Afghanistan Key Points
Location
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in the Himalayas, and shares borders with Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran. Afghanistan is a poor country, and the average lifespan is 45 years.
Brief history
In 642, Afghanistan, then part of the Persian Empire of Alexander the Great, was invaded by Arabs, who introduced Islam.
Genghis Khan invaded in 1219. A succession of princes and chiefs struggled for power. In the late 14th Century, Tamberlane (a descendant of Genghis Khan), incorporated Afghanistan into his own empire of Asia.
In 1747, a Pashtun, Ahmed Shah Durrani, established what is known today as Afghanistan.
20th Century
Until 1973, Afghanistan was a monarchy. King Amandullah initiated reforms such as the abolition of the veil for women and the introduction of co-educational schools. These proved to be very unpopular with tribal chiefs and traditionalists.
In 1973 a a former Prime Miniister, Sardar Mohammed Daoud, seized power in a military coup and declared Afghanistan a republic state.
In 1979, the PDPA (a communist faction) initiated a bloody coup, which resulted in the overthrow and murder of Daoud. The PDPA imposed a brutal form of Marxist rule, imprisoning, torturing and killing members of the traditional elite, the religious establishment and the intelligentsia.
Soviet Invasion
In 197, under the pretext of a field exercise, thousands of Russian troops landed in Kabul. Many Afghans opposed the communist regime. Freedom fighter (the mujahideen) began recieving assistance in the form of weapons and training from the USA and other powers. This led to the withdrawal of the Soviets in 1989.
The Taliban
The Taliban (Taliban means those who study the book - the Koran) rose to power in the mid 1990's in reaction to the lawlessness that occurred after the Soviet withdrawal. In 1994, the Taliban, assisted by the Pakistanis and probably the US, developed enough power to capture the city of Kandahar. They proceeded to expand their control throughout Afghanistan, occupying around 90% of the country by the end of 1998.
The Taliban proclaimed the 'Islamic Empire of Afghanistan' and imposed the strictest form of Islamic law (Sharia). They banned TV, all forms of imagery, music and sports. They also banned the traditional competitive sport of kite flying. A religious police enforced these laws. Stealing was punishable by the cutting off of hands, adultery by death by stoning. The Taliban were particulary harsh towards the Hazaras, an ethnic minority group of Shi'a Muslims.
From the mid 1990's, the Taliban provided sanctuary for Osama Bin Laden.
The position of women
Women were particularly affected by the harsh Sharia laws. They lost their right to vote, work, to attend school, and even the right to chose their marriage partners. They were forbidden from leaving the house without a male escort, seeking help from a male doctor, wearing cosmetics or high heels, playing sports, riding bicycles or motorbikes, wearing brightly coloured clothes, being photographed, appearing on balconies, travelling on the same bus as men.
Shi'a and Sunni Muslims
Following a conflict between two leading clerics over who should be the first caliph, Muslims split into two groups: Sunnis and Shi'as. Approximately 80% of Afghans are Sunni Muslims, whereas the Shi'a population is about 20%. The Taliban are Sunni Muslims.
Pashtuns and Hazaras
The Hazaras are one of the most oppressed and dispossessed ethnic groups in Afghanistan. They have been taunted and subjected to public humiliation and racial discrimination. They are mostly Shi'a muslims, and are clearly distinguishable by their broad, flat faces and narrow eyes, probably a result of centuries of malnutrition. Some Pashtun Afghan leaders, influenced by Nazi ideology, wanted to eradicate the Hazaras and establish a pure Pashtun state.
