The situation of Hazaras and Shias (2018-2020)
1.1 General overview of the situation of Hazara and Shia communities in Afghanistan
Hazaras are one of the ethnic groups or ‘tribes’ of Afghanistan directly recognized by the Afghan
constitution.1
Most of the Hazara in Afghanistan are Shia Muslims.2
In Sunni-majority Afghanistan,
Hazaras have been long discriminated because of their religious beliefs and physical features.3
It is
estimated that Hazaras represent some 15 % of the total population of Afghanistan.4
Up to 15 % of
Muslims in Afghanistan are Shia.5
A very small percentage of Hazaras are Sunni.6
Shia Hazaras are
mostly Jafaris and to a smaller degree Ismailis.7
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights
Commission (AIHRC) noted that for the purposes of the national ID cards, some ethnic identities have
been merged and that some Sunni Hazaras were recorded as Tajik and some Sadat from the Hazara
areas as Hazara.8
Hazaras traditionally reside in the central regions of the country.9
Apart from Hazarajat in the central
Afghanistan, they are found in the cities of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, and in smaller numbers in
the others cities.10 Dasht-e-Barchi west of Kabul is said to be a Shia or Hazara neighborhood.11 It is
estimated that one-quarter of the Kabul residents are Hazara.12
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Shia Muslims
were one of the minority groups in Afghanistan whose situation has improved since 2001, which can
be seen as one of the reasons for their targeting by the extremist groups.13 They have been described as ‘socially and culturally more progressive than other ethnic groups’ in Afghanistan, especially in
relation to education and women’s rights.14 Violations against the Hazara in Afghanistan included
illegal taxation, forced recruitment, and physical abuses, as reported by the UNHCR in 2018.15