Who are Hazaras?

Hazaras are a Persian-speaking ethnic group and a principal component of the population of Afghanistan, native to, and primarily residing in the Hazarajat region in central Afghanistan and generally scattered throughout Afghanistan. They speak the Hazaragi dialect of Persian that is mutually intelligible with Dari, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and are also significant minority groups in neighboring Pakistan, mostly in Quetta, and as well as in Iran. It is reported that they embraced Shia Islam between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, during the Safavid period. Hazaras are considered by some to be one of the most vulnerable groups in Afghanistan, and their persecution has occurred various times across previous decades. Although Hazaras play a big role in the history of Afghanistan, throughout the decades with every new government or group taking over the control of Afghanistan, Hazaras unfortunately have been a target of the most tragic events in history which includes from genocides to slavery and having no rights in their own country due to having different religion believes and different facial features. These tragic massacres took place from 18th century until today that they have been targeted specifically by Taliban because they are not considered Afghans and Muslim. Even though This group of people had no easy access to school and other basic human rights, they still tried their best to get educated and raise their voices to make a difference. Hazaras are considered to be the most hard working people not just in Afghanistan but around the world. With all their hard days, they still proudly celebrate their unique culture and speak in their dialect. Despite the fact that Afghanistan as a country itself has been going through many political issues in the past decades, global Hazara activists are standing up and raising awareness to make sure that Hazaras who are being targeted in Afghanistan recently like before are not going to be ignored. #hazara #california #usa #community