Guy Payne English II Honors 3 rd Block Ms. Nowacky

 The Hazaras are a minority group that lives in the mountains of Afghanistan. They are a Shia Muslim Turko-Mongol people who speak a Persian language.  The Hazaras make up about 20% of Afghanistan.  The Hazaras are easily recognizable because of their Asian features (Who are the Hazara?).

 Because the Hazaras are very different, they have been persecuted for being different and still are persecuted today by the Pashtuns and other groups.  Hazaras live in the very mountainous region of Central Afghanistan.  Because the area is very rural, they are still live a very tribal lifestyle (Who are the Hazara?).

 Because of the years of discrimination and segregation, the Hazaras remain a very underdeveloped group financially, socially and politically (Hazara Nation).

 Hazaras are Shiite Muslims in a mostly Sunni Muslim nation.  Their ancestry traces back to before the 13 th century.  One theory suggests that they are descendents of Genghis Khan and his soldiers who invaded in the 13 th century (Hazara People).

 Genetic testing does support this theory about being descendents of Genghis Khan.  Other theories suggest that the Hazaras also trace back to the inhabitants that have been there for many years. There are many different regional ethnicities present in genetic testing.  Many travelers traveled along the Silk Route so those ethnicities are also present such as Turks and Tajiks (Hazara People).

 Hazarjat or Hazaristan is the ancestral home of the Hazaras.  It is most of today’s Afghanistan. (The Hazaras).

 Hazaras usually work In menial jobs with low opportunity.  The men usually work in fields or have low paying jobs such as janitors or wage laborers (Countries and Their Cultures).

 The women mostly work in their homes doing household tasks and tending to the children  The Hazaras are working class laborers and can be servants to the Pastuns or other higher socio-economic people (Countries and Their Cultures)

 Afghanistan is a country of many different ethnic groups – more than 40.  There are about 8 million Pushtun in Afghanistan and that is about 40% of the population.  The Pushtun have been the rulers of the country and control over 90% of the territory (Hazara Nation).

 The second largest group is the Tajiks.  The third largest group is the Hazaras and they dominate the central mountain region.  Because the Hazaras have always been in the middle of the country, they and Afghanistan has been the crossroads of Asia’s conquerors (Who are the Hazara?)

 Afghanistan has always been a country at war where ethnic background matters more than anything else.  Ethnic warfare if very common since each group was always vying for power.  The Hazaras have always been in the middle of this ethic battle.  After years of war, the humanitarian impact has been very great with millions of people losing their lives and their homes due to the violence and devastation (The Hazaras).

 Even though there as never been a census in Afghanistan, there are estimates available of how many ethnic groups there are  The map on the next slide highlights how many different ethnic groups there are and also highlights that the Hazaras are right in the middle of things and are a large percentage of the population, even though they are considered a lesser ethnic group (“The Hazaras”).

 Most Hazaras still live in Afghanistan in the central part of the country.  Many still live in very rural areas in the rugged mountains - some have settled into the valleys, but the war and conflict has driven them further up in the mountains.  Some have also moved to Kabul, the capital, hoping for a better life (Hazara People).

 The Hazaras have become leaders in today’s Afghanistan in spite of years of persecution and denial of basic civic rights (NGM)  Education is very important now to the Hazaras and both boys and girls attend school and go on to university. They have a reputation for being hard workers and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Because they have been this way for many years, they are part of building a more promising future for the entire nation. (Hazara People)

 Larson, Marissa. "National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com." National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com. National Geographic, 17 June Web. 03 Mar  "The Hazaras." The Hazaras. Hazara.net, n.d. Web. 03 Mar  "Countries and Their Cultures." Hazaras. Advameg Inc, n.d. Web. 03 Mar  "Hazara Nation." Hazara Nation. History. Hazara Nation, n.d. Web. 03 Mar