Recently, tens of thousands took to the streets of Kabul to protest the murder of seven Hazaras, including a nine-year-old girl named Shukria. It is believed that militants from either the Taliban or Islamic State (IS) in the southern province of Zabul held them captive and eventually beheaded them. This protest ignited a string of smaller protests across Afghanistan, including in Herat, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif. Despite this powerful procession of solidarity, one has to wonder whether the Hazaras are likely to find peace on either side of the Durand Line or if their only option is to escape the lands of their forefathers.
The Hazaras are the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and have sizeable populations in Pakistan and Iran as well. They are mainly settled in central Afghanistan and also found in larger cities. Their genetic makeup is fairly unique to the region, as they are closely linked to the Uzbeks and trace their roots back to the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan. However, this cannot be objectively stated, as these findings are based on historical and political claims, minimal scientific research and assumptions. Hence, they are often discriminated against due to their facial features, which are easily distinguishable from other ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
Therefore, one only has to look towards the diverse ethnography of Afghanistan to better comprehend the targeted discrimination against the Hazaras. Afghanistan is located in an area of significant geostrategic importance, as it links the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia and East Asia to each other. Therefore, the country’s population is very ethnically diverse, making it one of the most heterogeneous nations in the world.
This is one of the reasons behind why Afghanistan has been rocked by ethnic strife for hundreds of years and this has resulted in power struggles between ethnic groups, the oppression of particular communities and, more recently, Afghan immigration as refugees. The two largest ethnic groups, the Pashtuns and Tajiks, have selectively discriminated against the Hazaras in the past and also fought with one another over the dominion of Afghanistan. However, it has been the Taliban and other militant groups that have actively orchestrated attacks against the Hazaras in recent times. What further complicates the matter is that the vast majority of Hazaras are adherents of Shia Islam and this has led to widespread oppression of their community in Pakistan as well, which is rife with religious and sectarian violence.
Discrimination faced by Hazaras in Afghanistan initially forced some of them to migrate to colonial India (mainly Quetta) in the 19th century where they peacefully cohabitated with the locals. Several more Hazaras also moved to Pakistan during the Soviet war. However, as violence increased in Pakistan, anti-Shia militant groups began to directly target the Hazaras. For example, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) notoriously targets Hazaras across Pakistan and has killed them in large numbers. In fact, one only has to look back to May this year, to remember the murder of four Hazaras and to 2013 for the tragedy on Alamdar Road, Quetta where Hazaras refused to bury their dead in protest.
These attacks and injustices against the Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan have forced them to escape to other parts of the world so as to avoid the widespread discrimination and oppression they face at home. In recent years, they have taken perilous journeys across the seas, travelling from Karachi to Indonesia to the Christmas Islands, and finally arriving in Australia. Although Australia is often under scrutiny for its policies against the ‘boat people’ and asylum seekers, it seems to be one of the few places where several Hazaras have found peace.
Today, tens of thousands of Hazaras reside across Australia, employed by private corporations, taking up small-scale entrepreneurship and working as interpreters for the government. Their children are well integrated into the local community and also study across a range of fields in universities. In fact, some suburbs in Sydney continue to thrive with the memories and reminders of their homeland, often projected through several successful businesses. These include falooda and juice shops (one of the most popular spots is named after a store in Karachi — Agha Juice — whose Hazara owner was shot dead), supermarkets often playing Ahmad Zahir’s songs in the background, restaurants serving manto and Kabuli palao, and also perahan tunban clothing stores.
Australia and other parts of the west have provided the Hazaras with a home away from home and the opportunity to progress, grow and succeed, free from harm and danger. Yet they continue to suffer on both sides of the Durand Line with their voices diminished behind the gunshots, wails and explosions. Nonetheless, the protestors in Kabul have reignited a flame and along with them we can also say “man ham Hazara astam” or I am Hazara.
The writer is the research coordinator for the South Asia Study Group. He tweets @Zushanhashmi