Culture of Afghanistan 1
Running head: CULTURE OF AFGHANISTAN
Culture of Afghanistan
Group Film Project
Group 4
Michael Brill, Cassandra Cohen, Jennifer Devine, and Snežana Vujović
Holy Family University
Introduction
Our first perceptions and stereotypes of different cultures are frequently influenced by mainstream media. Stories about Afghanistan are usually centered around the opium trade, women in burqhas, and the war on terrorism. Very little is said about the Afghan people themselves, their culture, their traditions, and life in their country and how they manage abroad as exiles. In researching Afghanistan, we wanted to gain some insights into the identity of Afghan people that we may not get from mainstream news media. Luckily, during the last few years, a series of books and movies have appeared that shed some light on different historical aspects and stages of this grief-stricken country. The Kite Runner is the first novel written in English by an Afghan American. It created space for emerging novelists of the Afghan Diaspora wanting to contribute to American literature. The movie Kandahar is based on a story (partially true) of a successful Afghan-Canadian woman, Nelofer Pazira. She returns to Afghanistan after receiving a letter from her sister, who was left behind when the family escaped. She stated her plans on committing suicide on the last solar eclipse of the millennium. Kandahar was filmed mostly in Iran, but also secretly in Afghanistan. Most movie subjects, including Nelofer Pazira, played the roles of themselves. The film didn't get much attention prior to 9/11; however, it has been widely shown since then and has received many important awards.
Kandahar
Kandahar is Afghanistan’s second largest city (after the capital city of Kabul) with a population of about 500,000.The old city has been inhabited since 500 BC. The new city has changed little from 1761 when it was built by Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani dynasti. The fact that the Durranis from Kandahar were to create the Afghan state and rule it for 300 years gave the Kandaharis a special status among the most dominant nationality, the Pashtuns (Evans, 2002). Kandahar is an oasis town set in the desert with a devastating heat. At one point the city used to grow lush, green fields, and shady orchards producing grapes, melons, mulberries, figs, peaches, and pomegranates. The orchards were watered by a complex and well-maintained irrigation system until the war. The Soviets and the Mujaheddin so heavily mined the fields, that the rural population fled to Pakistan and the orchards were abandoned. The Soviets also cut down thousands of trees and smashed the irrigation system as a form of retaliation toward the locals who supported the Mujaheddins. When the refugees returned to their land following the Soviets withdrawal in 1989, to find the orchards destroyed, they started to grow opium poppies to support their families (Chayes, 2006).
Cultural Background of Afghanistan
Land and People
Like a wall, Afghanistan rises up between Iran and India and Central Asia with its vast, fertile steppes and mobile populations. Afghanistan has always been on the crossroads of civilizations and the present day Afghan culture is a result of a combination of many cultures throughout its rich history. It is also a nation made up of many different nationalities – the result of innumerable invasions and migrations. Within its current borders there are at least a dozen major ethnic groups including Pashtun, Turkmen, Hazara, Tajik, Uzbek, Nuristani, Arab, Kirghiz, and Persian. The term Afghan, for example, is generally viewed by other people in the country as Pashtuns. The royal families of the country were Pashtun. Today the Pashtun represent about 50% of the total population (Evans, 2002). The vast majority of Afghan people are Muslims – and, in fact, many ethnic groups in Afghanistan consider Islam to be one of the defining aspects of their ethnic identity (Hopfe & Woodward, 2004). There are many ethnic clashes in Afghanistan. One example is the mistreatment of the Hazara people, who throughout Afghan history were banned from the higher appointments in government and forced to play a second-class citizen role.In August 1998Taliban fighters massacred 8,000 Hazara people in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif (Rashid, 2000; Hosseini, 2003).
History
Afghanistan has been plagued by invasions, external pressures, and internal upheavals since before the time of Alexander the Great. Its people have endured more than most of us can imagine. In fact, for many Afghans, the only change, in the last one thousand years are the weapons used against them. Foreign armies have been defeated by fierce resistance from tribal groups accustomed to navigating through rough and inhospitable terrains and severe weather (Evans, 2002). The overthrow of Afghanistan's last king, Zahir Shah, in 1973 sparked a chain of events that led to decades of unrest. In 1979, Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. To counter the Soviet presence, the Reagan administration supported the most extreme Islamic fighters known as Mujaheddin - among them Osama Bin Laden. In 1989 the USSR withdrew in defeat, leaving behind a devastated country and hundreds of thousands of dead Afghans. After the Soviet forces left, Americans lost their interest in Afghanistan. A number of Afghan factions continued to fight for control of the country. In 1994 in Kandahar a group of tribal leaders led by Mullah Mohammed Omar formed the Taliban. By choosing the word Taliban, “the students”, they signaled that they were a movement for cleansing society rather than trying to grab power. Many of them had been born in Pakistani refugee camps, educated in Pakistani madrassas, and had learned their fighting skills from Mujaheddin parties based in Pakistan. As such, the younger Taliban barely knew their own country or history. In madrassas, they learned about the Islamic society created by the Prophet Mohammed some 1,400 years ago and this ideal is what they set out to emulate. By the late 1990s, they controlled most of Afghanistan with their strict version of Islamic law (called Sharia law) (Rashid, 2000). The Taliban angered the international community by providing safe heaven for Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders. In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, the US government requested extradition of Osama Bin Laden, but the Taliban refused. The US then issued an ultimatum. In October 2001, after the ultimatum expired, the US and its allies launched a bombing campaign known as “war on terror” against the Taliban. Within weeks, US-led troops and local fighters forced the Taliban from Kabul and drove them from power. However, the Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden evaded capture and, since then, their whereabouts have remained a mystery. Several thousand US troops remain in Afghanistan hunting Taliban supporters who have regrouped since 2003 (Chayes, 2006).
First American in Afghanistan
In the nineteenth century, just as it is in the twenty-first, Afghanistan was a brutal, chaotic, and dangerous land. Agents of the Russian and British empires schemed for control of the country. Into this volatile mix, a Pennsylvania Quaker, also the first American ever to enter Afghanistan, Josiah Harlan, had climbed up on an Afghani throne. As an energetic, insatiably curious boy, he was enthralled with the exploits of Alexander the Great. His fascination with Alexander and the lands of Central Asia led him to a series of military adventures in Afghanistan and the Northwest Frontier region that had remarkable parallels with some of the tales told in Rudyard Kipling's classic short story "The Man Who Would Be King." Forced to leave his beloved Kabul in 1839, Harlan blamed Great Britain in his memoir. “Far from being civilized invaders, the English brought “military despotism” and little else to the Afghans,” he bitterly complained and called for Great Britain’s retreat from Afghanistan (Macintyre, 2004).
Religion
Islam was introduced, to Afghanistan, in the eighth and ninth centuries by the Arabs (Hopfe & Woodward, 2004). Prior to that Afghani people worship Allah, one God, the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians. Islam teaches that everyone lives one life and how he or she chooses to live it, will determine how they spend eternity. The Quran, a sacred book of Islam, means “the recitation of an eternal scripture.” Muslims believe that the Quran was written in the heavens and revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Muslims live by the laws derived from the Quran. These laws cover all aspects of life including social issues, family life, sexuality, and business (Sue & Sue, 2007).
Muslims pray 5 times a day anywhere they happen to be except on Fridays. When they pray together, they go to a Mosque where males and females are separated. An Imam, chosen by the community leads the prayer. The Imam is not a clergyman, but a knowledgeable man. The Five Pillars of Islam are the Repetition of the Creed, the Daily Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting and Pilgrimage. They must be followed if one wants to be considered a good Muslim. The Repetition of the Creed is a confession of faith. Worshippers, throughout their lives recite it; it is the first thing recited to them at birth and the last thing recited before death. The Daily Prayer is expected to be said five times. Before praying, worshippers must cleanse themselves of their impurities. When praying, Muslims get down on their knees and prostrate (move up and down) in the direction of Mecca, their holiest site. Muslims are expected to give to charity by means of Almsgiving. Fasting is an important part of Ramadan, a month long abstinence from eating during daylight. Finally, the pilgrimage to Mecca should be completed at least one time in a Muslims lifetime (Hopfe & Woodward, 2004).
The majority of Afghan Muslims are Sunnis (Eigo, 2007). They base their practices on the scriptures of the Quran and early traditions that have been passed on. They study the words of the prophet Muhammad. Imams are believed to lead the community. Ten to twenty percent of the people of Afghanistan are Shiites. Shiites are considered by Sunnis as a rupture in the body of the religion. Shiites believe that Muhammad’s cousin/son in law, Ali, was his successor and that his descendents should be leaders of the faith. Shiites believe that Imams speak the authority of God, unlike the Sunnis who believe they are leaders. Shiites also do not believe in the Sunnis’ interpretation of the Quran. Shiites believe a messiah will one day come to earth and lead the world to judgment (Hopfe & Woodward, 2004).
Unfortunately, American people equate Islam with the Taliban and Bin Laden-style terrorism. The Taliban’s version of Islam is so intolerant and destructive. Sadly, many American commentators do not isolate the Taliban, but condemn entire Islam for being intolerant and anti-modern. The Taliban enforce a particularly strict version of Islamic Law (the Sharia Law or Path). Their leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, considered his order as an honor for Islam. During the Taliban rule, hundreds of cultural and historical artifacts that were deemed polytheistic were destroyed including major museum, and countless private art collections and the world's largest and amongst the oldest buddhist statues at Bamyan.Thus, the rich diversity of Islam and the essential message of the Quran – to build a civil society in Afghanistan that is just and equitable in which rulers are responsible for their citizens – is largely forgotten and ignored during the Taliban rule (Rashid, 2000).
Language and Literature
Pashto and Dari (Afghan Persian/Farsi) are the official languages of Afghanistan. Pashto was declared the National Language of the country during the beginning of Zahir Shah's reign; however, Dari has always been used for business and government transactions. Both belong to the Indo-European group of languages. There are also numerous other languages spoken in the country (Dupree, 1973).
Both Pashto and Dari are written primarily with the Arabic alphabet, although there are some modifications. Older writings consisted of rhyme, verse and poems with one of the oldest epics, Shah nameh (Book of Kings) consisting of 60,000 rhyming couplets (Monsutti, 2007). Today, due to the devastation of war, writings are created underground concentrating on Islam and freedom. Booksellers were prosecuted and books burned during the Taliban rule. However, oral traditions are still very strong. Afghans recite poetry during many different types of gatherings. The ability to compose and recite poetry is greatly respected in Afghan culture (Eigo, 2007).
Music and Art
Afghanistan folklore and folk music, serve as a crucial form of entertainment and outlet for external, verbal, and non-verbal forms of communication for both performers and spectators. Although many Americans may see folk music as being strictly for entertainment, enthusiasts will see that similar patterns can be found in the music of James Taylor, Richie Havens, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon and other legendary American singer-songwriters. The musical instruments mainly consist of variations of the drum, string, and flute family of instruments (Afghan Network Website, 2007). The drumheads are mostly made of goats’ skin and fastened to the top with twine or rope, tied from the base to the top, then fastened to metal loops attached around the perimeter of the top (Dupree, 1973). The stringed instruments are similar, in shape and sound, to the guitar and the violin.
Greek and Buddhist architectural influences are found in monasteries, arches, monuments, temples, and forts. The most famous sites are the Mosques of Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif, The Great Arch, the Chei Zina and The Tower of Victory in Ghazni Popular fine arts include fire-tiled work, book illumination, illustration, bronze, stone, and wood sculptures, gold and silver jewelry, and embroidery. However, the most famous art form is Afghan rugs (Dupree, 1973).
Similarities and Differences from American Society
Housing
People in Afghanistan live in a compound, a yard surrounded by walls that divides the world into a public and private realm. There are buildings along perimeter walls made of sunbaked bricks. Well-off families have a separate one-room building for any poor relative who might be living with them. They have also a suite with a little kitchen (a smoke hole and a fire pit) where their servants live. Each compound has a front room for entertaining male visitors unrelated to the family. Women move freely within the compounds. In the compounds, people spent all their time with “the group” (Evans, 2002). According to Ansary (2002) it is very hard to define what that group is. He identifies it as a clan, and says that “it is a loose network of extended families tied together by a mutual sense of having descended from a great someone in the past – or a string of great someones.”
Social Customs and Interactions
According to Dupree (1973), a boy represents a family’s honor. When a son is born, celebration guns are fired, drums are sounded and food is given to the poor. Afghani children do not have too much free time since they are burdened with duties and chores of big responsibility. The parents and relatives, early in the child’s life, often arrange the marriages and parallel cousin mates are preferred. A husband’s family incurs the cost of the wedding celebration, which traditionally lasts about three days. Singers, musicians, dancers and game competitions, between the families, are all a part of the celebration. After the ceremony and the departure of the couple, people leave gifts of clothes, crafts, and money, similar to an American wedding “shower”, only in reverse order, with the marriage ceremony preceding the presentation of gifts. The Quran indicates that when someone dies, their body returns to the earth and their soul goes to sleep. After one dies, their body is bathed by someone of the same gender and buried as soon as possible. The grave must be six feet long and at least two feet deep allowing room for the body to sit up on Judgment Day. The feet of the deceased always point towards Mecca, so they face the holy city. Following the death of a family member, women wear white for an entire year, and it is on the one-year anniversary the women return to the gravesite to ask the corpse permission to wear colored clothing (Hopfe & Woodward, 2004).
Traditional Afghans are different than Americans in exchanging their greetings. Men typically shake hands and place the right hand over their heart. Direct physical contact is not appropriate between males and females. It is often polite to stand up when people are greeted. When a meal is being served, the host is expected to wait until the guests have started to eat, before he begins (Monsutti, 2007).
Most Afghan Americans continue to follow the traditional way of interacting with family and friends, with slight modifications. At mealtime, any room could become the dining room. A tablecloth would be spread on the floor. Everyone would wash their hands thoroughly and eat from a common platter, packed together so tightly around the food that their oneness becomes a physical experience; a circle of people who were all touching (Ansary, 2001).