KABUL The filth, slush and mud of open drains mix on the rugged paths of western Kabul.
The neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi, located on the edge of the city, mainly consists of small mud brick houses built side by side. The area is mainly inhabited by the persecuted Shiite Hazara minority of Afghanistan.
The Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood is known for ISIS bombings targeting Hazaras.
The Finnish Immigration Service announced earlier this month that it will start taking the Hazara background into account even more strongly in asylum applications. The majority of Afghan asylum seekers in Finland are Shia Hazaras. According to the report of the European Asylum Agency EUAA, the position of the minority has worsened in Afghanistan.
Throughout history, the community has been discriminated against because of its religion and appearance, which differ from the rest of the population. Especially during the previous Taliban regime in the 90s, Hazaras were subjected to massacres and discrimination. Now the Taliban has tried to make amends with the minority group.
In recent weeks, West Kabul has been quiet.
Father of a family of four Hussain Dad arrives at a gate that leads to a small courtyard covered in snow. Inside the two-room house, heat is provided by a wood stove, with two pans simmering on the stove.
On the floor, the only daughter of the family Marwa Muhammad, 17, helps his little brother with his homework. The girl misses school, even though not all her memories of studying are good.
A suicide bomber struck the training center
At the end of September, when the Taliban still allowed girls to study in private schools, Muhammadi was at an educational center called Kaj in Dasht-e-Barchi, preparing for a practice exam. Then it exploded.
– I don’t know what happened to me. I found myself under the desk. Then I just tried to get out of the classroom, Muhammadi recalls.
Outside, he saw his fellow students who were injured.
According to the UN, there were eventually 53 dead and 110 injured. Most of them were Hazara girls like Muhammad or young women who were preparing for university entrance exams.
– I couldn’t sleep for many days after that.
No group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, but since 2016, ISKP, the Afghan branch of ISIS, has carried out similar attacks precisely in the Hazara areas of western Kabul. The targets have been schools, mosques and even a maternity hospital.
Muhammadi also lost his best friend in the attack By Zahra Ahmad.
– She was such an intelligent and hardworking girl. But Zahra sat in the first row of the class where the suicide bomber blew himself up.
Muhammadi shows pictures of his late friend on his phone.
– Unfortunately, Zahra did not achieve her dreams. This is so painful for me and the entire Hazara community, he says.
After some time, Muhammadi decided to return to school despite everything.
– I decided to continue studying, whatever happened, because my goals are so important to me.
The bombing led to protests. The Hazaras demand an end to the attacks and the opening of girls’ schools.
The security situation was bad even during the previous administration
Similar attacks took place years before the Taliban came to power.
Muhammad’s father, Hussain Dadi, believes that the time of the former government was the most difficult for the Hazaras.
– There were countless suicide bombings here, and no one dared to go among the crowds. We lived in constant fear of bombings.
– There are still security threats, but the situation is not quite as bad as before, he states.
Researcher at Afghanistan Analysts Network Ali Adili however, does not quite agree.
– I don’t think that the attacks against the Hazaras have decreased, even though there was a small break in them right after the Taliban came to power, he says.
There are still tensions between the Taliban and the Hazaras
Based on their past experiences, the Hazaras have been suspicious of the Taliban. However, the administration has tried to improve its relations with the minority group, for example by meeting community leaders.
– If we listen to what the Taliban say, it sounds pretty good. But god knows what their proper behavior will be. They claim they’re going to treat everyone well, Dad says.
The Taliban have taken Hazaras to work in the administration. However, they are not ministers. According to Adil, the recognition of Shiite Islamic law in particular is important for the community. In January 2022, the extremist Sunni Taliban dismissed all Shia Hazara judges from their jobs.
Hazaras have experienced discrimination even before the beginning of the forty years of wars. The situation improved to some extent since 2001, and Hazara leaders even got into the government. The community still did not feel that their voices were heard. President Ashraf Ghani under the regime, the Hazaras constantly demonstrated against the government as it was seen to favor the largest group of Pathans.
– Times were difficult under Ashraf Ghani’s regime, also in terms of education. He started a quota system for students which negatively affected the Hazaras, says Dad.
According to Adil, the quota system was meant to help students from all regions get into universities. However, it was very controversial and especially the Hazaras severely criticized it, because in some areas you could get into university with lower grades.
– It may have indirectly affected the Hazaras, because every year [tietyltä alueelta] a ceiling was placed on accepted students.
The closing of universities crushed dreams
Hazaras are often considered the most educated ethnic group in Afghanistan. Girls also returned to school in large numbers after the fall of the previous Taliban regime in 2001.
– There were no cultural barriers in Hazara areas [tyttöjen koulunkäynnille]so girls and boys could go to school, Adili points out.
Already in 2021, the Taliban banned teenage girls from going to school in the public sector. In December, the doors of private degree programs and universities were also closed. The Taliban has said the ban is temporary, but in January women were also banned from participating in university entrance exams.
For Muhammad, this has meant a huge disappointment.
– This is so painful for us. I hope we can still study, but I don’t believe so.
Dad, who works as a merchant, used a large part of his small income to get his daughter educated. Now it all seems to have been wasted.
– We ate less so that we could arrange tuition fees for my daughter. He was really interested in studying and I tried to reduce our expenses so that he could take part in university entrance exams.
Muhammadi now hopes to go to Turkey to study medicine. He dreams of a scholarship.
The family, like many other Afghans, cannot afford visas and expensive tuition fees.
– Everyone wants to leave the country. Unfortunately, there is no hope, Dad says.