On the origin of the Hazara people

Photo source: x/twitter

One of the questions that has preoccupied the minds of contemporary Hazaras is: Who are we, and where do we come from?

This question has no historical basis, but nevertheless, a question is a question. So, why is this question raised in the first place? Who is asking it?

What has fueled this question more than anyone else is not the Hazaras themselves but the non-Hazaras, the Pashtuns and Tajiks in Afghanistan. The origin of this question lies among those who do not consider the Hazaras native to Afghanistan. It stems from those who claim that the Hazaras are outsiders and that they arrived in Afghanistan with such-and-such army in such-and-such century, but they never bother to question or think about their originality, how they did come to Afghanistan. This question also originates in the inhumane attitudes and behaviors of members of the dominant ethnic groups towards the Hazaras, which persist to this day. The roots of this discriminatory outlook lie with those who have fostered—and continue to foster—the dehumanization, othering, and alienation of the Hazara people. This is one of the pillars of tribal power and ethnic hegemony that has persisted for at least the past 150 years now.

Today, this question has been internalized among the Hazaras themselves. This means that the Hazaras now ask the very same question that the dominant groups used to ask: "Well, you people, your faces don't look like ours, you pray differently, you dress differently, you speak differently—where did you come from?" This "Where did you come from?" is the very core of the othering that normalizes violence against the Hazaras. When you ask, "Where did you come from?" or "What is your origin?" you are essentially questioning the Hazara’s indigeneity. You are doubting that they are from the same country because none of their cultural, social, behavioral, or linguistic characteristics align with yours. The dominant group, in its quest for hegemony, seeks to cast doubt on the very existence of the Hazara within their ancestral homeland by raising this question.

Now, the Hazaras have internalized this question and this doubt. So, what should we, the Hazaras, do? Nothing, except ignore this issue and raise awareness, explaining that this perspective originates from the discriminatory narratives of the dominant groups fixated on Hazara differences, which are used to undermine your existence and the land of your ancestors.

We know, and non-Hazaras know the answer: the Hazaras are the original inhabitants of Afghanistan for millennia. The tangible artefacts like the Buddha statues that were destroyed by the Pashtun Taliban in March 2001 were the pieces of evidence. Remember that the Taliban did not destroy the Buddha statues on the basis of religion per se, but they destroyed them on the basis of ethnic hatred and animosity against the Hazara people. They wanted to obliterate any cultural and historical evidence showing the Hazara have been living in Afghanistan for millennia. It was part of a genocidal campaign against the Hazara people. In 1999, when the Taliban took control of Mazar-e Sharif in the north, the Taliban commander/governor of Balkh announced that the Hazaras had three options: convert to Islam, leave Afghanistan, or die.*

The Hazaras need to stand against the narratives of othering and alienation by the dominant ethnic groups of Afghanistan. We should not waste even a single thought on where our origin lies or where we came from. Let us leave this matter to those who raise such questions, for such narratives often arise from the weakness and insecurity of the dominant ethnic groups and their hegemonic ambitions. Therefore, this issue should not be a subject of debate. Instead, we should challenge the dominant ethnic groups by asking: Where do you come from? What is your origin?

*
Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: militant Islam, oil and fundamentalism in Central Asia. Yale University Press, 2010.
Also, visit the Human Rights Watch report from early 2001, "Massacres of Hazaras in Afghanistan" 

Racial Slur in Afghanistan: Equating Hazaras with Dogs

No one comes short regarding the prejudice and dehumanization of the Hazara people in Afghanistan. Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, racism and hatred against the Hazaras have been on the rise and social media platforms have amplified it. I have tried to stay away from Twitter, but today, when logged in again, I accidentally stumbled upon a few racist tweets. One of them was by a person who claimed to be a Tajik commander of Panjshir valley. He created a Twitter poll by asking:
" Who is conscientious and loyal? Dog or Hazara." 

Here is the screenshot:

Equating Hazaras with dogs and other animals has a history of racism, exclusion, dehumanization, and genocide. I have written a blog post about this racial trope used against the Hazaras by the Tajiks, Pashtuns, and other ethnic groups. This kind of racial slur carries the echoes of ethnic hatred and deep animosity against the Hazara people, who are right now facing genocide. 

Oftentimes, people point the finger at Pashtun atrocities against the Hazaras. That is true, but it distracts us from widespread systemic racism that goes beyond one ethnic group and its elites. Remember, I'm adding "elites" to highlight the elites' role, which I believe is responsible for peddling racism against the Hazaras. 

Racism against the Hazaras grew among Tajiks faster than other among other ethnic groups. Just look at the number of racial slurs that exist in Farsi. Who created them? In atrocities against the Hazaras, the Tajik leaders did not fall short either. An obvious example is the Afshar Massacre in 1993 (HRW report here)by forces and militias led by Ahmad Shah Massoud and the Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union) led by Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf. We are living in the 21st century, and yet a Tajik residing in Sacramento, CA, cannot hold back her racist feelings against the Hazaras. This is dangerous, and with such racist and egregious attitudes, we cannot stand against the Taliban. Racism is as dangerous as the Taliban. 

Related post
The semantics of racial slurs in Afghanistan

Bahar Jalali: An Educator or a Racist?

Bahar Jalali is a well-educated Afghan-American woman. According to her Linkedin profile, she has received her MA from the University of Chicago and studied her doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. She has taught at American University of Afghanistan for six years.

I was hoping that those Afghans who grew up in the West have skipped the inherited hatred of the Hazaras, but it turns out that I have been wrong. Here it is an evidence from an American born Afghan woman:

What makes Bahar Jalali, an American born Afghan to harbor such hatred towards the Hazaras who have been persecuted throughout the history? She says that the Hazaras should leave Afghanistan. That is exactly what the Taliban wanted almost two decades ago.

In November 1998, when the Taliban force took over the city of Mazar-e Sharif for the second time, the Taliban/Pashtun governor of Balkh, Mullah Manan Niazi, announced that the Hazaras are infidels and killing them is not a sin. Niazi then gave Hazaras three options: convert to Sunni Islam, leave the country, or die.

It is surprising to read such a racist tweet by an Afghan-American woman regarding the Hazaras who have been oppressed by her people for centuries. She must know better than anyone else what the Hazaras have been through. I can't help but to surmise that she has is a racist and she hates the Hazaras; the same people who have been working hard to rebuild the country. The sons and daughters of the same people whom she hates serve in army and police. In fact, when Jalili worked at American University of Afghanistan, the Hazaras have been protecting her from danger. The Hazaras were security guards at the compound where she held her classes.

I might write another blog post on this, but for now what can be done about it? What would you do to help her learn that she must take responsibility for her actions?
Remember she is an American citizen and she lives and works in the US.