Malik Faisal Moonzajer- Journalist & writer

Discrimination and worship is very common in Afghanistan rather than any country in the world. Still around the globe in different countries the matter of black /whites, fat/ thin, Hindu/ Muslim, men/women and the other types of discrimination are spoken.

The matter of discrimination and worship is always raised by Afghanistan four ethnical groups, Pashtons, Persians, Hazaras and Uzbeks. These raises sometimes were with demonstrations, and some other times very common, publishing an article in their newspapers.

Discriminating against other ethnical groups and worshiping own people is not a new topic discussed in Afghanistan, it is one of the most challenging problems and obstacle in drafting and enacting laws and regulations. Most Afghanistanis[1] believe the matter of worshiping own people and nationality was born with the formation of this country as Afghanistan. Although at that time it was not that much spoken. Since 1770 till 1919 Afghanistan was governed only by one Nationality Pashtons. After the domination of first Persian king Habibullah Kalakani and return of Pashtons in Power again by Nadir Shah the Father of late Mohammad Zaher shah discriminations were tripled.

 After collapse of Habibullah Kalakani regime and return of Pashtons, they have experienced for the first time that other ethnical groups could make trouble for them maybe in the forthcoming futures. Based on such believes they accelerated the discriminations and omitting of other ethnical groups from power and emerging Pashtons instead. Although before the Habibullah Kalakani Pashtons discriminations were not based on their fear and scare but mostly on habit, but during the Kingship of Nadir shah it was mostly as a matter of fear.

Nadir shah and his brothers made the situations very worse for other ethnical groups living in Afghanistan and special for two nationalities, Hazaras because of pessimism and hatred against them and Persians because of Habibullah Kalakani to give a lesson to rest of Persians in Afghanistan.

Persians as always were calm, no plan and no actions. But Hazaras tried to change the situations. Abdul Khaliq a school student in Kabul whom belonged to Hazara ethnical group killed Nadir shah with a pistol in a ceremony which was held to honor students. This assassination made the government to brutally kill everyone by any possible way relates to Abdul Khaliq.

This assassination was not the hope of new beginning but raise of new discriminations and hatred. Hazaras one by one were torture and killed. Discriminations against Persians were leveled in second due to Abdul Khaliq action and Hazaras were on agenda.

The new king Zaher Shah son of Nadir shah who was still a child for the leadership came to power, everything was controlled by his uncles Shah Zaman and Shah Mahmood. Situations were very worse during the first 15 years of Zaher Shah Government. Due to scare and fear most other   ethnicalgroups married to Pashtons and mix of nationalities turned into Pashtons. Situations didn’t change at all until the last decade of Zaher Shah Government, when everyone trying to call for rights of other groups were killed and jailed. In the last decade of Zaher Shah Afghanistan king freedom of speech and information were given to people.Media started to grow and interferences of foreign countries mostly Pakistan and Iran started.

In 1953 Zaher Shah was dethroned by Mohammad Dawood, from the same family and his cousin, Mohammad Dawood. He changed the kingship to presidential, besides he was a man of plan to rebuild Afghanistan and cut the hands of neighboring in Afghanistan. Dawood accelerated the cycle of discriminations against other ethnical groups. Speaking and learning Pashton language was compulsory to all nationalities living in Afghanistan. People were tired of pressure and forces, and they turned their hope to foreign countries specially the people of north. Which finally the Soviet Union supported them to break down and killed Dawood and his family and team. The next cycle of power was very short for new presidents one come to power, he was assassinated the next day and a new president was born the other day, until the government of Dr. Najib.

During the government of Najib the Jihadist was born, this was the time that other ethnical groups could fight for their rights, Ahmad Shah Masood from the Persians, Gulbudin from Pashtons, Mazari from Hazaras and in the last days of Najib government Dostum from Uzbeks come to power. This was for the first time that the matter of Uzbeks was spoken. Uzbeks tried to govern brutally in the northern provinces of the country. Commanders were named to killers, eaters, burners and turners. Everyone was scared. The word of “Gilam Jam” or cleaner originally which was not from Uzbeks but get used for the Uzbeks due to following the path of Gilam Jams.

During the government of Uzbeks in Afghanistan specially in the northern provinces, Uzbaki language was the second taught in schools and separated classes teaching only in Uzbek language were organized by local government of .

Existence of Russian influence in Afghanistan turned on the anger of USA, and they funded and financially supported the Pakistan to create a new group to end the influence of Russian people. Taliban was created and come to power very soon. The word of communism was one of the worst words spoken and everyone had hatred against this. This time the matter of discrimination was mixed with religions’ issues.

Pashton Non–spoken people were jailed and tortured by the Taliban government, everyone was trying to learn and speak Pashto, and there was a shortage in Taliban government for the first time. Especially in the northern provinces, Jawzjan, Mazar and kunduz thousands of Taliban were killed by Malik a former commander of General Dostum who was recently turned against Dostum due to accusations of killing his brother Rasool. Unfortunately Taliban returned in Power and this time thousands of other national ethnical groups were killed.

On 9 of September 2001 Ahmad Shah Masood was assassinated by the Al-Qaida, and on 11 of September 2001 the American trade centers were blown by airplanes, which brought the Afghanistan war into the world war and America attacked Afghanistan to end the Terrorism and al-Qaida.

Since Taliban collapse till now Hamid Karzai who belongs to Pashton tribes is governing Afghanistan, during these 10 years Afghanistan experienced the worse kinds of discriminations and worship in the history of the country.

Ministries, and cabinet is representing one nationality, parliament is formed mostly with discriminations and proportions based not on logical or knowledge but nationalistic bases. During these 10 years mostly discriminations were spoken by four ethnical groups, Pashtons, Persians, Hazaras and Uzbeks.

The diversity among the discriminations of these ethnical groups is not same and mostly separated in two parts. Pashtons and Hazaras they both discriminated on two categories; leaders and their people. Each pashton and Hazara like and enjoy giving the opportunities to their ethnical groups and voting to their leaders in political competitions. Persians and Uzbeks they are also discriminating but their discriminations are based on leaders; they die for their leaders.An Uzbek will fight and die to support his Uzbek leader General dustom. And a Persian will do anything for his Persian leader Abdullah or Qanooni or other leaders but they don’t like to help their people. Uzbeks won’t help an Uzbek unless there is some mutual interest.  Persians won’t help Persians unless there are some mutual interests.

Today everyone is talking about the discriminations and worship of ethical groups, but unfortunately more than 60 percent of these voices are by Hazaras. Besides they try to stand against discriminations but inevitable they worship the Hazaras which is a new discrimination against other ethnical groups.

After 10 years Hazaras will be the second or first in power in Afghanistan. There will be born of new fascism, the Hazaras. In every province of Afghanistan where Hazaras exists at least 20 percent, they have more than 50 of chairs in parliament. During the election if a family has 10 members from non-Hazara ethical group two or 3 person will go for voting but from Hazaras 9 to 10 of them will go for voting which is good for democracy but they won’t care and consider to vote on any basis but being an Hazara and Shia.

If Afghanistan government and world community don’t stop the discrimination a new fascism will be born very soon and a new cycle of internal wars and destruction of this country will begin.