Dating Or Marriage Custom In Afghanistan

This means that family responsibilities tend to hold a greater importance than personal needs. Throughout all of Afghanistan, family matters are kept strictly private. Women may be slightly more likely to open up to other women about their personal life, but usually family matters are kept within the family. Afghan households are generally large and multigenerational. Adult children usually live in the family home of their parents or in-laws throughout their life. It is rare for married couples to move out into their own home due to economic circumstances in Afghanistan. In , the average size of a household in Afghanistan was reported to be people. In extended family households, three or four generations may live together. This may be in walled compounds in which small domestic units such as couples have their own room, but the entire extended family shares a courtyard. In these communal living spaces, all the women work together to raise, discipline and educate the children. Family roles vary between ethnicities , socioeconomic statuses and regions. Nevertheless, a traditional patriarchal age hierarchy prevails throughout all. The eldest male has the most authority and decision-making power and usually controls all family spending. Every decision has to be approved by the husband or father. Men carry the economic burden of the family and often have to single-handedly support the entire household.

Dating and Marriage in Afghanistan

For a husband and father in Afghanistan, this can mean having to earn enough to support himself, his wife, his children and any parent or in-law living with the nuclear family. Brothers and sons must also help to economically support the family, protect the family honour and discipline any misbehaviour. Women are largely in charge of the domestic chores, cooking, raising the children, entertaining guests and catering to the needs of the man of the house. Children are to show reverence and deference to their parents and elders. This expectation of social compliance loosens as people gain adult independence. The Afghan educational system is limited, especially for those living rurally. Many young children learn entirely from the village mosque and religious leader mullah , or their parents usually the mother while the father works. This supports the cultural idea that parents are to be revered for their wisdom and mothers should be greatly admired. Gender roles are highly patriarchal and rigidly defined in Afghan culture. The men are viewed as the main income earners, while women are seen as the homemakers. Husbands are expected to provide economically for their wives and children throughout their lives. Under Islamic inheritance law, females receive exactly half of the wealth that their male relatives receive. This division is based on the idea that it is a man's duty to care for the women in his family. Broadly, men dominate the public sphere and women only have authority in the domestic realm over their children and other women. However, when the Taliban came into power, they placed extreme restrictions on women, resulting in their seclusion and exclusion. Many bans were enforced that limited their involvement in the public sphere, tightened their moral code of dress and denied them an education. Such restrictions have eased but remain stricter than what most Afghans desire. According to the religiously based conservative view, a woman should not be available to anyone but her family — meaning generally she can only leave the house if she has a male accompaniment and is completely shielded from the public eye usually by a burqa , chador or niqab.This depends on family attitudes and is not always adhered to in practice, but it can still create an impassable obstacle for many women who wish to work, study or access health care. Some Afghan men may feel it is their duty to accompany women anywhere in public. Some more progressive families or tribes see females as equally deserving of opportunities e. However, women are still likely to be secluded from most public decision-making and are expected to be modest and obedient to their fathers, brothers and husbands. Ultimately, the only male a woman can have true authority over is her son while he is young. Most Afghans observe a public separation of the genders that is legally enforced in some cases. Mixing of males and females only really occurs within families or closely knit village communities. In professional or educational contexts where both males and females may be employed or taught, people are cautious to maintain a physical distance from the other gender. In rural areas, men and women tend to have a closer familiarity with one another as they are often involved in making the same product but contribute in different ways to the production line e. Marriage is considered an essential component to life in Afghanistan and all relationships are presumed to lead to marriage. Any meetings are usually considered a period of acquaintance prior to engagement. It is rare for an unmarried couple to be permitted time to see one another alone; however, some youth in the cities are pushing these boundaries. The institution of marriage is seen as the merging of two families. Parents often arrange the marriages of their children to ensure the families are compatible.

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Afghanistan

Commonly, the relationship between the husband and wife is endogamous with parallel and cross-cousin marriages preferred. However, while marriage between kin is common, families may also try to marry outside of their family to diversify their assets. People tend to marry within their tribe or ethnic group. Young girls can sometimes be married off to a debtor to satisfy a family debt. His female family members usually approach the girl discreetly to avoid public dishonour. When the engagement is announced, the two families will celebrate with a big engagement party. It frequently lasts a night or a day, but can last for three days. During this time, the marriage contract is signed. Polygamy is legal if the man can prove he can economically support all wives, but its practice is less common in modern-day Afghanistan. In that case, her brother-in-law may marry her into his family wife inheritance. One may find in families where there is more than one wife that each wife usually has her own room, belongings and perhaps her own kitchen. Divorce is rare and stigmatised in Afghanistan. Couples that seek to end their marriage usually face huge family and societal pressure to reunite. Female widows and divorcees can easily become economically destitute if her in-laws do not inherit her.

A unified, searchable interface answering your questions on the world's cultures and religions. Afghan Culture Afghanistan. Family Primary Author. Household Structure Afghan households are generally large and multigenerational. Family Dynamics Family roles vary between ethnicities , socioeconomic statuses and regions. Gender Roles Gender roles are highly patriarchal and rigidly defined in Afghan culture. Separation of the Genders Most Afghans observe a public separation of the genders that is legally enforced in some cases. Marriage and Dating Marriage is considered an essential component to life in Afghanistan and all relationships are presumed to lead to marriage. Get a downloadable PDF that you can share, print and read. Guaranteed secure. A unified, searchable interface answering your questions on the world's cultures and religions Sign up for free. In the 15 months since the Taliban took power, there has been a dramatic increase in early marriages of Afghan girls -- a trend activists and human rights campaigners attribute to parents' belief that securing a spouse for their girls is better than seeing them forced to marry members of the Taliban. Marrying their girls off also provides some sense of security: fewer mouths to feed at a time when Afghan girls have been banned from attending school and face harassment as the country deals with a humanitarian crisis and economic ruin. Khatira was a brilliant student. She was top of her class and had big dreams for the future. She wanted to serve her community by becoming a doctor in the remote, impoverished province. A marriage to Taliban fighters or officials -- particularly elderly ones seeking second or third wives -- was not something her family could bear to see. Firoza, 18, was in the 11th grade when the Taliban shut her school in Ghor, destroying her plans of entering a university. Soon her family married her off against her will. Shukria Sherzai, a women's rights activist in Ghor, says the cases of forced and underage marriages have increased exponentially since the Taliban seized power in August

Afghan Culture

She says that many families agree to early unions in the hope of sparing them from being forced to marry Taliban members. But even if the reasoning is based on securing a better life, the effect has been devastating to the family structure. International rights watchdogs have documented similar trends. Nicolette Waldman, a researcher for Amnesty International, says that the most common drivers of child, early, and forced marriage since the Taliban's takeover include the economic and humanitarian crisis and lack of educational and professional prospects for women. Many are not able to find alternatives to the Taliban. Waldman says that since seizing power, the Taliban has imposed a web of interrelated restrictions and prohibitions that has trapped Afghan women and girls. She says that the Taliban's violations of the rights of women and girls are increasing month by month. Afghanistan is rife with speculation that the Taliban is contemplating a complete ban on women's education, work, and mobility in a return to the policies imposed during the extremist group's infamous first stint in power from to A December decree by the Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, about women's rights was silent on women's education and work. But it outlawed forced marriages by requiring women's consent for marriage. Marziah Nurzai, a women's rights activist in the western province of Farah, attributes the rise in forced and underage marriages to the Taliban's decision to close girls' schools. Many young girls across Afghanistan have already given up on the idea of a better future after being forced to marry. Razia, a year-old law student who spoke to Radio Azadi using a pseudonym, says she and her younger sister were forced to give up their university educations after the Taliban seized power. She says that once back in their native northern province of Kunduz, she had no chance of ever becoming a judge as she had planned. Earlier this year, her father arranged for them to be engaged to relatives, fearing that Taliban fighters might ask for their hand in marriage.

The Other Side Of The Sky Analysis

In Ghor, Khatira also sees no prospects of resuming her education. She recalls spending days learning new things at school, but is now struggling with despair and grief. Pakistani demonstrators have slammed the government's crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals. The Joint Action Committee for Refugees -- a platform of Pakistani politicians, activists, and lawyers -- organized the gathering on November 18 in Karachi. Slogans on some banners warned of the hardships awaiting women and minorities deported to Afghanistan. Many Afghans found refuge in Pakistan during the decades of unrest in their homeland. The number of undocumented Afghans in Pakistan was estimated at 1. The appearance of a high-ranking Afghan Taliban official at a mosque in the German city of Cologne has sparked outrage from the government as well as the local authorities. The government had not been informed about the trip and the official -- from Afghanistan's food and drug administration -- had not been issued a visa before traveling to Germany. A local Afghan cultural association had organized the event. The agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on November 17 that most of the returning Afghans have neither jobs nor homes and noted that Pakistan undertook the action just before winter.

The Most Special Traditions of an Afghan Wedding

Islamabad announced last month that more than 1. Naseer Ahmed Faiq said on X , formerly known as Twitter, that the detention of Azada by the Taliban is an act against Islamic and cultural values, as well as the fundamentals of human rights and freedom. Afghan traders are asking Pakistan to release thousands of containers filled with imports stranded at the southern seaport of Karachi after authorities blocked their transit claiming the goods are being smuggled back into Pakistan after they arrive in Afghanistan. Yunus Mohmand, the acting head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce, said on November 16 that Pakistan's actions are unjust. Islamabad claims it is losing millions of dollars in tax revenue because of the illegal smuggling as the goods are sent to Kabul duty-free. Mohmand said that the imports contain electronics and perishable foodstuffs. He said Kabul is seeking to lessen the losses of Afghan importers. Pakistan's blockade of Afghan transit goods is one of several critical issues plaguing relations with neighboring Afghanistan. Since early October, more than , Afghan refugees have returned to their country after Islamabad announced a drive to deport more than 1. Afghans and ruling Taliban officials have accused Pakistani police and other law enforcement agencies of widespread abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, bribes, and harassment of Afghans across the country. Since the turn of the century, successive Afghan governments have sought to establish Chabahar as an alternative port to Karachi for their land-locked nation. Officials from Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on November 15 welcomed the resumption of FlyDubai flights to Kabul's international airport two years after stopping service following the collapse of the Western-backed government. All international airlines halted flights to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August as U. FlyDubai, the sister carrier of long-haul airline Emirates, now will make two flights a day to Kabul. Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan families have fled to neighboring Pakistan. Some escaped their homeland so that their daughters could continue their education, following the Taliban's ban on women attending university and teenage girls from going to school. Among them was Bibi Gul, who moved to Pakistan with her teenage daughter. A 10th grader, her daughter was seeking to graduate from high school.But both were recently deported by the Pakistani authorities. Last month, Pakistan ordered 1. The measure has spurred over , people to return to Afghanistan and has been followed up by police roundups and forced deportations. Afghan girls and women who return to their homeland face a grim future. The Taliban has severely curtailed female education and women's right to work. The extremist group has also imposed restrictions on women's appearances and freedom of movement. But there are few signs that the Taliban will reverse its restrictions on female education in Afghanistan, where rights groups have accused the hard-line group of trying to erase women from public life and imprison them in their homes. Afghan women and girls who still remain in Pakistan live in constant fear of being forcibly expelled to Afghanistan, where they say they have no future. Mina Aslami, an 11th grader, moved with her family to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, last year. She is intent on graduating from high school, although she fears her education will be cut short. Even going out alone is prohibited, and I won't be free.

Afghanistan Customs and Culture

Masumah Ahmadi studies biotechnology at a university in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore. The fourth-year student said she will "endure the same stress, anxiety, and despair as the girls living in Afghanistan are experiencing" if she is forced to return to her homeland. An estimated , Afghans, most of them undocumented, have sought refuge in Pakistan since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August They joined around 3 million Afghans who have moved to Pakistan over the past four decades of war, poverty, and political upheaval in Afghanistan. After initially targeting Afghans living "illegally" in Pakistan, Islamabad has said it will begin deporting the millions of Afghans living legally in the country. Human rights groups have urged Islamabad to halt its mass deportations, warning it will endanger Afghan refugees, particularly women and girls. Afghanistan is grappling with a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis as well as what rights groups have called a deepening "human rights crisis. Asia moved to Pakistan so that her children could have a better future. But they were recently deported, leaving her facing an uncertain future. The family of an Afghan migrant worker in Turkey has accused his employers of killing him and then burning his body to cover up their crime. She said she reported his disappearance to the police on November 10 and "around noon the next day, they informed me that they had found a body. Nourtani, 50, worked in an illegal coal mine in Zonguldak. He was the sole breadwinner for his family of five. According to reports in Turkish media, police have arrested six people in connection with his death, including the owners of the illegal mine where he worked. The suspects, the reports say, have confessed to his murder after he fell unconscious while working. The owners allegedly didn't take him to the hospital. Instead they killed him in an apparent bid to prevent their illegal mine from being discovered. Police have not commented officially on the case. He is not the first Afghan suspected of being killed in the country.

There have been several reports of Afghans who entered Turkey from Iran being shot dead. Turkey, like Iran and Pakistan, has begun to deport a large number of Afghans back to their country, with almost 4, leaving in recent weeks. Over the past month, some , Afghans have been repatriated from those two countries. Turkey hosts more than 3. Since the Taliban returned to power in August , it has seen an increasing number of Afghans arriving via Iran. Turkey has become the latest country to begin deporting a large number of Afghans back to their country with almost 4, leaving in recent weeks. The expulsions from Turkey come amid large-scale deportations of Afghans from neighboring Pakistan and Iran. Over the past month, an estimated , Afghans have been repatriated from those two countries. Ankara said over the weekend about 3, Afghans have been deported to Kabul through special flights. He had escaped to Turkey 18 months earlier fearing that the ruling hard-line Taliban would persecute him for his past work. Like hundreds of thousands of Afghans, Milad ended up in Turkey three years ago in a desperate attempt to escape poverty in his homeland. Some Afghans have sought shelter and work in Turkey, while others used it as part of an escape route into neighboring Greece and then on to other European Union countries. Last year, Turkey deported some 50, Afghans back to their country. As Afghans living illegally in Iran and Pakistan come under increased risk of deportation, soldiers who fought against the now-ruling Taliban fear a return to their homeland will mean certain death. Tens of thousands of former members of the Afghan National Security Forces -- which included the former government's army, special forces, national police, and intelligence service -- fled to neighboring countries as the Taliban seized power in August There they joined the millions of Afghans who have settled in Pakistan and Iran over the past four decades of war, poverty, and political upheaval in Afghanistan. In recent weeks, however, Pakistan has made good on its order for 1.

The Bride Price: The Afghan tradition of paying for wives

Iran, meanwhile, has been taking its own hard line against Afghans living illegally in the country. In recent weeks, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has twice stated that those who lack legal status will be sent back to Afghanistan. The threat affects around 4. There is no guarantee [of safety] from the Islamic Emirate [the Taliban government] for members of the military, and I'm very worried. While the Taliban offered a general amnesty to members of the Afghan military, police, and bureaucrats shortly after its return to power, international rights watchdogs and the United Nations have documented widespread cases of retribution -- including extrajudicial killings and torture -- against those who worked with the former Afghan government. In a report issued in August, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said the Taliban was responsible for at least extrajudicial killings, 14 enforced disappearances, over instances of torture and ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrests and detentions of former government officials and members of the armed forces from August 15, , to June By some accounts, some 30, Afghan soldiers fled to Iran to escape the risk of being hunted down by the Taliban. Fawad, a former Afghan soldier who now lives in Iran, left his homeland due to security concerns. Now he fears the prospect of facing that threat again. Fawad says he and other Afghan soldiers are worried about being deported, saying that "we face a serious threat in Afghanistan. Many former Afghan soldiers who remain in Afghanistan live in hiding, regularly moving from place to place, to avoid Taliban detection. Military officials from the ousted Afghan government have stressed the seriousness of the situation and have called on former allies and the UN to take steps to protect members of the former Afghan security forces. There is no news of their fate. Many ex-Afghan security personnel accuse Western countries of abandoning them after the Taliban takeover.Ahmadi said that the "United Nations and the United States and the United Kingdom, who worked with them in the fight against terrorism, should not be indifferent to the fate of [security force members'] families. Pakistan has opened three more border crossings to facilitate the flow of Afghan migrants being deported to Afghanistan. Pakistani media reports on November 13 said the three routes are in Saifullah Fort in Balochistan Province, Chagai district in Brabcheh, and the Noorhab area. More than , primarily undocumented Afghans have left Pakistan after Islamabad announced last month that more than 1. Pakistani police are arresting Afghan women and children in southern Sindh Province as part of a government crackdown on migrants, activists said on November More than , Afghans have left Pakistan in recent weeks as the government rounded up, arrested, and kicked out foreign nationals without papers. It set an October 31 deadline for migrants without legal status to leave the country voluntarily. The expulsions mostly affect Afghans, who make up the majority of foreigners living in Pakistan. Authorities maintain they are targeting all who are in the country illegally. Pakistan has announced the expansion of its ongoing drive to expel undocumented refugees, saying it will soon also begin deporting millions of Afghans living legally in the country back to Afghanistan. They are among the 4. However, the UN says some 3.

Afghan Wedding Customs

Achakzai did not give a date for when the new repatriations will begin but said the effort will start after Islamabad completes deporting undocumented Afghans. This is one of the first public announcements about extending Islamabad's expulsion policy to Afghan refugees legally living in the country. Earlier, Pakistani officials had insisted they were only seeking to expel Afghans and other foreigners living illegally in the country. The announcement follows the November 8 statement by Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar. Islamabad blames the TTP, which it says is sheltered by the Taliban, for rising terrorist attacks. WATCH: Thousands of Afghans forced to return to Afghanistan after a crackdown in neighboring Pakistan say they now face life in makeshift camps without proper sanitation or water. The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, however, has said the TTP is an internal security issue for Pakistan that it cannot resolve. The Afghan exodus from Pakistan continues at a steady pace. Taliban border officials say several hundred Afghan refugee families are still arriving daily. To subscribe, click here. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead. The Afghan Taliban and Pakistan have been engaged in an escalating war of words over Islamabad's mass expulsion of Afghan refugees. Last month, Islamabad ordered 1. Over , Afghans, many with only the clothes on their back, have returned to their homeland since then. Islamabad has accused the Taliban of sheltering the TTP, which is waging a deadly insurgency against Pakistan. Chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, meanwhile, said on November 8 that the group was not "responsible for maintaining peace in Pakistan. Last week, the Taliban's defense minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, warned Pakistan to "consider the consequences of its actions and sow as much as it can reap. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, told the BBC that Islamabad was using the mass deportations to pressure the group to formally recognize the border with Pakistan, which Afghanistan rejects. Why It's Important: The war of words has exposed the escalating tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, longtime allies that appear to have fallen out. The sides appear to be on a collision course, with little indication that they can smooth over their growing differences.There have been several rounds of deadly clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces in recent months, leading Islamabad to close the border. What's Next : Pakistan and the Taliban appear likely to remain on a path of confrontation. As their interests clash, Islamabad and the Taliban are likely to continue seeing each other as adversaries. Meanwhile, the continued mass expulsions of Afghans by Pakistan are likely to worsen the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the world's largest. On November 7, at least seven people were killed and 20 injured in a bomb attack on a bus in the predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood of Dasht-e Barchi in Kabul. This was the third IS-K attack on the Shi'ite community in recent weeks. On October 26, a bomb attack killed four people inside a sports club in Dasht-e Barchi. In the deadliest attack, at least 25 worshippers were killed when a bomb targeted a mosque in the northern city of Pul-e Khumri on October But the Shi'ite community has accused the Taliban of failing to prevent deadly attacks on Hazara. IS-K's new wave of attacks has also raised questions about the Taliban's claims that it has severely weakened the extremist group, which once controlled rural territory in eastern Afghanistan. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi. If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.