History and Religion of Afghanistan

Afghanistan:

History

Beginning in the era before christ , Agfhanistan served as a land of dispute between many powers.

EARLY CIVILIZATIONS

• Afghanistan's documented history began when the Persian monarch, Cyrus the Great, incorporated Bactria (now northern Afghanistan) into his Archaemenid Empire.

Cyrus was suceeded by

• Darius the Great (ruled 486- 465 B.C.)
• Xerxes the Great (ruled 486- 465 B.C.)
• Alexander the Great (ruled 328- 323 B.C.)

• After Alexander, the land fell to many different conquers including: the Mauryan Empire, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, the Saka, the Particians, the Kushans, the Arabs, the Abbasids, and the Tahirids.
• Throughout the reign of the following Saffarids, people all around the Hindu Kush were united by Islamic teachings and the language of Farsi.
• The Samanids then suceeded them. After they were replaced by the Ghaznawid Dynasty, it came down as well because of the invasion of Genghis Khan.

EARLY AFGHANISTAN

• The Ghilzai Pashtuns had overthrown the Persians.
• In1747 Nadir Shah took the region of Afghanistan.
• When Nadir Shah was assassinated, a man named Ahmad Khan Abdali freed the Afghans from Persia completely.
• Afghanistan declared it's independence.

• Ahmad Khan Abdali took the title of Durrani.
• He created the foundation of Afghanistan from severed parts.
• When Durrani died, Dost Mohammad Khan defeated his grandson (who was then in power) in 1826.

• Britain wanted to expand its central Asian influence.
• Britain invaded Afghanistan in 1838, which resulted in the first Afghan War.
• Afghanistan won.
• British dominance didn't truly disappear until the third Afghan War in 1919 when the Treaty of Rawalpindi was signed.

• The new leader, Amanullah Khan tried to modernize Afghanistan.
• He introduced western dress and supported women's rights.
• These ideas were not accepted by the public.
• He was ostracized and abdicated in 1928.

• Muhammad Nadir Shah took his place in 1929.
• Muhammad Nadir Shah was succeeded by Mohammad Zahir Shah in 1933.
• Afghanistan remained neutral during WWII.

MODERN AFGHANISTAN

• King Zahir was displaced in 1973 by Mohammed Daud Khan.
• Mohammed Daud established the first presidential republic.
• The new challenges the republic presented caused the country to become fragile and susceptible to the invasion of the Soviets in 1979.
• In 1989, they withdrew and left behind a crumpled state.
• They left Mohammad Najibullah as its leader- a president installed by the Soviets.

• The Taliban fought for control while Mohammad Najibullah was in office.
• The Taliban captured Kabul in 1996 and executed Najibullah.
• They completely oppressed the public, especially the women.
• Death sentences were not uncommon, even after the smallest misdemeanor.

• The Taliban remained in power until 9/11.
• Their demise stemmed from their sheltering of Osama bin Laden- then, the prime suspect of the attack.
• The Northern Alliance was an Afghani group dedicated to winning back Afghanistan from the Taliban.
• They regained control of most of their country with the assistance of the U.S. by the end of 2001.

• On October 9, 2004, Afghanistan's first presidential election was held.
• Karzai won the election.
• Osama bin Laden was killed in May of 2011 by U.S. Seals after they had been searching for years.

and Religion

Islam is practiced all throughout the world, but its major bearings are in the Middle East countries, like Afghanistan. All Muslims follow the path of Allah, yet they have their differences. These differences give them their separate identities.

• The prophet Muhammad founded Islam in the seventh century when he received messages from "Allah" through an angel named Gabriel.
• Muslims follow the 5 Pillars of Islam.
• Embark on pilgrimage to Mecca.
• Within the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, on the ninth day, the pilgrim must perform precise rituals.
• Example: slaughtering animals to represent the sheep that Abraham had slain.

• When Muhammad died in 632, a disagreement of Muslims led to the creation of two groups: the Sunni and Shi'a.
• Sunni- believed that the successor of Muhammad should be elected.
• Shi'a- believed that he had already chosen his successor, his cousin-in-law and cousin, Hazarat Ali.
• The majority of Afghanistan (and the world) is Sunni Muslim.
• Shi'a population includes Tajiks, the Qizil Bash, and the Hazaras.

Afghanistan has had many struggles throughout history including oppressive rulers and ethnic religious differences. Although many problems have yet to be resolved, Afghanistan is a progressive nation and is making advances each and every day.

By: Tatiana Roberts