What do you think is the biggest threat to Pashtun culture?

[Daryeh]

What ideology, culture, people, country or thing do you think threatens Pashtun culture and language today, specifically in Afghanistan?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

[Iblis_Efreetzai]

Pashtuns themselves

[DaZahroJaam.]

Westernization, lack of adherence to Islam,Pashtuns themselves and lack of education.

[Elite Pakhtun]

Tajiks/Persianisation/Iran

and add Indian/Bollywood culture.

[toughpashtun]

Lack of pride in one's own culture and keenness to follow the ways of others which one sees on TV,internet leads to dilation of our own culture.No one but ourselves are to blame for that.No Punjabi,Tajik or Hazara compels us to leave our ways and customs.

[Elite Pakhtun]

^^ I think internet can help us. I for one have learned more about other dialects, and even improved my vocabulary, thanks to the internet.

There's also the mild possibility of becoming friends/connecting with Pashtuns on the other side of the border... although you'll notice it's an uphill battle because Pakistan is one of the most hated countries on Earth right now.

[toughpashtun]

^^ I think internet can help us. I for one have learned more about other dialects, and even improved my vocabulary, thanks to the internet.

There's also the mild possibility of becoming friends/connecting with Pashtuns on the other side of the border... although you'll notice it's an uphill battle because Pakistan is one of the most hated countries on Earth right now.

Internet is a very useful tool.What I meant to say was that using the Internet,as well as other forms of media,exposes us to other cultures be that Bollywood,western or whatever, and then us Pashtuns get impressed and try to follow that.

[Samandri]

Why Hazaras is one of the option? in what way Hazara people can be a threat to Pashtun culture?

We have to get rid of some of the awful customs and traditions......and Pashtuns follow Islam in very ritualistic way , they are very strict about Prayers, Fasting, hajj etc but are very loose about every thing else.......when it comes to etiquette, manners, values, principles, morals etc , Pashtuns do not seek guidelines from Islam....Islam is more like tradition for them that they have to follow in the manner of rituals.

[Traveller]

Why Hazaras is one of the option? in what way Hazara people can be a threat to Pashtun culture?

We have to get rid of some of the awful customs and traditions......and Pashtuns follow Islam in very ritualistic way , they are very strict about Prayers, Fasting, hajj etc but are very loose about every thing else.......when it comes to etiquette, manners, values, principles, morals etc , Pashtuns do not seek guidelines from Islam....Islam is more like tradition for them that they have to follow in the manner of rituals.

A very good approach to reform in Pashtun society is to get rid of everything that contradicts with Islam and keep what doesn't.Of course, even within Islam we need to rethink some aspects that do not come from the Quran and Sunnah but rather come from culture. But I still think that a proper Islamic framework is good for reform in Pashtun society.

[Kakar-Wardak]

Internet is great, without it I would be another lost soul raised in the west with no clue about Islam, pashtun language and culture.

[Daryeh]

and add Indian/Bollywood culture.

That would come under South Asia (Pakistan/India) which covers political and cultural influences from the Indian subcontinent

[Daryeh]

My opinion is that in terms of culture, language and politics, South Asia definitely has the most influence over Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Deobandi/Salafi interpretations of Islam are also another big problem. These two things: Islamic extremism and Indian/Pakistani cultural influence have destroyed Pashtun identity in Afghanistan. Maybe a third would be Persianization, but I don't think that's as pronounced and it only occurs in northern and western Afghanistan.

I can think of a long list of Indian/Pakistani influences in Afghanistan:

-Cricket, a sport only played by Britain and his former colonial subjects
-Bollywood
-Hindustani music (tabla, harmonium, Indian ghazals, high pitch singing)
-Indian shalwar kameez. Indian designs are also influencing the traditional Pashtun kochi dress:

-Hindi/Urdu loanwords in Pashto and many Afghans are proud of the fact they can speak Hindi/Urdu as well
-In southern Afghanistan they use Pakistani currency
-Daal, kulfi, curries, samosas being introduced to Afghan cuisine/streetfood in some areas of the south
-Unwanted Pakistani political influences in Afghanistan
-Pakistani architecture (these houses are designed by Pakistani architects and built by imported workers from Pakistan)

-Those jingle trucks that are everywhere in Afghanistan


You can see that Indian/Pakistani culture and identity is big, colorful, spicy, messy and kinda an assault on the senses haha and that is reflected in their movies, music, vehicles, house designs. On the other hand, traditional Afghan-Pashtun culture, is simple, reserved and modest. At least that's what I thought. Maybe I'm wrong, what do you guys think? Do Pashtuns care about stuff like this or do they embrace and celebrate the Indian/Pakistani cultural influences? I'm referring to the Pashtuns in Afghanistan only since I understand the situation for Pashtuns in Pakistan/India is obviously different.

[Samandri]

My opinion is that in terms of culture, language and politics, South Asia definitely has the most influence over Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Deobandi/Salafi interpretations of Islam are also another big problem. These two things: Islamic extremism and Indian/Pakistani cultural influence have destroyed Pashtun identity in Afghanistan. Maybe a third would be Persianization, but I don't think that's as pronounced and it only occurs in northern and western Afghanistan.

I can think of a long list of Indian/Pakistani influences in Afghanistan:

-Cricket, a sport only played by Britain and his former colonial subjects
-Bollywood
-Hindustani music (tabla, harmonium, Indian ghazals, high pitch singing)
-Indian shalwar kameez. Indian designs are also influencing the traditional Pashtun kochi dress:

-Hindi/Urdu loanwords in Pashto and many Afghans are proud of the fact they can speak Hindi/Urdu as well
-In southern Afghanistan they use Pakistani currency
-Daal, kulfi, curries, samosas being introduced to Afghan cuisine/streetfood in some areas of the south
-Unwanted Pakistani political influences in Afghanistan
-Pakistani architecture (these houses are designed by Pakistani architects and built by imported workers from Pakistan)

-Those jingle trucks that are everywhere in Afghanistan


You can see that Indian/Pakistani culture and identity is big, colorful, spicy, messy and kinda an assault on the senses haha and that is reflected in their movies, music, vehicles, house designs. On the other hand, traditional Afghan-Pashtun culture, is simple, reserved and modest. At least that's what I thought. Maybe I'm wrong, what do you guys think? Do Pashtuns care about stuff like this or do they embrace and celebrate the Indian/Pakistani cultural influences? I'm referring to the Pashtuns in Afghanistan only since I understand the situation for Pashtuns in Pakistan/India is obviously different.

Very interesting observations.........Majority of the truck drivers in Pakistan are Pashtuns and trucks and lorries are associated with Pashtuns there, so i dont think that truck with unique paintings and with sentences on the backside, are exactly "Indic" influence.....Infact you wont find such decorated Trucks and lorries in India and other parts of subcontinent.

Cricket is a sport and its good to see Afghans enjoying it. The food of Afghanistan is usually bland and less tasty (they dont know how to cook tasty dishes)....so influence from Pakistan on Afghan cuisine should be welcomed.

The introduction of Deobandi school of thought to Afghanistan was bound to happen as Pakistani Pashtuns (majority of them) are Deobandis since 19th century (Haji Turangzai, Faqir of IPi, Bacha Khan etc were deobandis).............note that no other region in subcontinent has such heavy majority of Deobandis as It is in Pashtun belt......its because Deoband had association with Rohilla Pathans of India who were active in Frontier Pakhtun regions through out 19th century. Also Deobandis were active against British and this appealed to the Pashtuns very much who were also in war with British.

[Daryeh]

Very interesting observations.........Majority of the truck drivers in Pakistan are Pashtuns and trucks and lorries are associated with Pashtuns there, so i dont think that truck with unique paintings and with sentences on the backside, are exactly "Indic" influence.....Infact you wont find such decorated Trucks and lorries in India and other parts of subcontinent.

Cricket is a sport and its good to see Afghans enjoying it. The food of Afghanistan is usually bland and less tasty (they dont know how to cook tasty dishes)....so influence from Pakistan on Afghan cuisine should be welcomed.

The introduction of Deobandi school of thought to Afghanistan was bound to happen as Pakistani Pashtuns (majority of them) are Deobandis since 19th century (Haji Turangzai, Faqir of IPi, Bacha Khan etc were deobandis).............note that no other region in subcontinent has such heavy majority of Deobandis as It is in Pashtun belt......its because Deoband had association with Rohilla Pathans of India who were active in Frontier Pakhtun regions through out 19th century. Also Deobandis were active against British and this appealed to the Pashtuns very much who were also in war with British.

You can definitely find those trucks in India. Here's one example. They're also found in Bangladesh.

Here's a brief history of the trucks:

A much restrained version of this art-form was present in the subcontinent in the 1940s.

It first appeared on trucks and lorries driven by Sikh transporters who would paint a portrait of their spiritual Gurus, or those who helped form the Sikh religion.

The portraits were painted with the loudest of colours. Simultaneously, Muslim transporters and drivers began to paint portraits of famous Sufi saints on their trucks and lorries.

By 1947 — the year Pakistan emerged as an independent country — truckers began to add more elements around the portraits of the Sufis, such as whole landscapes, flying horses, peacocks, etc.

In the 1960s, a strand of truck art in Pakistan began to incorporate politics.

Heavily painted portraits of Pakistan’s first military dictator, Ayub Khan, began to emerge on trucks which were mostly owned by transporters from Khan’s home province, the NWFP (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Source: The elusive history and politics of Pakistan’s truck art - Blogs - DAWN.COM

So it started off as a Punjabi tradition and was later adopted by Pashtuns in Pakistan, who then introduced it to Afghanistan.

Another thing I forgot was those Indian-style rickshaws in Afghanistan that are cropping up. I was watching TV with my grandma and she was telling me how they never used to have that, but now it's quite popular.

I respectfully disagree with you on the cuisine point. I don't think Afghans should import Pakistani food products and model their cuisine after Pakistan when we have our own national cuisine. Afghan food isn't bland at all. Adding excessive amounts of spice to everything doesn't make something tasty

I know cricket is a sport, but it's a sport that will make us closer to the Indian subcontinent. It's literally only popular in South Asian countries.


Deobandis might be part of the history of India and Pakistan (and therefore Pashtuns from those countries) since it was formed as a reaction to British colonialism, but I don't see why it has to be part of the history of Afghanistan.

Please note, I'm only talking about Pashtuns in Afghanistan in my post, not Pashtuns in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Afghanistan, as a nation that has been formed by Pashtuns, has to take the lead in reforming and nurturing their own indigenous culture and the surrounding related and almost extinct cultures (like Pashai and Nuristani). Pashtuns in Pakistan and India live in an Indic state, so I understand why they are assimilated into Indian/Pakistani culture as it would be unfair (and impractical) to expect them to remain culturally isolated. But there's no excuse for Afghan-Pashtuns. They have their own nation. They can shape their own culture, but they don't!

[Elite Pakhtun]

I'm going to agree with Samandri on the food thing. You don't understand good food until you enjoy spicy food. Without a doubt pakistani pashtuns have gained from the cultural exchange with regards to food.