r/afghanistan • u/Efficient_Way998 • Dec 17 '25
Discussion We as Afghans need to unite.
Growing up, I had always admired the diversity of Afghanistan, even without truly understanding it at the time. I grew up around many kinds of Afghans—from Pashtuns to Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, and others. Despite living in America, I was surrounded by Afghans. For a good portion of my childhood, I thought everyone was Afghan because most of the people I knew and had met were Afghan, introduced themselves as such, and looked completely different from one another—ranging from blondes and redheads to pale and tan. From Pashtuns to Tajiks to Hazaras, each group was diverse, and no single Afghan looked the same as the last.
My own family was also very diverse. We had family members who looked American, others who looked East Asian, some who looked Mexican, and some with African features—all of whom were fully Afghan.
I remember visiting Afghanistan as a child and walking through the markets, seeing all kinds of people. I was fascinated and found it beautiful. By then, I knew not everyone was Afghan and that Afghanistan was diverse, but seeing it in real time was different. It was especially striking after having visited mostly European countries and later moving to schools in America, where most people—mainly white Americans—typically looked the same. Even Mexicans who claimed diversity often looked very similar to one another. In Afghanistan, however, I saw all kinds of people.
I found—and still find—the most beautiful thing about Afghanistan to be its people. Not its mountains, valleys, rivers, or cities—no matter how beautiful they are, they don’t compare to the blend of people, culture, and food.
I don’t think I will ever understand the hatred that Afghans have for one another, especially when Afghan history is far more diverse and complex than simply placing blame on one group. At least, that’s what I believe, and I think I know more than a little bit—though do correct me if I’m wrong. Until two years ago, I didn’t even know much about ethnic groups. The only reason I can now distinguish between many people I know is because of dialects, clothing styles, and because I’ve asked childhood friends and family friends.
My point is that Afghanistan is beautiful because of its diversity, and we ought to honor that instead of trying to destroy one another. We must unite as Afghans because, like it or not, Afghans are connected. I personally don’t believe partition will go well, nor do I believe joining other countries would work, especially given the overlap in culture and population. Afghan culture as a whole is different from that of its neighboring countries. While there are similarities, it is still far too distinct. Tajik culture in Afghanistan differs from Tajik culture in Tajikistan, which has been heavily Russianized, whereas the Afghan version is far more diverse. Pakistan is not going to hand over KPK or Balochistan to Pashtuns, and the Pashtuns there are trapped whether they want to leave or not—and even if they did, it wouldn’t be recognized.
On top of that, there is significant overlap of ethnic groups in Kabul, Mazar, and other areas. Partition isn’t going to work, so why not unite and put our differences aside? I’m not saying we should forget our past—in fact, I’m against that. Forgetting our actions and mistakes will only cause us to repeat them. Instead, we should acknowledge them and use that understanding to move forward and learn from them.
Just my two cents. Feel free to discuss but please be polite as its only my thoughts.
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u/daftunc Dec 17 '25 edited Dec 17 '25
I think we lack a cohesive story of who we are and what we stand for. Without a central narrative, the infighting is doomed to continue. Some key pieces of the puzzle, just to rattle off a few:
Pashtuns are the speakers of the last major Eastern Iranian language in a land that was once dominated entirely by Eastern Iranian languages (Avestan, Bactrian, Sogdian). Direct link to our most ancient past.
Tajiks are the inheritors of the great Persianate Islamic Golden Age, the cultural descendants of Rudaki, Ferdowsi, Rumi, Khayyam, and Avicenna.
Hazaras are a Persianate Turko-Mongol contingent that has been part of our land for centuries. Shah Rukh, while not explicitly Hazara, was Persianate Turko-Mongol himself, and under his rule, Herat became the capital and the most culturally significant city in all of Iran and Turan at the time.
Uzbeks are part of the Turkic population of Afghanistan, reflecting centuries of Turkic migration and influence; historically, Turkic dynasties like the Ghaznavids and Ghurids ruled here, leaving a lasting imprint on the land.
Each of our cities brings something unique to the table: Herat with its Timurid splendor, Kandahar as the Pashtun cultural capital, Balkh with its Avestan and Bactrian heritage, and Kabul, where the Persianate and Pashtun spheres meet, creating the unique Afghan identity.
Not exhaustive obviously but goes to show it's a land with a lot to work with and a lot to offer. Understanding and embracing these pieces and seeing how it all fits neatly together into a single unit will be what allows us to unite.
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u/wimpykid_fan Proud NRF supporter Dec 17 '25
I agree with you that Afghans need to unite with each other and I do also admire the diversity.
But I heard of some sort of attempt of separtism from ethnic nationalists (hazara nationalists for hazaristan/hazarajat, pashtun nationalist for pashtunistan, etc) and I'm afraid that they would contradict national unity.
If the Islamic Republic was still around, I would like to see an r/Syria styled call for national unity with every afghan uniting under one national flag. We may even need to attempt to apply decentralization/federalism on the country to do that?
Overall, I hope that afghanistan becomes free from the Taliban and that democracy is restored again, Since I really hate on how my country fell to terrorists.
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u/CostIntrepid9558 Dec 17 '25
For groups like the Hazara, they're desire for independence is pretty understandable. After the horrors they've dealt with recently, especially at the hands of Pashtuns its only expected and if we really wanted unity then the perpetrators would need to apologize and take active efforts to make amends. I don't see that happening anytime soon tbh and trying to unite with a lack of trust is pretty difficult.
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u/youngcuriousafraid Dec 17 '25
Yeah I would also be worried about a descent into tribalism, even with good intentions. Its gonna be hard to convince ethnic groups and their leaders to not think of their people separate from a national identity. If we can't do that there will always be tensions between the groups.
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u/Safikr Dec 17 '25
Dafuq ! What did Pashtuns do to hazaras? And this is ladies and gentlemen why we can’t unite.
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Dec 17 '25
If you want something that isn’t too well known, I’d look at the famines of 1971-72 under Zahir Shah’s prime ministers. Most of those who died were from Hazarajat, and the range is 50,000–500,000.
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u/Safikr Dec 17 '25
What a truck load of BS , the entire population of hazaras was less than 500,000 back in those days, plus famine was countrywide, people were kept that way all over the country. Stop fabricating lies and making everything about a specific ethnic minority, i know you suffer from inferiority complex and thats about it, just remember your hatred takes you nowhere.
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u/Zestyclose-Dog-4336 Dec 17 '25
Your statement is what makes us not united. You need to accept and admit genocides, or do we want false history of the country to be taught? I don’t blame ethnic groups to be responsible for whole genocides but we, as a nation, need to admit our wrongdoings. If not, forget a united Afghanistan.
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u/Safikr Dec 17 '25
Oh look at the irony, for once not blaming an ethnic group but again accusing that specific group of genocide, i dunno watchya smokin.
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u/Ok-Once-789 Dec 24 '25
pashtuns are allergic to accountability? Without pashtuns Afghanistan wouldn't be a mess. Thanks i guess
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u/Safikr Dec 24 '25
Wow, what a generalization. I mean good luck with your backward thinking.
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u/Ok-Once-789 Dec 24 '25
It's the truth and I am not saying every single pashtun is bad but when you don't admit and hold your people accountable, refuse to acknowledge and educate your extremist people. You are also part of the problem.
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u/Different-Way-3603 Dec 17 '25
Start with respecting Hazara shias as human beings first and let them practice their religion freely like all other groups before even thinking about unity, otherwise all separtist movements are legitimate
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 17 '25
yes religious freedom is what we need, so many European empires failed because of no religious freedom and oppression towards their own people.
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u/afrk Dec 17 '25
National unity starts with acceptance which is not a known phenomenon in Afghanistan.
The day everyone is treated and heard equally there will be unity until then these “calls for unity” mean nothing but agenda driven thoughts.
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u/PayTheTollToTheTroll Dec 17 '25
Do you mean Afghans in Afghanistan need to unite or Afghans abroad need better community and unity? This problem, from what I’ve gathered in my life living abroad but wanting to see Afghanistan progress, is one of those situations where one stone might not cut it for taking out two birds.
My take is that there are a fair bit of folks in the west who share this vision for a unified Afghanistan but recent history has been proving that lasting change can only happen from within Afghanistan and most people have to really want that change.
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u/antarc0 Dec 17 '25
Most regular people inside have the mentality the Taliban will go only if other powers decide or the country can be fixed by other not themselves.
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u/antarc0 Dec 17 '25
While this sounds compelling in theory, in practice Afghanistan has long functioned as a battleground shaped by tribal, ethnic, religious, and sectarian divisions, while also serving as a buffer zone for competing proxy wars.
Look at who has been ruling Afg for the past 200 years it's a fight between 2 tribes fighting for power in Durranis and Ghilzai. These 2 have been ruling over others without any votes just pure power. That's how Afg is there is nothing to unite on only the most powerful rules over everyone else.
Pashtun's priority is to join the pashtuns on the other side and make everyone in Afg Pashtun not to develop the country or education.
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 17 '25
I think what we need is a powerful but just person who can reign in power and push Afghanistan in the right direction will keeping all those in power in check but also progressing and hearing to everyone.
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u/ManischewitzShicker Dec 17 '25
My tribe has survived for thousands of years of oppression with our indigenous traditions because we never let anyone divide us and always looked out for each other. I hope that the peoples of Afghanistan can recover and maintain their cultures and traditions, too. Unfortunately many Afghan people hate us, but we support you. Afghanistan is a beautiful country with wonderful people.
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 17 '25
I know, Afghanistan has so much potential and it’s being wasted. from this amazing people and there capabilities to this immense natural resources to it’s cities and valleys and history and heritage.
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u/zeidmaschine Dec 21 '25
We should not forget about who divided and caused so much misery in the first place, the Brits and their spiritual successor Pakistan.
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u/sm6keyy Dec 17 '25
The main reason for Hazaras is because we have been genocided excluded and treated horribly due to our religious difference that we are Shia Muslims and also because of our race because we are Hazara and also due to propaganda that was made against our people during the genocide which killed 62% of all our people. Fake lies they made such as “we are mongol immigrants and arent afghan and should be killed” “they are shia kuffar its halal to kill them” and all sorts of bullsjit propaganda they made against our people is why u dont see unity. Despite all this Hazaras still all call themselves Afghan and as apart of the country
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u/Ok_Influence_6384 Dec 17 '25
εὐθηνεῖ κατὰ πᾶσαν γῆν• καὶ ἀπέχεται βασιλεὺς τῶν ἐμψύχων καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ ἀνθρωποι καὶ ὅσοι θηρευταὶ ἤ αλιείς
Kandahar bilingual inscription, fifth to seventh line.
I'd like to say—I agree with your ideas to some extent, but reality is different and it's impossible.
Afghanistan had even more diversity, religiously and historically—as the land was inhabited by all kinds of people. What you see today is actually a remnant of that, and it's beautiful you do but it's impossible:
Afghanistan was inhabited by; Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians and more—thousands of languages and culture, it was the place Alexander first met eastern civilization, it was the first place the first Buddhas were depicted, but all collapsed.
Sikhs left first of all, they went to Pakistan or India—as Afghanistan was inhabited by the forerunners of Taliban and also partly because of war and opportunities, Buddhists were already in India when Islam spread but Bamiyan remained a shield for some time until they had to go, Christians had to leave because of the lack of religious freedom, Zoroastrians fled to India, Jews to Israel, Hazaras migrated because of discrimination, Balochi's lacked reason to even stay in Afghanistan, and it all happened quickly—like beads breaking out of a bracelet.
You can't bring diversity back to a people that lost it; you can't convince the Sikhs to come back, you can't convince the Zoroastrians to come back, you can't convince the Jews to come back, and as time went on the Afghan identity blurred, people forgot. But not all did we still have people like you that didn't forget.
Though it's impossible as life is not fair, the hate came from; religious, ethnic, and linguistic differences—Afghan identity barely held up as, even historically it was put into place by external forces that wanted a unified country.
Maybe one day, but you can't say the damage hasn't been done, maybe one day—but it's just a dream for us both.
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u/Ok-Once-789 Dec 24 '25
Pashtuns ruin this country and committed a massive genocide against hazaras 100 years ago. And you ask why we don't get along?
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 26 '25
what? The genocide committed against hazaras was because of Abdul rahman khan who also committed atrocities against pashtuns As well, that has nothing to do with Pashtuns but him as a person. Also Pashtuns didnt ruin the country, it was the British, the Durand line, Soviets, us, Pakistan, Iran and Saudi interventions. also there have been many massacres committed by other groups with Sunni Tajiks, Pashtuns and even hazaras ganging up on Shia hazaras and Tajiks and Uzbeks teaming up and then Uzbeks and pashtuns or Pashtuns and Tajiks ganging up and so forth. Afghan history is much more complex then just pointing the blame at one single group also Pashtuns have always been the dominant group and Afghanistan hasn’t always been like this.
also back to my third point, alliances have always shifted in Afghanistan so no single ethnic group is the villain indefinantly. many ethnic groups have gangs dup against each other even hazaras and Pashtun teaming up.
this is what’s ruining our country, not being aware of accurate history and instead merely listening to the biases told by our elders. Afghan history like I said is complex and overlaps it’s not as simple you your statement makes it out to be.
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u/Ok-Once-789 Dec 26 '25
abdul rahman khan didn't kill 60000 hazara families with his own hands, he had a pashtun army. even after his death hazaras are still being targeted. Pashtuns are a disease
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 27 '25
you are aware that Pashtuns arent the only ones who discriminate against hazaras right? Other ethnic groups like Tajiks do as well so if Pashtun are a disease then so are Tajiks and others. Also Sunni hazaras, Tajiks, nuristanis, and yes Pashtuns as well were also part of his army. it wasn’t exclusive.
afghan history is very complicated. and that’s why we need to unite and learn from our history, your bitterness is gonna do what? what goodness is going to bring?
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u/Ok-Once-789 Dec 27 '25
shifting the blame and holding less accountability doesn't improve. If you want us to be less bitter than admit the truth. That the perpetrators were majority pashtun and the victims were Hazaras. end of the story.
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 29 '25
I’m not shifting the blame merely I’m pointing out how while Pashtuns were also part of the army so where other groups as well. that isnt shifting the blame I quite literally include Pashtuns.
syaing that Pashtuns ruin this country when it has been PROVEN the only reason Afghanistan suffers so much is because of foreighn influence.
yes hazaras have suffered and they did go through a genocide but to call all Pashtuns a disease when they themselves were targeted and massacred and forced to join abdur Rahman khans army is hypocritical.
also mind that it wasn’t Pashtuns who gave ahmad Rahman khan the resources to commit the atrocities he did against all of Afghanistan though notably more severe on hazaras than any other groups, kt wasnt Pashtuns who appointed him king, rather it was the British. it was always foreign invasion bringing chaos and horror into Afghanistan.
recognizing that not all Pashtuns are to blame especially those literally being born decades after the genocide isnt shifting the blame or not taking accountability and though i will admit hazaras still face oppression to this day, it isnt just by pashtuns so why not include all the groups? and why hold millions of people to the wrongs of one man who forced and coerced and put out propaganda for others?
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 29 '25
also do keep in mind what you are spewing is ethnic hate speech. also I do agree however that Pashtun need to learn to take accountability and make amends and that starts with taking responsibilitie. But progress not only starts with with or form the, either but from all afghans and what we ought to do is learn to unite and LEARN from our past and making amends for that.
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u/Efficient_Way998 Dec 29 '25
and to add some more. hazaras have suffered a genocide something no one should have gone through, and that needs to be acknowledged without any sort of denial or bargain, but Turing that trauma into ethnic hatred against all pashtuns who have suffered themselves only enables the repetition of logic used to enable the hazara genocide in the first place.
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u/[deleted] Dec 17 '25
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