What is special about Pashtuns?

[Zakiah]

I am just throwing some questions out there for you all to answer, these do not reflect my personal views/ opinions.


1. What is the one thing common in all pashtuns that is not common in non-pashtuns

2. Are pashtun people as a whole just like any other ethnicity where they have their good apples and bad apples.

What do u think of this statement?

''Pashtun are just like any other people, there are religious, cultural, political, dialect and event nationality differences among them. The only thing that may be common to all of them is perhaps just the language pashto.''


Apart from the language, what other attributes distinguishes a Pashtun from a non-pashtun?

and please keep silly immature childish remarks to yourself.

[Kushan Prince]

Pashtuns don't define themselves by language like Tajiks do, i hope your well aware of that. I don't know where that quote came from but its clearly not true. A Pashtun is distinguished from a non-Pashtun by his tribe since Pashtuns are a tribal people. If you belong to a Pashtun tribe, you are Pashtun, if you don't then you are not, end of story.

Not that hard to grasp really.

[ghumbasa]

Many ethnicities have tribal structure like arabs,kurds etc.They have good and bad like everyone...but their direct nature is what i like.And yeah they are chosen for khilafa in end times.(If they choose the true path of islam not secularism or nationalism disease).

[Badlun]

I am just throwing some questions out there for you all to answer, these do not reflect my personal views/ opinions.


1. What is the one thing common in all pashtuns that is not common in non-pashtuns

2. Are pashtun people as a whole just like any other ethnicity where they have their good apples and bad apples.

What do u think of this statement?

''Pashtun are just like any other people, there are religious, cultural, political, dialect and event nationality differences among them. The only thing that may be common to all of them is perhaps just the language pashto.''


Apart from the language, what other attributes distinguishes a Pashtun from a non-pashtun?

and please keep silly immature childish remarks to yourself.

Pashtuns is the largest tribal ethnic group in the world. Their number may reach upto 70 millions. Pashtun is Pashtun by blood. Language and Pashtunwali are two other prerequisites but blood is sine qua non. A Pashtun must be born of Pashtun parents(unfortunately father is a must but one of the parent must be Pashtun.

Pashtuns were Pashtuns before Islam and will remain Pashtun if Islam ends one day. However in today's world Islamism is the hallmark of Pashtuns. This is the most dominant trend in Pashtun society these days. However by nature Pashtuns are secular people by separating Jumat(mosque) from Hujra(community center). they ahve their own dance, music, poetry,art, mythology and folklore.

I was in an European city ,all alone and one day. I heard some one talking in Pashto and I said Hi in Pashto and that was enough introduction. Usually each Pashtun take the other one as his/her cousin. This is a distinction of Pashtuns. Usually all Pashtuns except few Panjabized and Persianized Pashtuns, they will always talk to each other in Pashto. Unfortunately they may not write to each other in Pashto.

Pashtuns may be the world's genetically purest ethnic group. They are mostly white, tall, impressive, towering and sincere people. They are usually outspoken, hospitable, honorable, helping and tolerant.

[ghumbasa]

Pashtuns are humans and free people.Let them be one even with islam.No one can seperate islam from pashtuns...infact i saw a very good dream recently about them that they cant be seperated from Allah (islam)... lets see...

[Badlun]

Pashtuns are humans and free people.Let them be one even with islam.No one can seperate islam from pashtuns...infact i saw a very good dream recently about them that they cant be seperated from Allah (islam)... lets see...

How Pashtuns the free people have accepted Islamism as thier way of life?

[marwat]

Pashtun way of life and culture are truly independent, and we have unique separate complete code of life. we have our own way to dance,our own musical instruments, our own way to organize party, our own way to sing.
our own beads,rings, footwear,turban, embroidered caps, embroidered and simple coats wasket shows that we have unique and amazing ways of doing things.
even we have our own way to get high.
Ghani khan said "The Pashtuns are a rain-sown wheat: they all came up on the same day; they are all the same"
but still we lack a strong sense of Nationalism.

[Badlun]

Pashtun way of life and culture are truly independent, and we have unique separate complete code of life. we have our own way to dance,our own musical instruments, our own way to organize party, our own way to sing.
our own beads,rings, footwear,turban, embroidered caps, embroidered and simple coats wasket shows that we have unique and amazing ways of doing things.
even we have our own way to get high.
Ghani khan said "The Pashtuns are a rain-sown wheat: they all came up on the same day; they are all the same"
but still we lack a strong sense of Nationalism.

Excellent. This Pashtun way of life you beautifully mentioned has been eroded by Islamism where every good thing like Music, dance, party, art, sculpture etc are haram. Even in hair style and clothes you have to imitate those Arabs of desert. The worst enemy of Pashtun way of life is Islamism.

[Arachosia]

1) Pashtuns are defined by their genetic pool. Most Pashtuns share the R1a haplogroup, which means we all had a common, recent ancestor. This gives us a unique look, we have physical features that are very common among ourselves.

Genetics also, of course, influences culture, which bring us to...

... 2) Pashtunwali, this is our honour code which we have practised for thousands of years. In this current world, where liberalism has taken over people from most demographics, it is a miracle that this conservative tradition has been preserved for so long.

And if it isn't for external factors (such as foreigners meddling in our affairs) this tradition would continue prevail.

This proves that we as a people, act almost like a single entity, as most of us have a similar world view (otherwise these traditions would have been replaced/forsaken)

[Badlun]

1) Pashtuns are defined by their genetic pool. Most Pashtuns share the R1a haplogroup, which means we all had a common, recent ancestor. This gives us a unique look, we have physical features that are very common among ourselves.

Genetics also, of course, influences culture, which bring us to...

... 2) Pashtunwali, this is our honour code which we have practised for thousands of years. In this current world, where liberalism has taken over people from most demographics, it is a miracle that this conservative tradition has been preserved for so long.

And if it isn't for external factors (such as foreigners meddling in our affairs) this tradition would continue prevail.

This proves that we as a people, act almost like a single entity, as most of us have a similar world view (otherwise these traditions would have been replaced/forsaken)

Good points. We must draw a line between religion, politics, society and culture. Our religion can be Islam but limited to beliefs, worship and morality. Our politics/economy should be democracy and free market economy. Our culture and society must be Pashtunwali. Our language must be Pashto.

Our culture must not be influenced by Arab culture on the name of religion. We must adopt Western concepts of democracy, human rights, business, development and liberalism but not necessarily their culture and social values.

Yes if we have some cultural abnormalities like selling daughters, child marriages, pedophilia, smuggling. drugs production and trafficking , deforestation, religious extremism etc must be wiped out. In this globalized world we cannot remain aloof of the realities of the modern times.

[Arachosia]

Good points. We must draw a line between religion, politics, society and culture. Our religion can be Islam but limited to beliefs, worship and morality. Our politics/economy should be democracy and free market economy. Our culture and society must be Pashtunwali. Our language must be Pashto.

Our culture must not be influenced by Arab culture on the name of religion. We must adopt Western concepts of democracy, human rights, business, development and liberalism but not necessarily their culture and social values.

Yes if we have some cultural abnormalities like selling daughters, child marriages, pedophilia, smuggling. drugs production and trafficking , deforestation, religious extremism etc must be wiped out. In this globalized world we cannot remain aloof of the realities of the modern times.

I agree with what you're saying but my political ideology differs.

I personally do not believe in democracy because a short term leader will most likely not implement any improvement/changes that will be beneficial in the long term, as the president will be out of office by the time those changes take place fully. A democratically elected leader will make sure to be in office again the next term, and therefore sacrifice long term improvement for his 8 year leadership, which doesn't serve the interest of future generations.

Humans are after all a bit selfish.

An authoritarian socialist government, which is culturally conservative, in my opinion is best.

I am a socialist because I regard fellow Pashtuns as my extended family, and believe that it is everyone's responsibility to help their people. Of course, in a multiculturalism state I would not support a left-wing economy.

Hitler's Nazi Germany was a country that followed this ideology, and in the 12 years that it existed, Germany recovered from a broken state with hyper-inflation, to a superpower that had the ability to fight multiple other superpowers at the same time.

[marwat]

Good points. We must draw a line between religion, politics, society and culture. Our religion can be Islam but limited to beliefs, worship and morality. Our politics/economy should be democracy and free market economy. Our culture and society must be Pashtunwali. Our language must be Pashto.

Our culture must not be influenced by Arab culture on the name of religion. We must adopt Western concepts of democracy, human rights, business, development and liberalism but not necessarily their culture and social values.

Yes if we have some cultural abnormalities like selling daughters, child marriages, pedophilia, smuggling. drugs production and trafficking , deforestation, religious extremism etc must be wiped out. In this globalized world we cannot remain aloof of the realities of the modern times.

you pretty much nailed it,