Hazaras

This page is for the pair with the topic: Hazara ethnic group (include info on Shiite)

Overview: The Hazara ethnic group was founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah, and are mostly Shi'i Muslims. They settled in Afghanistan as far back as the 13th century, originating in Mongolia. The Hazara have religious, visual, and linguistically different features from the rest of the Afghanistan population. Their Asian-like features are very distinguishable among the other people and they have been victims of prosecution by majority groups in Afghanistan. During the mid 1980's and 90's the Soviets left the area causing huge problems within the Hazara and Shiite. There was soon a civil war that thinned out the numbers until the Hazara made up 9% of the afghan population. After the war they were able to bring it up to 20% of the population. Geography: The Hazara group is surrounded by mountains, being culturally isolated from the rest of Afghanistan. Due to the geography, they are a tribal group, and stick together as family or clans. Language: Hazaragi is the language spoken by the Hazara and is a form of Persian. Dari, a dialect spoken in Afghanistan, is the closest language to Hazaragi. Shiite Muslims: The Hazaras are Muslims, and in their community, being anything other than Muslim is "unimaginable." Geographically, they are nearly in the center of the Muslim world. As Shiiite Muslims, they are influenced by their great historical leader, Hussein.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazara_people http://www.hazaranet.com/who.html http://www.afghan-network.net/Ethnic-Groups/hazaras.html http://www.hazara.net/hazara/haz-summary.html