![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shiawaves.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-21-202235.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis celebration contrasts with the Taliban’s continued exclusion of Hazara cultural events from official calendars. Historically, the Hazara \u2013 predominantly Shia Muslims in Sunni-majority Afghanistan \u2013 have endured systemic violence since the 19th-century massacres by Emir Abdul Rahman that killed over 60% of their population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The persecution has continued into modern times, with some prominent examples including: The 2021 Taliban offensive targeting Hazara districts in Daykundi and Ghazni; ISIS-K suicide attacks on Hazara schools and mosques (2022-2024); and forced displacement from ancestral lands in Uruzgan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UN reports document 18 verified attacks on Hazara communities in 2024 alone. Despite constituting 10-20% of Afghanistan’s population, Hazaras remain underrepresented in governance and face employment discrimination under Taliban rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Such cultural events are acts of resistance,” said Marzia, a Kabul attendee, noting youth reconnecting with heritage. The diaspora simultaneously hosted celebrations in Australia, Canada, and the EU, where Hazara asylum seekers comprise over 50% of Afghanistan’s refugee applications due to ongoing threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Human Rights Watch recently condemned the Taliban’s dismantling of Hazara memorials while permitting destruction of their historical sites \u2013 a pattern echoing pre-Taliban eras when Hazara cultural symbols were systematically erased.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kabul celebrated Hazara Culture Day on May 21 with a vibrant exhibition of traditional crafts, foods, and clothing, while human rights groups highlight ongoing threats to the ethnic minority that has faced centuries of targeted violence. The one-day cultural exhibition in Kabul featured over 40 booths, 80% managed by Hazara women, displaying intricate embroidery, regional …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":126442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,1],"tags":[14521,14523],"class_list":["post-126405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afghanistan","category-uncategorized","tag-hazara-culture-day","tag-persecution-of-shia-hazara"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shiawaves.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-21-202322.png\")
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