Non-Muslim communities’ identity and survival strategies at the frontiers of Empires

Keynote Lecture in the frame of the conference Beyond Borders: Colonial Encounters & Challenges of Religious Minorities between Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Iran (19th–Early 20th Centuries)

16.10.,17:30
Orient-Institut Istanbul

From the early eighteenth century to the early 20th century the Indo-Persian and Central Asian borderlands underwent a dramatic change with the reorientation of the political, cultural, and, in particularly Afghanistan, the ethnic balance of the region. This presentation will give an overview of the historic context of this realignment, arguing that none of the problems which arose can be ‘blamed’ solely on European Imperial policies.

It will then examine some of the challenges and survival strategies of what I will refer to as ‘non-Muslim communities’, with particular reference to Afghanistan’s Armenian community. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi makes the point that commercial activity in the trans-Asian trade was founded on a symbiotic relationship between Muslims and non-Muslim communities, in particular Hindus from Shikarpur (Hindkis), who where known as hamsaya (‘neighbours, literally ‘sharing the same shade’). It provided protection for non-Muslims and allowed a number of them to hold high office. Armenians and Georgians were valued military personnel, who also hosted European explorers and acted as translators for British expeditions.

One or two senior members of the Muhammadzai ruling elite even married Christian or Hindu women.

While non-Muslims lived under a degree of tension and faced social restrictions, state-sponsored persecution in Afghanistan was rare. Occasional acts of violence against non- Muslims were mostly initiated by non-state actors. However, on occasions wealthy Hindkis, as the primary source of loans and capital for commercial activity, were subject to periodical exactions during times of financial crisis or war. The involvement of Britian in Afghanistan’s affairs proved to be a two-edged sword. While Hindkis and Armenians profited financially from British occupation and hosting explorers, they were accused by some part of the population of divided loyalties. Yet in the last half of the nineteenth century the Armenians’ relationship with the Church Missionary Society was tolerated and some Muhammadzais sent their children to missionary schools. Others sought medical assistance from the CMS hospital in Peshawar. At least two Muslim converts to Christianity lived with the Armenians in Kabul’s Bala Hisar and did not suffer reprisal. Though the Armenians were eventually exiled my Amir ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan, this was not for religious reasons but due mainly to court intrigues and accusations of malfeasance.

Non-Muslims in Afghanistan always lived in an atmosphere of tension, but the presentation seeks to rebalance discourses which tends to portray non-Muslims as living in a culture of perpetual fear. It also points out the significant contribution these communities, particularly Armenian Christians, played in the evolution of modern Afghanistan.

Jonathan L. Lee is a British-born independent scholar who has conducted studies and carried out fieldwork in Afghanistan, Central Asia and northern Pakistan since 1972. His research covers social, dynastic, and political history; archaeological reconnaissance; and the study of religious and ethnic minorities. He also has an interest in cross-cultural encounters, Middle Eastern history, and contextual Biblical studies. He is the author of several influential works, including Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present Day (Reaktion Books, revised edition 2022), which provides an authoritative survey of the country’s political and cultural past, and The Ancient Supremacy: Bukhara, Afghanistan and the Battle for Balkh, 1731–1901 (Brill, 1996), a pioneering study of regional power struggles in Central Asia. His current project, forthcoming with Edinburgh University Press, explores the history of Afghanistan’s historic Armenian community. Dr Lee is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and the British Institute of Persian Studies. Now semi-retired, he resides in New Zealand, where he continues to research and write.

The conference is organized in cooperation with the Institute of Iranian Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
It is part of the joint research project “The Jewish Triangle: Connections and Disruptions in Persianate Jewish Life during the 19th and 20th Centuries” and is funded by the FWF, GAČR, and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ankara.

The language of the event is English. Participation is free of charge.
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VENUE
Orient-Institut Istanbul
Galip Dede Cad. 65, Şahkulu Mah., TR – 34421 Istanbul
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