Pashtuns as Iranian people?

[Admin Khan]

Hi folks!

Does anybody know why Pashtuns are classified as Iranian people, or Iranic people in just about every major source? It just seems like such a blanket statement, since our culture is relatively different, and so is our language.

[Traveller]

Our language is part of the Iranic language family. It was originally supposed to be a linguistic classification but people have made it a cultural classification as well.

[Samandri]

Because Pashto is classified as Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European languages. These are the terms coined by modern linguists. Just like you are not European because of Pashto being Indo-European language, in the same way you are not Iranian.

[Admin Khan]

Because Pashto is classified as Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European languages. These are the terms coined by modern linguists. Just like you are not European because of Pashto being Indo-European language, in the same way you are not Iranian.

But this isn't about the Pashto language, I am seeing a ton of references about the Pashtun people, being classified as Iranian people. Heck, even the wiki page on Pashtuns mentions this.

[maneatinglizard]

They use the term “Iranian” instead of “Aryan” in English. The first is to differentiate between us and the Indo-Aryans, as they split off and became quite different from us a long time before the “Iranians” (i.e. Aryans) were still a relatively uniform group. The second is to avoid any possible association to the “Aryan race” imagined by Nazis and white supremacists.

Basically, they mean Aryan when they call us Iranian. It’s pretty annoying that it’s mostly happened because of cultural appropriation of stupid white supremacists, but that’s become the acccepted term in English-speaking academic circles.

[maneatinglizard]

Our language is part of the Iranic language family. It was originally supposed to be a linguistic classification but people have made it a cultural classification as well.

It is also a cultural classification. While our cultures have evolved to become quite distinct from one another, Persian and Pashtun cultures are supposed to have sprung from a common source.

[Akbar]

They have lumped us together with Iran as they thought every one was Persian and we were part of persian empire.
It's a false assumption.

[Akbar]

It is also a cultural classification. While our cultures have evolved to become quite distinct from one another, Persian and Pashtun cultures are supposed to have sprung from a common source.

There is no evidence to support that.
Our languages are totally different so is our culture.
Ancient Afghans were also different to Iranians.

[Elite Pakhtun]

Why don't you post some examples of what you saw. Hard to figure it out when its speculative.

[salman47]

There is no evidence to support that.
Our languages are totally different so is our culture.
Ancient Afghans were also different to Iranians.

Don't know about you, but I can see how close Parsi and Pashto are. In the world, after Native Pamiri languages and Ormuri, Persian is the next closest to Pashto.
That's the reason it is an 'Iranian Language' in international publication.
There are tons of proofs for there closeness. You should read some scholarly publications on 'Pashto'(of course view it objectively at the same time, but do look up the language only ones.)

P.S. Avoid the Iranicaonline or whatever it is called, and every other 'verified-by' Indian/Pakistani sources.

I remember one comparison between 'Indian-Sanskrit Languages' and Pashto(they were trying to prove that Pashto is Indo-Aryan language, aka Indic)[I think by an Indian or Indic obsessed Western dude], where they used a bunch of 'Urdu' words to prove it. Also it was quite a laughing 'scholarly' piece, because I, or even any Pashtun, had never used(in some cases not even heard) those words in my life.

[Akbar]

Don't know about you, but I can see how close Parsi and Pashto are. In the world, after Native Pamiri languages and Ormuri, Persian is the next closest to Pashto.
That's the reason it is an 'Iranian Language' in international publication.
There are tons of proofs for there closeness. You should read some scholarly publications on 'Pashto'(of course view it objectively at the same time, but do look up the language only ones.)

P.S. Avoid the Iranicaonline or whatever it is called, and every other 'verified-by' Indian/Pakistani sources.

I remember one comparison between 'Indian-Sanskrit Languages' and Pashto(they were trying to prove that Pashto is Indo-Aryan language, aka Indic)[I think by an Indian or Indic obsessed Western dude], where they used a bunch of 'Urdu' words to prove it. Also it was quite a laughing 'scholarly' piece, because I, or even any Pashtun, had never used(in some cases not even heard) those words in my life.

Please show me an example of similarity between the two languages. The only thing I common is that we both use some Arabic words.

[Kakar-Wardak]

Tajiks are an Iranian people, linguistically and culturally and genetically, western afghanistan and eastern Iran is the heartland of Iranian culture and history.

[Admin Khan]

They use the term “Iranian” instead of “Aryan” in English. The first is to differentiate between us and the Indo-Aryans, as they split off and became quite different from us a long time before the “Iranians” (i.e. Aryans) were still a relatively uniform group. The second is to avoid any possible association to the “Aryan race” imagined by Nazis and white supremacists.

Basically, they mean Aryan when they call us Iranian. It’s pretty annoying that it’s mostly happened because of cultural appropriation of stupid white supremacists, but that’s become the acccepted term in English-speaking academic circles.

That’s a rather unique angle; I suppose by lumping us as Iranian people, it makes Pashtuns appear as if we are a subset of Iranians, or as if our relationship with Iran is similar to those who are Turkic (Uzbek, Turkmen) and Turkey.

[Elias]

Tajiks are an Iranian people, linguistically and culturally and genetically, western afghanistan and eastern Iran is the heartland of Iranian culture and history.

Western Afghanistan is mostly populated by Farsiwan/Persian, Aimaqs and Qizilbash while ethnic Tajiks can be found mostly in North eastern. If you mean Iranian=Persian then no Tajiks aren't Iranian/Persian genetically. Tajiks in NE or eastern Afghanistan have more similarities with their neighbors (Pashtuns, Pashayi, Nuristani, Pamiri) than an Persian/Iranian.

[Sarbani]

That’s a rather unique angle; I suppose by lumping us as Iranian people, it makes Pashtuns appear as if we are a subset of Iranians, or as if our relationship with Iran is similar to those who are Turkic (Uzbek, Turkmen) and Turkey.

When they say, we are an "Iranian people", they aren't referring us being a subgroup of people with Iranian citizenship. There is a difference between Iranian (citizenship) and Iranian (Iranic). When they say we are an Iranian subgroup, they mean we are an Iranic subgroup similar to how Uzbeks are a Turkic subgroup or how Serbs are a Slavic subgroup.