hazara movement. The most influential member, prior to his capture and execution by the Taliban, was Abdul Ali Mazari. This execution at the hands of the Taliban made Abdul Ali Mazari a martyr and a hero to the Hazara people.
Haji Muhammad Mohaqiq, a Hazara is a prominent figure in Afghan government and politics. He belongs to Hizb-e-Wahdat party. In 2004 Afghan Presidential elections he was placed second after Hamid Karzai.
Hazaras are also politically active in Quetta and have a political party known as Hazara Democratic Party. The current Minister for Sports in Balochistan is a Hazara.
Migration
Besides the major populations of Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan and Iran, there are significant communities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, the UK and particularly the Northern European countries such as Sweden and Denmark. Many young Hazara are studying in developed countries such as Australia, legally through education or work visas. There are many Afghan Hazara who have migrated to developed countries specially in Australia as refugees. The most notorious case was the MV Tampa incident[7] in which a shipload of refugees, mostly Hazaras, was rescued by the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa and subsequently sent to Nauru. Many refugee claims were rejected by Australia and forwarded to New Zealand, where all claims but one were approved.
Afghan Hazara refugees in Quetta, Pakistan along with their Pakistani Hazara brethren have set up a remittance economy which has led to the opening of foreign money exchange places to handle the currency coming in. Pakistan provided safe haven for the Hazara and other Afghan refugees of the Afghan wars. In Pakistan most of the Hazaras live in and around the city of Quetta and hold high positions in the government of Balochistan. In Pakistan, Hazaras are mostly in business and have high education levels. A famous Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan, General Mohammad Musa, was a Hazara.
A recent anthropological book, War and migration : social networks and economic strategies of the Hazaras of Afghanistan by Alessandro Monsutti argues that migration is in fact the traditional way of life of the Hazara people, referring to the seasonal and historical migrations which have never ceased and do not seem to be dictated only by emergency situations such as war.
Hazara tribes
The following is a partial list of the different Hazara tribes.
- Besudh
- Maska
- Daizangi
- Daikundi
- Qarabaghi
- Babaiy
- Qalandhari
- Uruzgani
- Jaghuri
- Poladha
- Dai Mirdad
- Naimans
References
- ^ a b CIA Factbook 2007 - People of Afghanistan
- ^ a b 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica - Hazara (Race)
- ^ "We owe it all to superstud Genghis", The Observer, Sunday March 2, 2003; Tatiana Zerjal et al. The Genetic Legacy of the Mongols. American Journal of Human Genetics, 72:717-721, 2003
- ^ A Profile On Bamyan Civilization.
- ^ Bamiyan: Wonder of the ancient world - BBC News
- ^ [1]
- ^ Australia ships out Afghan refugees - BBC News
See also
External links
- Hazara.net
- HazaraNet.com
- About The Hazaragi Language
- Khaleej Times article on Shia Muslims, although there are significant populations of Sunni and Ismaili Hazaras in north and northwestern Afghanistan. Often Sunni Hazaras can blur the lines with the Tajiks and Pashtuns.
- War and migration : social networks and economic strategies of the Hazaras of Afghanistan / Alessandro Monsutti ; translated by Patrick Camiller.