Afghan Sikhs say discrimination forcing them out of country
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(10 Jun 2015) Afghanistan's once-thriving
(10 Jun 2015) Afghanistan's once-thriving Sikh community is dwindling fast as many choose to leave the country of their birth to escape what they say is growing intolerance and discrimination.
Once boasting as many as 100,000 members in the 1990s, Afghanistan's Sikh population, according to community leaders, has dwindled to an estimated 2,500.
The reason for the exodus: endemic societal discrimination in the majority Muslim country and the illegal seizures of Sikh homes, businesses, houses of worship and even cemeteries.
Hindus in Afghanistan have also faced similar persecution.
Under the Taliban, Sikhs and Hindus were pressured to convert to Islam and forced to pay a special tax and publicly identify themselves with yellow patches on their clothing.
Muslims were encouraged to avoid doing business with them.
During this period many Sikhs and Hindus were either forced to sell their land or had it openly seized by armed warlords.
And today, they say, societal discrimination and isolation continues.
Community figures and analysts believe that intolerance for non-Muslims has grown as constant violence and upheaval has made Afghans wary of those they perceive as outsiders - both Sikhs and Hindus are widely regarded as foreigners, more readily identified as Indians and Pakistanis.
For Afghan Sikhs, the constant discrimination is particularly bitter because many proclaim themselves to be proud Afghans.
Arinder Singh risked his life to fight the Soviet invasion of the 1980s.
A religious scholar born in Gardez, Singh teaches religious studies and Punjabi to Sikh children in Kabul.
One of his pupils, 8-year-old Jasmit Singh, says Sikh children are often a target of harassment by other children.
An attempt in 2013 by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to reserve parliamentary seats for Sikhs and Hindus was rejected by lawmakers who feared other minorities would make similar demands.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom noted in a 2009 report that while there is no longer any official discrimination against Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan, "They are effectively barred from most government jobs and face societal hostility and harassment."
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Once boasting as many as 100,000 members in the 1990s, Afghanistan's Sikh population, according to community leaders, has dwindled to an estimated 2,500.
The reason for the exodus: endemic societal discrimination in the majority Muslim country and the illegal seizures of Sikh homes, businesses, houses of worship and even cemeteries.
Hindus in Afghanistan have also faced similar persecution.
Under the Taliban, Sikhs and Hindus were pressured to convert to Islam and forced to pay a special tax and publicly identify themselves with yellow patches on their clothing.
Muslims were encouraged to avoid doing business with them.
During this period many Sikhs and Hindus were either forced to sell their land or had it openly seized by armed warlords.
And today, they say, societal discrimination and isolation continues.
Community figures and analysts believe that intolerance for non-Muslims has grown as constant violence and upheaval has made Afghans wary of those they perceive as outsiders - both Sikhs and Hindus are widely regarded as foreigners, more readily identified as Indians and Pakistanis.
For Afghan Sikhs, the constant discrimination is particularly bitter because many proclaim themselves to be proud Afghans.
Arinder Singh risked his life to fight the Soviet invasion of the 1980s.
A religious scholar born in Gardez, Singh teaches religious studies and Punjabi to Sikh children in Kabul.
One of his pupils, 8-year-old Jasmit Singh, says Sikh children are often a target of harassment by other children.
An attempt in 2013 by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to reserve parliamentary seats for Sikhs and Hindus was rejected by lawmakers who feared other minorities would make similar demands.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom noted in a 2009 report that while there is no longer any official discrimination against Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan, "They are effectively barred from most government jobs and face societal hostility and harassment."
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Twitter: Twitter: AP_Archive
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