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Afghans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromAfghan people)
For the historical ethnic group, seeAfghan (ethnonym).For other uses of the term, seeAfghan (disambiguation).

Afghans
افغان
Map of theAfghan diasporain the world (includes Afghans of any ethnicity, ancestry or citizenship).
Afghanistan
+ 1,000,000
+ 100,000
+ 10,000
+ 1,000
Total population
53[1]million[citation needed](est.)
Regions with significant populations
Diaspora:
9,085,784+[citation needed]
Iranc. 5 million(2023)[2]
Pakistan1,285,754 (2022)[3]
Germany425,000 (2022)[4]
United States300,000 (2022)[5]
United Arab Emirates300,000 (2023)[6]
Russia150,000 (2017)[7]
Turkey129,323 (2021)[8]
Canada125,305 (2022)[9][10]
United Kingdom79,000 (2019)[11]
Sweden67,738 (2023)[12]
Australia59,797 (2021)[13]
Netherlands51,830 (2021)[14]
France41,174 (2021)[15]
Greece21,456 (2021)[16]
Ukraine20,000 (2001)[17]
Denmark18,018 (2017)[18]
India15,806 (2021)[19]
Austria44,918 (2023)[20]
Switzerland14,523 (2021)[16]
Finland12,044 (2021)[21]
Italy11,121-12,096 (2021)[22]
Norway24,823 (2022)[23]
Uzbekistan10,000 (2022)[24]
Israel10,000 (2012)[25]
Indonesia7,629 (2021)[citation needed]
Tajikistan6,775 (2021)[26]
Qatar4,000 (2012)[27]
Japan3,509 (2020)[28]
New Zealand3,414 (2013)[29]
Malaysia2,661 (2021)[30]
Kazakhstan2,500+ (2021)[31][32]
Romania2,384 (2020)[33]
Brazil3,000 - 4,000 (2022)[34]
Kyrgyzstan2,000 (2002)[35]
Ireland1,200 (2019)[36]
Bhutan300–2,500 (2018)[37]
Portugal883[38][39]
Languages
Persian(DariandIranian Persian),Pashto,and otherlanguages of Afghanistan
Religion
Predominantly:Islam
(Sunnimajority andShiaminority)
Minority:Hinduism,Sikhism,Christianity,Zoroastrianism,Judaism,andBaháʼí Faith
Related ethnic groups
Tajiks,Pashtuns,Uzbeks,Hazara

Afghans(Persian/Dari:افغانها,romanized:Afghānha;Pashto:افغانان,romanized:Afghanan) orAfghan peopleare nationals or citizens ofAfghanistan,or people with ancestry from there.[40][41][42]Afghanistan is made up of various ethnicities, of whichPashtuns,Tajiks,Hazaras,andUzbeksare the largest. The three main languages spoken by Afghans areDari Persian,Pashto,andUzbek,and many Afghans arebilingual,speaking both Dari Persian and Pashto.[43][44]

Background

[edit]
Main article:Afghan (ethnonym)

The earliest mention of the nameAfghan(Abgân) is byShapur Iof theSassanid Empireduring the 3rd century CE,[45][46][47]In the 4th century the word "Afghans/Afghana" (αβγανανο) as reference to the Pashtun people is mentioned in theBactriandocuments found in Northern Afghanistan.[48][49]The word 'Afghan' is ofPersianorigin to refer to the Pashtun people.[50]Some scholars suggest that the word "Afghan" is derived from the wordsawajan/apajaninAvestanandava-Han/apa-HaninSanskrit,which means "killing, striking, throwing and resisting, or defending." Under theSasanians,and possibly theParthian Empire,the word was used to refer to men of a certain Persian sect.[51]In the past, several scholars sought a connection with "horse", Skt.aśva-, Av.aspa-, i.e.the Aśvaka or Aśvakayana the name of theAśvakanorAssakan,ancient inhabitants of theHindu Kushregion. Some have theorized that name of theAśvakanorAssakanhas been preserved in that of the modernPashtun,with the name Afghan being derived fromAsvakan.[52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]

As an adjective, the word Afghan also means "of or relating to Afghanistan or its people,languageor culture ". According to the1964 Constitution of Afghanistan,all Afghans citizens are equal in rights and obligations before the law.[60]The fourth article of theConstitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistanwhich was valid until 2021 states that citizens of Afghanistan consist of Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Baloch, Pashayi, Nuristani, Aimaq, Arab,Kyrgyz,Qizilbash,Gurjar,Brahui,and members of other ethnicities.[61]There are political disputes regarding this: there are members of the non-Pashtun ethnicities of Afghanistan that reject the term Afghan being applied to them, and there are Pashtuns in Pakistan that wish to have the term Afghan applied to them.[62][63][64][65][66]

The pre-nation state, historical ethnonymAfghanwas used to refer to a member of the Pashtun ethnic group. Due to the changing political nature of the state the meaning has changed, and term has shifted to be thenational identityof people from Afghanistan from all ethnicities.[67][68][69]

From a more limited, ethnological point of view, "Afḡhān"is the term by which thePersian-speakers of Afghanistan (and the non-Pashtō-speaking ethnic groups generally) designate the Pashtūn. The equation Afghans = Pashtūn has been propagated all the more, both in and beyond Afghanistan, because the Pashtūn tribal confederation has maintained its hegemony in the country, numerically and politically.[70]

Afghanistani, Afghani and Afghanese

[edit]

The less common Afghanistani (افغانستانی) is an alternative identity marker for citizens ofAfghanistan.The term "Afghanistani" refers to someone who possesses the nationality of Afghanistan,[71]regardless of what race, ethnic, religious background.[72][73]In multiethnic Afghanistan, the term "Afghan" has always been associated with Pashtun people. Some non-Pashtun citizens such as Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks have viewed it as a part of Pashtun hegemony that devised to erase their ethnic identity.[74][75]The term Afghanistani has been used among some refugees and diasporas, particularly among non-Pashtuns.[76][77][78]

The termAfghanirefers to the unit ofAfghan currency.The term is also often used in the English language (and appears in some dictionaries) for a person or thing related to Afghanistan, although some have expressed the opinion that this usage is incorrect.[79]A reason for this usage can be because the term "Afghani" (افغانی) is in fact a valid demonym for Afghans in the overallPersian language,whereas "Afghan" is derived from Pashto. Thus "Afghan" is theanglicizedterm of "Afghani" when translating from Dari Persian, but not Pashto.[80]Another variant isAfghanese,which has been seldom used in place of Afghan.[81][82][83]

Ethnicity

[edit]
Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan and its surroundings (1982).
Main article:Ethnic groups in Afghanistan

Afghans come from various ethnic backgrounds. The largest ethnic groups arePashtuns,Tajiks,Uzbeks,andHazaras,who make up approximately 95% of the population of Afghanistan. They are of diverse origins including ofIranic,TurkicorMongolicethnolinguistic roots.[84]

Religion

[edit]
Main article:Religion in Afghanistan
TheMasjid-e-Kabud,popularly known as theBlue Mosque,inMazar-i-Sharif,Balkh Province,Afghanistan,April 3, 2012.

The Afghan people of all ethnicities are predominantly and traditionally followers ofIslam,of whom around 90% are of theSunnibranch, and 10%Shia.Other religious minorities include theAfghan Hindus,Afghan Sikhs,Afghan Zoroastrians,Afghan JewsandAfghan Christians.[85]

Culture

[edit]
Main article:Culture of Afghanistan

Afghan culture has existed for over three millennia, dating back to the time of theAchaemenid Empirein 500 BCE. Afghans have both common cultural features and those that differ between regions with each of the34 provinceshaving its own unique distinctive cultures partly as a result of geographic obstacles that divide the country. Afghanistan's culture is historically linked to nearbyPersia,including both countries following theIslamic religion,theSolar Hijri calendarand speaking similar languages, this is due to Iran and Afghanistan being culturally close to each other for thousands of years.

See also

[edit]


References

[edit]
  1. ^"22".The population of Afghanistan in 2024.Retrieved24 April2024.
  2. ^"Iran's Interior Minister - The presence of more than 5 million Afghan immigrants in Iran".www.isna.ir.13 July 2023.Retrieved17 September2023.
  3. ^"Situations".data2.unhcr.org.Retrieved5 June2023.
  4. ^"Statistischer Bericht - Mikrozensus - Bevölkerung nach Migrationshintergrund - Erstergebnisse 2022".20 April 2023.Retrieved17 July2023.
  5. ^"Welcome allied-media.com - BlueHost.com".Allied-media.com.Retrieved24 December2022.
  6. ^Shahbandari, Shafaat (30 November 2012)."Afghans take hope from UAE's achievements".Gulf News.Retrieved5 November2013.
  7. ^"Moscow's 'Little Kabul'".Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 25 December 2017.
  8. ^"The Afghan refugee crisis brewing on Turkey's eastern border".The New Humanitarian. 3 August 2021.Retrieved13 August2021.
  9. ^"Canada Census Profile 2021".Census Profile, 2021 Census.Statistics Canada Statistique Canada. 7 May 2021.Retrieved3 January2023.
  10. ^"Permanent Residents – Monthly IRCC Updates – Canada – Admissions of Permanent Residents by Country of Citizenship".Statistics Canada.Retrieved3 January2022.
  11. ^"Table 1.3: Overseas-born population in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by sex, by country of birth, January 2019 to December 2019".Office for National Statistics.21 May 2020.Retrieved17 October2020.Figure given is the central estimate. See the source for 95%confidence intervals.
  12. ^"Population statistics".
  13. ^"People in Australia who were born in Afghanistan".Australian Bureau of Statistics.Retrieved27 February2023.
  14. ^"CBS Statline".
  15. ^"Afghanistan. Comment sont répartis les réfugiés afghans dans le monde?".2 September 2021.
  16. ^abCalcea, Nicu (19 August 2021)."How the US and the UK accept far fewer Afghan refugees than other countries".New Statesman.Retrieved5 June2023.
  17. ^Свобода, Радіо (8 October 2001)."Афганська громада України".Радіо Свобода.Retrieved29 July2021.
  18. ^"Denmark".Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Afghanistan). 1 January 2017.Retrieved30 July2021.The number of Afghan immigrants living in Denmark per January 1st 2017 is 13240. There are also 4778 persons who are descendants of Afghan immigrants.
  19. ^"Rohdatenauszählung ausländische Bevölkerung".31 January 2023.
  20. ^"Bevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeit und Geburtsland".
  21. ^"Foreigners in Finland".Statistics Finland.9 June 2021.Retrieved30 July2021.
  22. ^Istituto Nazionale di Statistica(2020).Cittadini Stranieri. Popolazione residente e bilancio demografico al 31 dicembre 2019[Foreign Citizens. Resident population and demographic balance as in 31 Dec 2019] (Report) (in Italian). Rome:Istat.Retrieved15 August2021.Italia - Asia Centro-Meridionale
    Afghanistan [...] Totale: 11121    [Italy - Center-Southern Asia
    Afghanistan [...] Total: 11,121]
  23. ^"Innvandrere og norskfødte med innvandrerforeldre".
  24. ^Afghanistan's Ghani Visits Uzbekistan on Mission to Plug Into Central Asia,Eurasianet, 5 December 2017
  25. ^Arbabzadah, Nushin (28 February 2012)."The story of the Afghan Jews is one of remarkable tolerance".The Guardian.Retrieved12 April2017.
  26. ^"Afghanistan Situation".UNHCR. 31 August 2021.Retrieved10 January2022.
  27. ^Snoj, Jure (18 December 2013)."Population of Qatar by nationality".bq magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2017.
  28. ^"Statistics on foreign residents in Japan (formerly registered alien statistics) - statistics table",Immigration Services of Japan(in Japanese)
  29. ^"2013 Census ethnic group profiles".archive.stats.govt.nz.
  30. ^"Afghan refugees in Malaysia find hope in Theatre of the Oppressed".Turkey: TRT World. 4 September 2017.Retrieved29 July2021.
  31. ^""Салт-дәстүрін аялай білген халық" - ақпараттық-танымдық сайт - Еl.kz ".7 November 2020.
  32. ^""Босқындарды қабылдауға үзілді-кесілді қарсымын" - Қазақстандағы ауған диаспорасының басшысы ".23 September 2021.
  33. ^"Romania: Refugee and migrant figures for 2020".30 March 201.Retrieved30 July2021.
  34. ^"No Brasil, classe média afegã acaba em aeroporto e abrigos para fugir do Talibã".CNN Brasil.Retrieved11 February2024.
  35. ^IFRC document
  36. ^"Up to 500 relatives of Afghans in State to be offered temporary residency".The Irish Times.
  37. ^"Los afganos latinoamericanos".www.trt.net.tr.TRT Español.
  38. ^"Um ano depois, um quarto dos refugiados afegãos saiu de Portugal".
  39. ^"Portugal: New agency for migration and asylum".
  40. ^"Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words".Dictionary.com.Retrieved11 February2024.
  41. ^Garner, Bryan (2009).Garner's Modern American Usage(third ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p.27.ISBN978-0-19-538275-4.
  42. ^Siegal, Allan M.; Connolly, William (2015).The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage(fifth ed.). New York: Crown Publishing Group. p.18.ISBN978-1-336-02484-7.
  43. ^"The Constitution of Afghanistan".Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.Archived fromthe originalon 29 August 2021.Retrieved2 September2020.
  44. ^"Article Sixteen of the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan".2004. Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2013.Retrieved13 June2012.Dari and Pashto are the official languages of the state. Uzbek, Turkmen, Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani, and Pamiri are—in addition to Pashto—the second official language in areas where the majority speaks them.
  45. ^"History of Afghanistan".Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Retrieved22 November2010.
  46. ^"Afghan and Afghanistan".Abdul Hai Habibi.alamahabibi.com. 1969.Retrieved24 October2010.
  47. ^Noelle-Karimi, Christine; Conrad J. Schetter; Reinhard Schlagintweit (2002).Afghanistan -a country without a state?.University of Michigan,United States: IKO. p. 18.ISBN3-88939-628-3.Retrieved24 September2010.The earliest mention of the name 'Afghan' (Abgan) is to be found in a Sasanid inscription from the 3rd century, and it appears in India in the form of 'Avagana'...
  48. ^Balogh, Dániel (12 March 2020).Hunnic Peoples in Central and South Asia: Sources for their Origin and History.Barkhuis. p. 144.ISBN978-94-93194-01-4.[ To Ormuzd Bunukan,... greetings and homage from... ), Pithe ( sot ] ang (? ) of Parpaz ( under ) [ the glorious ) yabghu of [ Heph ] thal, the chief... of the Afghans
  49. ^Sims-Williams, Nicholas (2000).Bactrian documents from northern Afghanistan.Oxford: The Nour Foundation in association with Azimuth Editions and Oxford University Press.ISBN1-874780-92-7.
  50. ^"Definition of AFGHAN".www.merriam-webster.com.Retrieved25 November2020.
  51. ^Fikrat & Umar 2008.
  52. ^"The name Afghan has evidently been derived from Asvakan, the Assakenoi of Arrian..."(Megasthenes and Arrian, p 180. See also: Alexander's Invasion of India, p 38; J.W. McCrindle).
  53. ^Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol I, fn 6; also Vol II, p 129, et al.
  54. ^Etude Sur la Geog Grecque & c, pp 39-47, M. V. de Saint Martin.
  55. ^The Earth and Its Inhabitants, 1891, p 83, Élisée Reclus - Geography.
  56. ^"Even the name Afghan is Aryan being derived from Asvakayana, an important clan of the Asvakas or horsemen who must have derived this title from their handling of celebrated breeds of horses"(See: Imprints of Indian Thought and Culture abroad, p 124, Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan).
  57. ^cf:"Their name (Afghan) means" cavalier "being derived from theSanskrit,Asva,orAsvaka,a horse, and shows that their country must have been noted in ancient times, as it is at the present day, for its superior breed of horses. Asvaka was an important tribe settled north to Kabul river, which offered a gallant resistance but ineffectual resistance to the arms of Alexander "(Ref: Scottish Geographical Magazine, 1999, p 275, Royal Scottish Geographical Society).
  58. ^"Afghans are Assakani of theGreeks;this word being theSanskritAshvakameaning 'horsemen' "(Ref: Sva, 1915, p 113, Christopher Molesworth Birdwood).
  59. ^Cf:"The name represents Sanskrit Asvaka in the sense of acavalier,and this reappears scarcely modified in the Assakani or Assakeni of the historians of the expedition ofAlexander"(Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of ColloquialAnglo-Indianwords and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological..by Henry Yule, AD Burnell).
  60. ^"Article 1 of the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan".Government of Afghanistan. Archived fromthe originalon 17 September 2011.Retrieved13 June2012.
  61. ^"Constitution of Afghanistan".2004. Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2016.Retrieved16 February2013.National sovereignty in Afghanistan shall belong to the nation, manifested directly and through its elected representatives. The nation of Afghanistan is composed of all individuals who possess the citizenship of Afghanistan. The nation of Afghanistan shall be comprised of Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkman, Baluch, Pachaie, Nuristani, Aymaq, Arab, Qirghiz, Qizilbash, Gujur, Brahwui and other tribes. The word Afghan shall apply to every citizen of Afghanistan. No individual of the nation of Afghanistan shall be deprived of citizenship. The citizenship and asylum related matters shall be regulated by law.
  62. ^"Who is an Afghan? Row over ID cards fuels ethnic tension".Reuters.8 February 2018 – via www.reuters.com.
  63. ^Moslih, Hashmatallah."Q&A: Afghanistan's Tajiks plea for federalism".www.aljazeera.com.
  64. ^"Identity Politics in Afghanistan: Nation-State or State-Nation?".25 May 2018.
  65. ^Valentini, Nicole (6 July 2021)."Nation, identity and the future of Afghanistan".
  66. ^"Miranshah PTM Jalsa Lar Ao bar Nary لر او بر یو افغان".15 November 2020 – via www.youtube.com.
  67. ^"Ask Johnson: Afghans, Afghanis, Afghanistanis".The Economist.21 September 2011.
  68. ^Kieffer, Ch. M."Afghan".Encyclopædia Iranica.Archivedfrom the original on 16 November 2013.From a more limited, ethnological point of view, "Afḡān" is the term by which the Persian-speakers of Afghanistan (and the non-Paṧtō-speaking ethnic groups generally) designate the Paṧtūn. The equation Afghans = Paṧtūn has been propagated all the more, both in and beyond Afghanistan, because the Paṧtūn tribal confederation is by far the most important in the country, numerically and politically.
  69. ^"ABC NEWS/BBC/ARD poll – Afghanistan: Where Things Stand"(PDF).ABC News.Kabul, Afghanistan. pp. 38–40.Archived(PDF)from the original on 28 June 2011.Retrieved29 October2010.
  70. ^Foundation, Encyclopaedia Iranica."Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.Retrieved2 May2022.
  71. ^"Afghanistani Definitions | What does afghanistani mean? | Best 2 Definitions of Afghanistani".www.yourdictionary.com.Retrieved2 May2022.
  72. ^Bulut, Meryem; Şahin, Kadriye (2 October 2019).Anthropological Perspectives on Transnational Encounters in Turkey: War, Migration and Experiences of Coexistence.Transnational Press London.ISBN978-1-912997-26-8.
  73. ^Bezhan, Faridullah (2006).Afghanistani Storytelling and Writing: History, Performance and Forms.Monash Asia Institute.ISBN978-1-876924-44-7.
  74. ^Rubin, Barnett R. (9 May 2013).Afghanistan in the Post-Cold War Era.OUP USA.ISBN978-0-19-979112-5.
  75. ^Boon, Kristen; Lovelace, Douglas; Huq, Aziz Z. (2011).Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Conflict in Afghanistan.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-975825-8.
  76. ^Bezhan, Faridullah (2006).Afghanistani Storytelling and Writing: History, Performance and Forms [this book with title Afghanistani was published in 2006].Monash Asia Institute.ISBN978-1-876924-44-7.
  77. ^"Afghanistani mother responds to pregnant Kiwi journalist's plea".1 News.Retrieved26 May2022.
  78. ^"راهحلهای راهبردی برای پناهندگان افغانستانی [UNHCR Iran uses Afghanistani]".آژانس پناهندگان سازمان ملل در ایران(in Persian).Retrieved26 May2022.
  79. ^"Chatterbox: More on 'Afghani'".Slate.4 October 2001.Retrieved29 March2013.
  80. ^"Afghan vs. Afghani, Part 3".Slate.2 December 2001.Retrieved1 October2021.
  81. ^George Newenham Wright (1836).A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer, Volume 3.
  82. ^"True Northerner 18 October 1878 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection".digmichnews.cmich.edu.Retrieved11 February2024.
  83. ^"Beauty is the quiet of the self forgotten".30 October 2017.
  84. ^Anatol Lieven (2016)."The Arbiters of Afghanistan".The National Interest(145). Center for the National Interest: 28–36.JSTOR26557334.
  85. ^"Afghan Culture - Religion".Cultural Atlas.January 2019.Retrieved8 May2023.

Sources

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