The area whose people did not become Muslims came to be called Kafiristan, what is its name now?

Kafiristan never surrendered to Muslim invaders: Nuristan, the province of Afghanistan, was earlier called Kafiristan. Very few people were aware of this hilly area before the end of the 18th century. Till the year 1859, this area was completely independent and was called the country of infidel people. The reason for this was that despite the surrounding areas accepting Islam, the people here were not ready to convert religiously. But in the year 1896, the ruler of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Khan converted the people here to Islam. The name of the place was changed to Nuristan.

Professor Neil Green teaches South Asian and Islamic history at the University of California, USA. Professor Neil Green has written about Nuristan, this very beautiful area of ​​Afghanistan, “And finally Kafiristan was destroyed. Most of the residents there had to accept Islam. For this, two methods were used, first force and second Jizya. Financial penalties were imposed on those who did not convert due to intimidation. Eventually he converted to religion. Later this area was named Nuristan.”

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This is the history of Nuristan
After visiting this area in 644 AD, the Chinese traveler Xianzheng wrote, “This place was ruled by a Buddhist Kshatriya king. It was known as Kapish district. The king here had influence on ten nearby states. By the 9th century Kapish was part of the Hindu Shahi dynasty of Kabul. After this, the continuous attacks of Islamic invaders weakened Buddhism and Hindu monarchy. The area from modern Nuristan to Kashmir was also called Peristan by the Islamic invaders at that time. Due to Islamic attacks, the surrounding areas continued accepting Islam. “This trend continued from the 8th century to the 16th century.”

Abdur Rahman Khan’s attack
Despite prolonged attacks and religious conversions in this area of ​​Kafiristan, a large number of people had survived who were either followers of ancient Hinduism or Buddhists. But this entire area was Islamized by Afghanistan’s ruler Abdur Rahman Khan. Abdur Rahman Khan is also known for the unification of Afghanistan. He is counted among the most powerful rulers of the modern era. At the end of the 19th century, during 1895-96, Abdur Rahman launched a fierce attack on this area. Apart from force and oppression, religious conversion was carried out on a large scale by showing fear of Jizya tax. It was Abdur Rahman who changed the name of this area from Kafiristan to Nuristan.

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Kalash is called infidel
It is said that the people who fled after the attack of Abdur Rahman at that time are the people of Kalash community living in Chitral district of present-day Pakistan. Their number is said to be between 20 to 30 thousand. Even today this community remains completely separate from the mainstream. The Kalash community is known for its completely different way of life. Generally in Pakistan they are seen as a tribal community. This is the same community which is called infidel.

preserving our culture and religion
Kalash people rear goats and do farming for livelihood. In the mid-1970s, the first road was built in the Chitral valleys. This allowed the entry of education, military and tourism, leading to major socio-economic changes in the area. The Kalash, however, live exclusively in the most isolated villages. This community has a very strong sense of its identity and fiercely protects its culture and religion. The entire state is very uneven. Plains or flat areas are not even nominal. The entire mountainous area is covered with forests. There are pastures on the slopes.

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Kalash are descendants of Alexander
According to legend, the Kalash have Caucasian features, fair complexion and light eyes because they are descendants of Alexander the Great. Their physical appearance is quite different from that of their Pashtun and Kho neighbors. Till date the origin of the Kalash people remains unknown. The traditional Kalash religion is polytheistic. It comes from a branch of ancient Hinduism, which was influenced by the beliefs of Nuristan before Islam. The Kalash people still keep alive various religious practices and rituals. Temples and altars of several Kalash deities are spread across the valley, where goats are regularly sacrificed.

consider crows as their ancestors
The Kalash people have a deep connection with crows, whom they consider their ancestors. So they take care of them and feed them carefully. Death is seen in a positive light, as they believe that the soul of the deceased will leave the body and visit their departed friends and relatives. Therefore they leave the coffins in the open, so that the separation of body and soul can be easier. Traditional funerals are large ceremonies, often accompanied by music and dancing.

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Unique culture and amazing clothes
The Kalash people are known for their unique culture, rituals and amazing clothing. Kalash women wear long black clothes with colorful embroidery. She wears a headdress and a string of pearls. Some women still get small tattoos on their cheeks, forehead and chin. Furthermore, they usually keep their hair very long and tie it in long braids. In contrast, Kalash men have adopted the ‘Salwar Kameez’, the Pakistani national dress, which they wear with a vest. They also wear traditional North Pakistani caps.

common to run away and marry
Unlike some neighboring cultures, Kalash men and women live together and contact is allowed in public places. Elopement is common in Kalash Valley, especially among women who are already married to another man. In these cases, the suitor not only has to pay dowry to the bride’s family, but he also has to return to the husband the dowry he had given before the marriage.

Tag: Afghanistan News, International news, islam religion, muslim conversion