|
Part of a series on  |
|
Islam in Americas
|
The majority Religion in Afghanistan is Islam, with over 99% of Afghans who are Muslim. Of those, approximately 90% are Sunni, 10% are Shi'a [1][2][3] (estimates vary). There are about 30,000 to 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs living in different cities but mostly in Jalalabad, Kabul, and Kandahar.[4][5] Other smaller groups include the Bahá'ís who number according to a recent estimate at approximately 400 in Afghanistan.[6] Also, there was a small Jewish community in Afghanistan (See Bukharan Jews) who fled the country after the 1979 Soviet invasion, and only one individual, Zablon Simintov, remains today.[7] There are an estimated 3,000 - 5,000 Christians in Afghanistan.[dubious ] (See Christianity in Afghanistan) According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, which provided statistics for world countries to Britannica, there are also Zoroastrians still remaining in Afghanistan. The figures vary widely though statistics of more than 300,000 have been given[8] If so, Zoroastrianism should be considered Afghanistan's second largest religion.[dubious ] The Qizilbash of Afghanistan have traditionally been Shi'a Muslims.[9] Likewise, Hazaras are predominantly Shi'a, mostly of the Twelver sect.[10] Most Afghans are not of the Shi'a denomination and this minority status seems to have contributed to periodic discrimination against the Hazaras historically.[11] Other groups of Hazara are Ismailis.
Once the communist regime in Afghanistan came to power in 1978, from 1978 to 1987, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan moved to suppress religion, it implemented state atheism, replacing religious and traditional laws with secular and Marxist ones. Men were obliged to cut their beards, women were forbidden to wear a burqa, and mosques were placed off limits. After National Reconciliation talks in 1987 Islam became once again the state religion and the country removed the word "Democratic" from its officall name. From 1987-1992 the country's official name was the Republic of Afghanistan.[12]
See also
- Bahá'í Faith in Afghanistan
- Buddhism in Afghanistan
- Christianity in Afghanistan
- Hinduism in Afghanistan
- Islam in Afghanistan
- Jews in Afghanistan
- Roman Catholicism in Afghanistan
- Protestants in Afghanistan
- Religious freedom in Afghanistan
.
References
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica - Afghanistan...Link (PDF)
- ^ CIA World Factbook
- ^ Goring, R. (ed) "Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions" (Larousse: 1994); pg. 581-58;: Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs", ISBN 0-7523-0000-8, Note: "... Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% ..."
- ^ Hinduism Today: Hindus Abandon Afghanistan
- ^ BBC South Asia: Sikhs struggle in Afghanistan
- ^ "Afghanistan - International Religious Freedom Report 2007". The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affair. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90225.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ Washingtnhkbgrud hbigwiouogh ufuonpost.com - Afghan Jew Becomes Country's One and Only - N.C. Aizenman
- ^ http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/religious_studies/CDC/afghanistan.html.
- ^ Afghanistan - Qizilbash countrystudies.us/afghanistan/50.htm
- ^ 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica - Hazara (Race)
- ^ Ehsan Yarshater, ed. "HAZĀRA". Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition ed.). United States: Columbia University. http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v12f1/v12f1080.html. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ^ Willem Vogelsang. "The Afghans". Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=9kfJ6MlMsJQC&pg=RA1-PA319&dq=PDPA+Kabul+Safe&hl=no#PRA1-PA319,M1. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
|
|||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
