Are you Pukhtun first or muslim?
I have been asked this question many times in my school days. At the time, born and raised in Isb/Rwp, I did not have much knowledge about my ethnicity. Yet, I was following the strict Pukhtun code of conduct without realising it. By two definitions I am a Pukhtun. Among historians, anthropologists, and the Pukhtun themselves, there is controversy as to exactly who is a Pukhtun. Orthodox pukhtun's does not accept the word Pathan to be associated with them. The fact is that every pathan is not a pukhtun. The definition of a pathan is pretty straight forward, and it includes everyone from the surrounding "greater Afghanistan". Uzbek, Tajik, Baloch, Hazaraa's, Turkmen who setteled in that area are also Pathans, but not Pukhtuns.
By one definition, A person is Pukhtun if his/her father was.
By other, A person is a Pukhtun if he/she follow the code of Pukhtunwali.
Pukhtunwali is said to be pre islamic code of honor that is still in practice proudly. Yet with the time Pukhtunwali has casted its code with the islamic code but it is by no means Islamic sharia.
Few of the main concepts of Pukhtunwali are:
melmastia (hospitality) - to show hospitality to all visitors, regardless of whom they are, their ethnic, religious, or national background, without hope of remuneration or favor.
badal (justice or revenge) - to seek justice over time or over space to avenge a wrong. This applies to injustices committed yesterday or 1000 years ago if the wrongdoer still exists.
nanawatay (settlement) - derived from the verb meaning to go in, this is used when the vanquished party is prepared to go in to the house or hujra of the victors and ask forgiveness.
nang (honour) - the various points below that a tribesman must observe to ensure his honour, and that of his family, is upheld.
jirga - an assembly of tribal elders called for various purposes whether waging war or composing peace, tribal or inter-tribal.
hamsaya - A group who attaches themselves to a Pashtun group, usually for protection. The Pashtun protector group is called a naik. Any attack on a hamsaya is considered an attack on the protector. The recent example is, Talibans(Pukhtun) provided protection to Al-Qaeda. It is also sometimes binded with melmastia.
rogha - settlement of a dispute between warring factions.
hujra - a common sitting or sleeping place for males in the village. Visitors and unmarried young men sleep in the hujra.
It is because of Pukhtunwali, Yousafzai's and Khattaks are living peacefully after Yousafzai's gave assylum and shelter to Khushal Khan Khatak when mughal's turned against him.
Indeed Pukhtunwali is very infelxibal, yet it by no means conflict with Islam and all the issues have been carried out smoothly till now. Pukhtunwali has casted it self so perfectly that history has never shown any dispute in the teachings of pukhtunwali and Islam. It maybe because of the fact that 100% pukhtuns are muslims, and any pukhtun rejecting faith in Islam is not considered as Pukhtun. But it is the flexibility of Islam that provide each and every person the way of living life.
This is why when Khan Wali Khan was asked if he considered himself a Pakistani Muslim first or a Pukhtun, by stating that: "I have been a Pukhtun for six thousand years, a Muslim for thirteen hundred years, and a Pakistani for twenty-five."
By one definition, A person is Pukhtun if his/her father was.
By other, A person is a Pukhtun if he/she follow the code of Pukhtunwali.
Pukhtunwali is said to be pre islamic code of honor that is still in practice proudly. Yet with the time Pukhtunwali has casted its code with the islamic code but it is by no means Islamic sharia.
Few of the main concepts of Pukhtunwali are:
melmastia (hospitality) - to show hospitality to all visitors, regardless of whom they are, their ethnic, religious, or national background, without hope of remuneration or favor.
badal (justice or revenge) - to seek justice over time or over space to avenge a wrong. This applies to injustices committed yesterday or 1000 years ago if the wrongdoer still exists.
nanawatay (settlement) - derived from the verb meaning to go in, this is used when the vanquished party is prepared to go in to the house or hujra of the victors and ask forgiveness.
nang (honour) - the various points below that a tribesman must observe to ensure his honour, and that of his family, is upheld.
jirga - an assembly of tribal elders called for various purposes whether waging war or composing peace, tribal or inter-tribal.
hamsaya - A group who attaches themselves to a Pashtun group, usually for protection. The Pashtun protector group is called a naik. Any attack on a hamsaya is considered an attack on the protector. The recent example is, Talibans(Pukhtun) provided protection to Al-Qaeda. It is also sometimes binded with melmastia.
rogha - settlement of a dispute between warring factions.
hujra - a common sitting or sleeping place for males in the village. Visitors and unmarried young men sleep in the hujra.
It is because of Pukhtunwali, Yousafzai's and Khattaks are living peacefully after Yousafzai's gave assylum and shelter to Khushal Khan Khatak when mughal's turned against him.
Indeed Pukhtunwali is very infelxibal, yet it by no means conflict with Islam and all the issues have been carried out smoothly till now. Pukhtunwali has casted it self so perfectly that history has never shown any dispute in the teachings of pukhtunwali and Islam. It maybe because of the fact that 100% pukhtuns are muslims, and any pukhtun rejecting faith in Islam is not considered as Pukhtun. But it is the flexibility of Islam that provide each and every person the way of living life.
This is why when Khan Wali Khan was asked if he considered himself a Pakistani Muslim first or a Pukhtun, by stating that: "I have been a Pukhtun for six thousand years, a Muslim for thirteen hundred years, and a Pakistani for twenty-five."
posted by S. Jabbar at 11:01 AM
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