THE RELIGIOUS COMPONENT IN THE FORMATION OF ETHNIC GROUPS IN AFGHANISTAN

Abstract

Throughout the history of Afghan society, Islam has been one of the most important elements in the life of Afghans. The role and position of religion in the life of the Afghan people have changed at different stages of the country’s development. This was especially noticeable in the second half of the 20th century, when Afghan society began to transform as a result of reforms. Although the reforms of the 1950s and 1970s were largely half-hearted and inconsistent, they nevertheless weakened the influence of traditional foundations, including religion, on the lives of Afghans, in whose social relations elements of modern Western culture began to penetrate. However, recently religious influence in society has recovered and has become even stronger than at the beginning of the 20th century. This was especially evident during the rule of the Taliban, a radical Islamic group that replaced the Mujahideen and, after a short break, continued after the events of 2021. Having seized most of the country, members of this movement, calling themselves the Taliban, created the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), a theocratic government in which power is concentrated in the lower echelons of the Islamic clergy - mullahs, Mawlavis and Akundah.

Keywords

Taliban, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Loya Jirga