Afghanistan Today By Umais Rao, Lee Moore, Jake Luikart

Practiced Religions  Islam - 99%  Sunni - 90%  Shi'tes - 9%  Other Minorities - 1%  Christianity  Buddhism  Hindism  Sikhism  Zoroastrians

Islamic Influence  Afghanis devote themselves to religion  Unifying symbol  Regulates daily life  Religious credential hold a great deal of value

Islamic Clothing  Varies by each province  Men generally wear turban or a pakol along with loose clothes.  Women cover their head using a hijab, burka, or abaya.  More prominent in rural areas  Large cities are more westernized

Mosques  Muslim place of worship  Found in every village, town, neighborhood.  Supervised by Mullahs  Also a place for communal gatherings  Islamic education  Funded by the community  different for Sunnis and Shi'a muslims

Mullah  Incharge of mosques  Appointed by the goverment  Respected in society  Religious education  people come to them for advice

Taliban  Muslim fundamentalist group  Strict anti- modern ideology  Pan-islamism  Political movement advocating the unity of muslims under one islamic state  Jihad  means to struggle  taliban's interpretation is "Struggle against non- muslims"  In order to reach a Pan-Islamic state, the taliban declared jihad on all non-muslims.

Family Life in Afghanistan  Watash is a word meaning referring to a band of brothers or a family.  Family, friends, and honor are major parts of Afghan life.

Family Life, Cont.  Family bonds and honor are sacred  Respect is largely based on age for both sexes.  Mast and nan are traditional foods.  Men’s clothing traditionally consists of a buttoned shirt and loose-fitting pants with a skullcap or a turban  Women’s clothing consists of a burqa- a fabric covering every part of one’s body.

Role of Women in Afghanistan  Afghan life is centered around the patriarchy.  While women can hold a position of power in their family, they have little power in the government.  Fawzia Koofi is the most prominent figure in Afghan government, acting as the Vice President of the National Assembly.  Noorzia Atmar also worked in the government, but was forced to leave the country in  Both women are constantly bombarded with death threats by the Taliban and other extremist groups.

Role of Women in Afghanistan  While a large part of the Afghan government is trying to make life for women better, corrupt and biased politicians are slowing their efforts.  As of now in Afghanistan, a woman can be imprisoned if*:  She is accused of engaging in intercourse with someone other than her husband (even if it was nonconsensual)  She engages in intercourse before being married  Violating the unspoken norms of society  Running away from their husband, even if the relationship could be categorized as abusive  This year, a law passed in Afghanistan stating that what happens in a house is the family’s business, not the governments. This law is an unspoken way of permitting domestic violence. *cases of all of these events have been documented, but are not necessarily law.

Education in Afghanistan  Public education for all was common in the 1960s and 1970s, but in 1996 (when the Taliban took over), women were no longer able to attend public school.  Men were allowed to attend school and college throughout this entire period.  Now, integrated schools are being built throughout Afghanistan.  Taliban threats continue to this day against females who attend school and schools that allow females to learn.

Politics of Afghanistan

Key Political Events  2001 – US and other NATO allies invade Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 world trade center attacks. They successfully force the Taliban out of power.  2001 – The Bonn Agreement establishes an Afghan Intern Authority to be led by Hamid Karzai.  Bonn Agreement expires calling for an Emergency Loya Jirga or “Grand Council” which establishes Karzai as interim President of the Afghan Transitional Authority.  2004 – Constitution drafted by a commission appointed by Karzai is approved by the Loya Jirga.

Government Structure  Executive Branch – Strongest branch composed of one president and two vice- presidents  Legislative Branch – made up of two houses  Wolesi Jirga (House of the People) – 249 members  Meshrano Jirga (House of Elders) – 102 members  Judicial Branch – Composed of The Supreme Court as the highest level of judicial authority with lower courts underneath.

Key Political Events cont.  2004 – Hamid Karzai is declared winner of the presidential election.  First Parliamentary elections occur in the past 30 years. Women win 28% of the seats.  2009 – Karzai wins a second term, but the election faced low voter turnout and corruption.  2014 – Preliminary results show Abdullah Abdullah in the lead to become the next president.

Current Situation in Afghanistan

US in Afghanistan

Forces Working Towards Peace  The international community and many Afghans do not want to see a repeat of the 90s.  The US is more stable than the Soviet Union was and is more likely to continue supporting the Afghan Government.  Stability in the area is good for everyone.

Discussion  What will the future hold for Afghanistan?

Trivia

What does Watash mean?  Watash means a brotherhood like bond between family members.

Name one thing that Afghan men wear today.  Men’s clothing traditionally consists of a buttoned shirt and loose-fitting pants with a skullcap or a turban

Name one of the two female politicians mentioned in this presentation.  Fawzia Koofi and Noorzia Atmar

When were females no longer permitted to learn in a school?  When the Taliban took over in 1996

Who was the first elected president of Afghanistan after the Taliban were removed from power?  Hamid Karzai

What years have the presidential elections taken place after the Taliban was removed from power?  2004, 2009, 2014

What is the traditional name of the Grand Council?  Loya Jirga

Who won the preliminary results of the 2014 presidential election?  Abdullah Abdullah

Name three minority religions in Afghanistan.  Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism.

How are mosques used other than for worship?  Community and social gatherings, Islamic education.

What roles do Mullahs play in society?  In charge of running Mosques  Religious education  Source of advice and comfort to those who practice Islam.

What is Pan-Islamism?  Pan-Islamism  Political movement advocating the unity of muslims under one Islamic state

What does Jihad mean?  Literal meaning- “to struggle”  The Taliban’s interpretation is “struggle against non-muslims.