Anti-Afghan sentiment

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{{See also|Afghan cameleers in Australia}}

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Prejudice towards Afghan people in Australia was first known to be recorded in the 1800s when Afghan migrants first arrived as camel riders in Australia.Kabir, Nahid Afrose. "The culture of mobile lifestyle: Reflection on the past–the Afghan camel drivers, 1860–1930." Continuum 23.6 (2009): 791-802.Stubbs, Ben. "Islam in the outback: The legacy of the Afghan cameleers." Griffith REVIEW 61 (2018): 257-265.Kabir, Nahid. "Muslims in Western Australia 1870-1970." Early Days: Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society 12.5 (2005): 550-565.Kabir, Nahid A. "The Economic Plight of the Afghans in Australia, 1860—2000." Islamic studies 44.2 (2005): 229-250. An anti-Afghan league was even formed in 1886.Ganter, Regina. "Muslim Australians: The deep histories of contact." Journal of Australian Studies 32.4 (2008): 481-492.Molloy, Jan. "Teaching and learning history in the twenty-first century: Museums and the national curriculum." Agora 45.2 (2010): 62-67.

{{See also|Drowning of Afghan refugees in the Hari River}}

Afghan refugees and migrants have lived for decades in Iran. However, the crimes associated with Afghans have led to an increase in anti-Afghan sentiment amongst local Iranian citizens and authorities alike.Yarbakhsh, Elisabeth. "Iranian hospitality and Afghan refugees in the city of Shiraz." Anthropology of the Middle East 10.2 (2015): 101-118.Naqvi, Syed Fraz Hussain, and Ammara Zaheer. "Iran’s Policy towards Taliban 2.0: A Circumspect Approach for Maximum Gain." Focus (2023).

{{Further|Afghanistan–Pakistan relations|Durand Line|Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes|Afghans in Pakistan}}

{{See also|Deportation of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan}}

Anti-Afghan sentiment has been reported amongst locals in Pakistan, including public demonstrations with anti-Afghan slogans, resulting from the crime associated with Afghan residents in Pakistan.Rogers, Tom. "Afghan refugees and the stability of Pakistan." Survival 29.5 (1987): 416-429. The past few decades have only seen a rise in this sentiment from Pakistanis.Downman, Scott, et al. "Human Rights Reporting, War Crimes and Refugee Migration." Journalism for Social Change in Asia: Reporting Human Rights (2017): 119-141.Jehangir, Ayesha. "Finding Peace Journalism: An analysis of media discourse on Afghan refugees and their forced repatriation from Pakistan." (2021).

American scholars, Gortenstien and Vessafi argued in their paper that Afghan enmity towards Pakistan goes back to the country's independence in 1947 which was met by repeated hostility from the Afghan side, including cross border attacks and attempting to fuel internal strife in Pakistan. This included supporting and encouraging anti-state elements within Pakistan's borders. After a period of approximately thirty years of Afghan hostility, the Pakistani intelligence under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's authorization began supporting violent Islamist uprisings in Afghanistan in retaliation to three decades of Afghan interference in Pakistan. The Islamist Jihadists groups appeared prior to Pakistan's support and were devoted to destroying communist rule in Afghanistan. These jihadist uprisings, later backed by Pakistan and even later by America and it's allies, resulted in a full-scale civil war erupting in Afghanistan. This all stems from Afghanistan's refusal to accept the Durrand Line.Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed, and Tara Vassefi. "The forgotten history of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations." Yale J. Int'l Aff. 7 (2012): 38.

In 2011 in the Pakistani province of KhyberPakhtunkhwa (KP), a local Pashtun father led a demonstration against Afghan residents, alleging they had attacked his sons with steel rods, and later even stalked them to hospital where they went to be treated for injuries. Reacting to one of such incidents, local KP resident, Muhammed Akber, stated "We are Pashtun, but we are Pakistani, not Afghan. The Afghans should go back!"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/spotlight-on-afghan-refugees-in-pakistan/2011/11/15/gIQAfB1BYN_story.html

By late 2023, the Pakistani government began a massive campaign to deport Afghans living in the country; especially the ones with no legal status. The Pakistani government claimed they pose a security threat to the country, alleging them to be the cause of several major terror attacks and narcotics traffickinghttps://www.dawn.com/news/1905879/fleeing-pakistan-afghans-rebuild-from-nothing as well as are a burden on the country's diminishing resources.{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-refugees-deportation-9928247ac8cbfe9efe33e60564937121 | title=Millions of Afghans made Pakistan home to escape war. Now many are hiding to escape deportation | website=Associated Press News | date=29 April 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/6/why-is-pakistan-deporting-undocumented-afghans | title=Why is Pakistan planning to deport undocumented Afghans? }}{{cite web | url=https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/why-pakistan-deporting-afghan-migrants | title=Why Pakistan is Deporting Afghan Migrants | Council on Foreign Relations }}

In 2024, a mob of Afghans attacked the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt, Germany. They entered the consulate's premise and hurled stones at the building and took down the Pakistani flag, attempting to burn it. The incident drew strong condemnation from the Pakistani government, including blaming German authorities to prevent these acts from happening and reminding the German government that the Vienna conventions of 1963 required the host country to ensure the security of a foreign diplomatic mission. Meanwhile also in reaction to the Frankfurt consulate attack, Pakistani defense minister Khaja Asif questioned why Afghans should be allowed to live in Pakistan.{{cite web | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1847074 | title=FO condemns attack on Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt by 'gang of extremists' | date=21 July 2024 }}

He pointed to various incidents of Afghans abusing Pakistan and challenging it's sovereignty. He stated "there's a limit to our hospitality" and that Afghans are "thankless people."{{cite web | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1847074 | title=FO condemns attack on Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt by 'gang of extremists' | date=21 July 2024 }}

Pakistani columnist Dr Shazia Answer Cheema has advocated the mass deportations of Afghans from Pakistan starting in 2023. She also cited the trend of Afghans traveling abroad on Pakistani documents (usually forged) and committing crimes which she argued poses a threat to overseas Pakistanis as it would further damage their reputation in the host countries. She argues this has been ignored for decades by Pakistani institutions because of the "Ummah" or "Islamic brotherhood" mentality that is commonly ingrained into Pakistani society, which has allowed Pakistan and it's people to be exploited in such a manner.{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2445292/fake-pakistani-passports-and-implications-for-national-security|title=Fake Pakistani passports and implications for national security|work=Dr Shazia Anwer Cheema|date=8 November 2023 |publisher=Express Tribune}}

The presence of Afghan refugees in Tajikistan incited prejudice amongst local Tajiks, also making it hard for Afghan traders to do business there.Werbner, Pnina. "Trading Worlds: Afghan Merchants Across Modern Frontiers By Magnus Marsden." (2018): 123-124.

{{See also|Turkish migrant crisis}}

Turkey is currently claimed to be hosting the largest refugee population in the world. With the increase of Afghan refugees and crimes associated with them, public sentiment in Turkey quickly began to turn against Afghans.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2021/07/29/xenophobia-rising-as-thousands-of-afghan-refugees-reach-turkey/|title=Afghans fleeing the Taliban face renewed anti-migrant sentiment in Turkey|first=Andrew|last=Wilks|date=July 29, 2021|website=The National}} The result was a further stepping effort by Turkey's government to further secure its border with Iran to stop a further influx of Afghans.

However, with the increase in crime and social disruption, anti-Afghan sentiment continued to rise in Turkey.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/aug/05/fleeing-the-taliban-afghans-met-with-rising-anti-refugee-hostility-in-turkey|title=Fleeing the Taliban: Afghans met with rising anti-refugee hostility in Turkey|first=Liz|last=Cookman|date=August 5, 2021|newspaper=The Guardian}} Social media in Turkey has seen an increase in hate speech against Afghans, even before more refugees arrived.{{Cite web|url=https://turkishminute.com/2021/07/23/hatespeechagainst-refugees-increases-on-turkish-social-media-as-a-new-wave-of-afghan-migrants-arrive/|title=Hate speech against refugees increases on Turkish social media as a new wave of Afghan migrants arrive|first=Turkish|last=Minute|date=July 23, 2021}}

A video surfaced online showing Turkish ultra-nationalists beating an Afghan man and was circulated on social media.{{Cite web |title=Turkish far-right group beat Afghan man and shared video on social media – Turkish Minute |date=30 December 2021 |url=https://turkishminute.com/2021/12/30/rkish-far-right-group-beat-afghan-man-and-shared-video-on-social-media/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |language=en-US}}

{{See also|Immigration to South Korea}}

The immigration of over 300 Afghan evacuees because of the end of the Afghan evacuation in 2021, resulted in a petition and protests from local Koreans to prevent the Afghans from coming. Parents of local school children expressed concerns of the presence of Afghan refugees in a building near their children's schools, citing child safety issues. Parents also cited issues of cultural shocks between Afghan refugee children and their own local children. A senior Korean humanitarian worker warned against the generalizations of immigrants and crime and argued parents should learn about other cultures rather than hold onto xenophobic beliefs.{{cite web | url=https://www.koreaherald.com/article/2799708 | title='Afghan students not welcome here' | date=24 February 2022 }}

{{See also|European refugee crisis}}

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The issue of crime involving Afghan refugees and immigrants has stoked anti-Afghan public sentiment amongst locals across Europe. The worsening situation involving Afghan migrants and refugees in Europe resulted in politicians openly stating that Afghans will no longer be welcomed in their individual countries.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/world/europe/afghanistan-refugees-europe-migration-asylum.html|title=Why Europe's Leaders Say They Won't Welcome More Afghan Refugees|first1=Katrin|last1=Bennhold|first2=Steven|last2=Erlanger|work=The New York Times |date=August 18, 2021|via=NYTimes.com}} Another Afghan refugee was quoted stating the sentiment against Afghans was so bad that they were better off going back to Afghanistan rather than "facing humiliation" in Europe.{{Cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/afghanistan-europe-refugees-one-year-anniversary-taliban/|title='The greener side of the same hell': Afghans on a year in EU|website=openDemocracy}}

{{See also|Crime in Austria}}

The Austrian press reported the influx of Afghan refugees. At the time of arrival of Afghan refugees and migrants, the local authorities and citizens welcomed them. But soon after overstaying their welcome by increasing the crime problems in the country, public sentiment towards Afghans began to deteriorate badly and stir up anti-Afghan prejudice. An American social worker alleged that Afghans exceed other migrants/refugees by crime in Europe.{{Cite web|url=https://nationalinterest.org/feature/ive-worked-refugees-decades-europes-afghan-crime-wave-mind-21506|title=I've Worked with Refugees for Decades. Europe's Afghan Crime Wave Is Mind-Boggling.|first=Cheryl|last=Benard|date=July 11, 2017|website=The National Interest}} Some Afghan refugees accused of sex crimes against minors had previous deportation orders issued against them because of these unlawful acts.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-01 |title=Rape, killing of 13-year-old shocks Austria, 3 Afghans held |url=https://apnews.com/article/europe-austria-migration-government-and-politics-8194249c84d0c7413ee94b23c09bb111 |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}

{{See also|Afghans in Finland|Sexual violence in Finland|Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal}}

A number of sexual crimes committed by Afghan migrants/refugees in Finland has been reported, stirring racist reactions amongst many locals. One of these cases involved the rape of a local fourteen year old girl in the town of Kempele by an Afghan national. The reported incident sparked public outcry against refugees and even sparked riots, with human shields of local Finnish citizens blocking the borders to prevent refugees from entering. Some Finnish parliament members even called on refugees not to come to the country.{{cite web | url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/13631-reports-of-suspected-rape-stir-up-fear-and-resentment-in-kempele.html?ref=hs-art-artikkelinavi | title=Reports of suspected rape stir up fear and resentment in Kempele | date=25 November 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://yle.fi/a/3-8478859 | title=PM Sipilä calls crisis meeting over Kempele rape case | date=24 November 2015 }}

A 2018 research report argued that ever since the incidents in Kempele, a surge in affiliating rape crimes with refugees has become a new trend based on stereotypical prejudices.Saresma, Tuija. "Politics of fear and racialized rape: Intersectional reading of the Kempele rape case." Racialization, racism, and anti-racism in the Nordic countries. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 63-91.

{{See also|Crime in Germany|Immigration and crime in Germany}}

A 23 year old Afghan migrant in Germany was arrested for raping an eleven year old girl. About twelve days after being released from prison, he raped a thirteen year old. He was re-arrested shortly. His previous release and actions triggered public outcry. German politicians called for any migrant or refugee convicted of such offenses to be deported back to their country. The acting vice chancellor urged German people not to scapegoat migrants and warned right-wing groups not to exploit the incidents for propaganda purposes.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38211944 | title=Freiburg murder: Germans urged not to scapegoat migrants | work=BBC News | date=5 December 2016 }}https://nationalpost.com/news/world/afghan-migrants-arrest-in-murder-rape-case-must-not-lead-to-rabble-rousing-german-politician-says

{{See also|2020 Greek–Turkish border crisis}}

The rise of crime affiliated with Afghan refugees in Greece has amplified anti-Afghan sentiments in the country. Several incidents involving hate attacks on Afghan residents in Greece have been reported.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2012/07/10/hate-streets/xenophobic-violence-greece|title=Hate on the Streets|first=Judith|last=Sunderland|date=July 10, 2012|journal=Human Rights Watch}} In one example an Afghan refugee family were beaten in Greece and set adrift into the sea.{{Cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/migration/151044|title=Afghan asylum family beaten in Greece, set adrift at sea|date=February 25, 2021|website=EUobserver}}

Italy has grown more and more resistant towards Afghan refugees; especially following public sentiment against the Roma people which was amplified by the European refugee crisis. The recent increase of Afghan refugees has strengthened right-wing sentiments in the country against accepting them. There has been a common sentiment in the country with affiliating refugees with crime.{{Cite web |last=Fernández |first=Belén |title=Afghans are the next victims of Italy's war on refugees |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/10/12/afghans-are-the-next-victims-of-italys-war-on-refugees |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}

{{See also|Deportation of Afghan immigrants from the United States}}

Following the 9/11 incidents in 2001, a wave of violent anti-Muslim attacks and other sentiments were directed at Muslim residents. Amongst the slogans were hate speech directed towards Afghans.Perry, Barbara. "Anti-Muslim retaliatory violence following the 9/11 terrorist attacks." Hate and Bias Crime. Routledge, 2012. 201-220.Muñoz, Arturo G. "Bent by history in Afghanistan." The Global Obama. Routledge, 2013. 235-252.

Separately, anti-Afghan opinions also arose in the US for the country's involvement in the global drug trade.Collins, John, and Ian Tennant. "Evaluating Afghanistan’s Past, Present, and Future Engagement with Multilateral Drug Control." (2022).

More recently, following the 2020–2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, American politician Scott Perry, argued against allowing in Afghan refugees without proper investigation; claiming it could lead to a crime hike, including rape crimes against underage minors. He was amongst 16 other American politicians voting against allowing Afghan refugees in without having proper background checks done. His comments drew some criticism. Former president Donald Trump made similar concerns, claiming terrorists could be airlifted out of Afghanistan.{{cite web | url=https://www.insider.com/gop-rep-worried-afghan-refugees-little-girls-raped-killed-2021-9 | title=A GOP rep. Claimed that allowing 'poorly-vetted' Afghan refugees to come to the US could lead to 'little girls raped and killed in the streets' | website=Insider.com }}

{{See also|Culture of Afghanistan}}

Bacha Bazi, a practice sometimes found in Afghanistan, has been gaining critical attention over the decades by foreigners.Verma, Sreyasi. "Why the issue of Bacha Bazi deserves international attention." (2019).Schut, Michelle, and Eva van Baarle. "3 Dancing Boys and the Moral."

{{Main|Anti-Hazara sentiment|Anti-Pashtun sentiment|Anti-Tajik sentiment}}

{{See also|Hazara genocide (19th century)|List of massacres against Hazaras}}

Sentiments against specific Afghan ethnic groups, including towards one another along ethnic lines is also widely documented.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

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The term "namak haram" (horrid traitor) has become popular amongst Pakistani people over the decades due to Afghans abusing them on the Internet and in foreign countries. This comes in light according to Pakistanis because of hosting millions of Afghan refugees and problems associated with them.Hajizada, Ajmal. "Profiling of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: a qualitative study conducted in Refugee Camps in Pakistan." Journal of Politics and International Studies 10.1 (2024): 79-90.

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The English phrase "Go Afghani go!" has been coined and popularized by Pakistanis and flooded on social media, calling for the mass expulsion of Afghan people from Pakistan. This phrase goes back over ten years following the 2014 Peshawar school attack by Afghan terrorists.{{cite web | url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/4259983/social-media-swarmed-by-go-afghani-go-slogan-201412261256239 | title=Social media swarmed by 'Go Afghani Go' slogan | date=26 December 2014 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.nation.com.pk/25-Dec-2014/go-afghani-go-messages-shared-by-massive-people-on-socials-media | title=Go Afghani Go messages shared on social media | date=25 December 2014 }}

In the Pakistani city of Khairpur the "Go Afghani go" slogan was widespread, calling for the removal of Afghans from the city. Protesters threatened to keep up their campaign until the Pakistani government agreed to heed to their demands and deport Afghan residents.{{cite web | url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1147922/extreme-measures-go-afghani-go-campaign-launched-haripur | title=Extreme measures: 'Go Afghani Go' campaign launched in Haripur | date=23 July 2016 }}

A song of the same title was developed but in the Sindhi language.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite web|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-anti-afghan-sentiment-rise|title=Iran: Anti-Afghan sentiment is on the rise|publisher=Middle East Eye}}
• {{cite web|url=https://asiatimes.com/2022/04/anti-afghan-sentiment-undercuts-iran-taliban-ties/|title=Anti-Afghan sentiment undercuts Iran-Taliban ties|work=Kourosh Ziabari|date=29 April 2022 |publisher=Asia Times}}

• {{cite web|publisher=The UN Refugee Agency|title=Anti-Afghan rioting in Iran|url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/anti-afghan-rioting-iran|work=Ray Wilkinson}}

{{Discrimination}}

Afghanistan

Category:Foreign relations of Afghanistan

Afghan

Category:Afghan people