Source: BBC
By Dawood Azami for BBC World Service
An Afghan citizen has been granted asylum in the UK because he is an atheist, in what is being seen as a landmark case. The BBC’s Dawood Azami explains why religion is a very sensitive issue in Afghanistan’s conservative and traditional society.
Afghans in general take pride in being true Muslims who have made great sacrifices for their faith and who have served it more than any other nation in the region.
Historically, the area that later came to be known as Afghanistan was the power centre of several Muslim empires in the region.
Afghans point to examples in history such as the Third Battle of Panipat (India) in 1761 when the Afghan King Ahmed Shah Abdali assisted Muslim rulers in India to defeat the forces of the Maratha Empire, and the three wars with the British Empire in which Afghans successfully defended their country.
They also take pride in the fact that they have never been colonised while other Muslim nations in Asia and Africa were colonies for centuries.
And, of course, the war against the Soviets in the 1980s contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of several Muslim countries in Central Asia.
Afghans believe they have served Islam off the battlefield too, with Afghan Sufi mystics, scholars and preachers going to other countries where they promoted Islam.
Conversions from Islam have been extremely rare in the country’s history.
Additional Reading
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Categories: Afghanistan