Breaking the Shackles: Political Participation of Hazara Women in Afghanistan

One of the most oppressed communities of Afghanistan the Hazaras have been marginalized for hundreds of years both in the economic and political arenas. Currently the total Hazara population is estimated to be 5-6 million residing primarily in Hazaristan a region in central Afghanistan formerly known as Hazarajat. The majority of the Hazaras are Shias of Athna Ashari orientation followed by the Ismailis while a small number of Hazaras profess the Sunni doctrine of Islam. Persian is the dominant lingua franca in Afghanistan and the Hazaras speak the dialect known as Hazaragi which contains words of Turkic and Mongolian origin. There is no written literature in Hazaragi and Hazara writers scholars and academicians have written in Persian. (authors)