COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: January 2023

The 2004 constitution of the former government explicitly recognised 14 ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Baluch, Pachaie, Nuristani, Aymaq, Arab, Qirghiz, Qizilbach, Gujur, Brahwui, ‘and other tribes’. There are various estimates of the relative sizes of the ethnic groups. Estimates of the share of Pashtuns ranged from 40 to 50 % of the population, Tajiks 25–27 %, Hazaras 9–18 %, Uzbeks 6–15 %, and Turkmen 1.5–3 % [Targeting 2022, 6.1, p. 126].

The predominant religion in Afghanistan is Islam. More than 99 % of the population are estimated to be Muslims. The majority are Sunni of the Hanafi School of jurisprudence. 10–15 % of the population are Shia, most of whom are Hazara. Most Shia Muslims in the country adhere to the Jafari School of jurisprudence, but there is also a small community of Ismaili Shias [Targeting 2022, 6.1, p. 126].

The Taliban have been criticised by the international community for a lack of ethno-religious diversity in their de facto government. Commenting on the criticism, a spokesperson for the Taliban said that ethnicity ‘did not matter to the new government’. He also pointed to the appointments of Tajiks and Uzbeks [Targeting 2022, 6.2, p. 127].

Shortly after the takeover, the Taliban stated, although not specifying religious freedom, that human rights in general would be respected in Afghanistan ‘within the framework of Islamic law’. The Taliban’s view of sharia is based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence and rooted in the late-19th-century Deobandi movement. It is also influenced by local traditions and tribal codes making it different from the interpretation and implementation of sharia in other countries with justice systems under Islamic law [Targeting 2022, 6.3, p. 128].