Analyse der Staatendokumentation AfPak Principals of the tribal & clan structure 5.4.2017 The content of this publication was researched and edited with utmost care. The Austrian Country of Origin Information Department does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this report. The Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, the publishers, the editors, authors and individuals involved in the publication do not assume any liability for possible consequences arising from the usage, application or dissemination of the contents offered. The responsibility for the correctness of information provided by third parties lies with respective publishers and thus excludes liability by the publishers of this document. The articles in this publication reflect the opinions and views of the authors and do not represent positions of the publishers or the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum. Articles by the Country of Origin Information Department of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum adhere to the scientific standards as defined by the advisory board of the Country of Origin Information Department and are based on the quoted sources. The publication does not claim completeness and does not provide conclusions for the assessment of any individual asylum application. The publication is furthermore not to be seen as a political statement by the Country of Origin Information Department or the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum. Both reports in this document were originally published in German in the Dossier der Staatendokumentation. .BFA Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl Seite 2 von 56 Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Ethnic Groups and Structures ......................................................................................... 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 5 Languages ............................................................................................................................. 7 Ethnic Groups ........................................................................................................................ 9 The Pashtuns ......................................................................................................................... 9 The Tajiks ............................................................................................................................ 11 The Hazara .......................................................................................................................... 12 The Uzbeks .......................................................................................................................... 14 The Turkmens ...................................................................................................................... 15 The Aimaq ........................................................................................................................... 15 The Baluch People ............................................................................................................... 16 The Nuristani........................................................................................................................ 17 The Pashai ........................................................................................................................... 17 The Arabs and the Sayyid .................................................................................................... 18 Other Groups ....................................................................................................................... 18 Identity and Environment ..................................................................................................... 19 2. Pashtunwali: an analysis of the Pashtun way of life ...................................................... 26 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 26 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 27 Pashtunwali ............................................................................................................................. 27 Important Codes of Pashtunwali........................................................................................... 29 Melmastiya (Hospitality) .................................................................................................... 29 Badal (Revenge) ............................................................................................................... 30 Nanawatai (Seeking Forgiveness) .................................................................................... 30 Nang (Honor) .................................................................................................................... 32 Ghairat (Dignity) ................................................................................................................ 32 Mehrana (Courage) .......................................................................................................... 32 Narkh (Set of Laws Covering Punishments for Crimes) .................................................... 33 Nogha (Fine) ..................................................................................................................... 34 .BFA Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl Seite 3 von 56 Tsalwekhtee (Civil Militia) ................................................................................................. 34 Cheegha (Call for Collective Work) ................................................................................... 34 Institutions and Forums in Pashtunwali ................................................................................ 36 Jirga (Gathering for Resolving an Issue) ........................................................................... 36 Hujra (Community Center) ................................................................................................ 40 Evolution of Pashtunwali ......................................................................................................... 41 Islam and Pashtunwali ............................................................................................................ 45 Divergence between Pashtunwali and Islamic Sharia .......................................................... 46 Zina (Illicit Sexual Relation) ............................................................................................... 46 Attempt to Rape ................................................................................................................ 47 Preemption ....................................................................................................................... 47 Drinking of Wine or Alcohol ............................................................................................... 47 Qisas (Death Penalty) ....................................................................................................... 48 Betrothal (Marriage) .......................................................................................................... 48 Jhagh (Claiming Girl for Marriage in Public) ...................................................................... 49 Inheritance ........................................................................................................................ 49 Duties and Responsibilities in Pashtunwali .............................................................................. 50 Taboos in Pashtunwali ............................................................................................................ 53 Merits and Demerits of Pashtunwali ........................................................................................ 55 Merits ................................................................................................................................... 55 Demerits .............................................................................................................................. 55 .BFA Bundesamt für Fremdenwesen und Asyl Seite 4 von 56 This report has been translated from German into English by Dipl.-Dolmetscherin Elke Limberger-Katsumi 1. Ethnic Groups and Structures PD Dr. Lutz Rzehak Department of Asian and African Studies Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Introduction From an ethnic standpoint - by any definition of the term “ethnic” - Afghanistan can be characterized by pronounced diversity.1 Questions concerning ethnicity have not always been as politically-significant as they are today. The chaos of Communist rule in the 1980s with a nationality policy based on the Soviet model, the civil war of the 1990s, the frontlines of which often followed ethnic borders, and the Taliban rule from 1995 to 2001 with its intractable interpretation of Islam and linguistic preference for Pashto increased the significance of ethnic issues. It therefore became necessary to refer in Afghanistan’s legal framework to the ethnic make-up of its population for the first time, in Article 4 of the new constitution, which was adopted in 2004. In the third paragraph, it states The nation of Afghanistan is comprised of the following ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkman,