Pashtuns are the most numerous people on the planet that have preserved tribal relations. Pashtuns are devout Muslims. For them, the code of honor is extremely important, which they have observed since time immemorial.
Sons of Israel
Pashtuns (sometimes called Afghans) are an Iranian-speaking people that forms an almost continuous habitat, divided between two states - Afghanistan and Pakistan. The exact number of Pashtuns is difficult to calculate, since there has been no population census in Afghanistan since 1979. It is estimated at approximately 42 million.
According to legend, the Pashtuns descend from the first king of Israel, Saul. Legend has it that Saul's son Jeremiah had a son named Afghan, whose descendants, many centuries later, moved to the city of Jat in what is now Afghanistan.
Over time, Arabs appeared in these places. And then one day there was a meeting of the Arab military leader Khalid ibn al-Walid with the leader of the local tribes Kish, a descendant of Afgan. Kish liked the faith of the Arabs. He converted to Islam and took the Muslim name Abdul Ibn-Rashid, under which he later became famous as a commander and favorite of Magomed.
It is interesting that not only legends, but also many Arab chronicles tell about the resettlement of the descendants of Afgan, naming a specific place. Thus, "Mirat ul-Alam" ("Mirror of the World") tells about the wanderings of the Jews and mentions the cities where they arrived from the Holy Land: Ghor, Ghazni and Kabul.
For the first time in the 19th century, the captain of British intelligence, Alexander Burns, told the general public about the origin of Afghans from Jews. As a proof of this theory, he cited the ethnonym Pashtu (Pashtu), which, in his opinion, came from the Hebrew word Pasht (scattered). It is also curious that the name of the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, is consonant with the name of a village in Judean Samaria.
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People of honor
British officer Denzil Ibbetson wrote in 1881: “The true Pashtuns are probably the wildest tribes we have to deal with in the Punjab. They are supremely bloodthirsty, cruel and vindictive: they do not know what truth or faith is, so the expression "an Afghan has no conscience" has become a saying among his neighbors."
The mentality of Afghans has always been alien to Europeans, because this people lives not according to conscience, but according to honor. It was the Pashtun honor that became an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the British colonialists.
Pashtuns are among the most ardent followers of Islam. However, the norms and rules of conduct that were formed long before the adoption of Islam compel them to adhere to the traditional code of honor - Pashtunwali.
Pashtunwali (translated from Pashto - “the way of life of the Pashtuns”) can be described as a set of values and norms, customs and rituals that regulate, by virtue of their immutability, the behavior of members of Afghan society both in everyday life and in extreme situations.
Pashtunwali laws often contradict what is written in the Qur'an and hadith. For example, to prove the fact of adultery under Sharia law, the testimony of four witnesses is required. For the Pashtunwali, the usual rumors are enough, since the honor of the whole family is at stake in the event of treason.
Travelers who have observed the life of the Pashtuns said that they use half the Koran and half Pashtunwali as their guiding principles.
Pashtunwali is the essence of the Afghans' way of life, in which they differ from other peoples. Only one who, throughout his life, strictly adheres to the code of honor of the Pashtuns, can earn the respect of his fellow tribesmen.
What does it take to become a true Pashtun? Pashtunwali is based on six principles: gairat - self-esteem and national pride; nango-namus - honor, reputation, good name; imandari - piety, conscientiousness and decency; sabat and istikamat - perseverance and determination; musavat - equality; badal - compensation or revenge.
The first thing a Pashtun should start with is to learn how to independently manage their home, families, property, land, and livestock. This is the foundation of all existence. Failure to cope with elementary responsibilities for a Pashtun is tantamount to a loss of honor and dignity, and this is more than a shame.
Pashtun should strive for justice and willingness to defend his own honor to the end, as well as the honor of others: women, children, old people, sick and infirm. If he shows weakness, then he risks becoming an outcast. The Pashtunwali instruct the Afghan to be a tolerant and hospitable host - to provide shelter and protection to everyone, regardless of their faith and social status.
Tribal affairs
The most important element that holds the social organization of Afghans together is the jirga (council) - a body of tribal self-government and justice, created as necessary to resolve any important issue.
Pashtunwali is by no means a totalitarian system subject to legal norms. The authority to interpret the Pashtunwali and determine its application on a case-by-case basis rests with the tribal authorities. Elders, wise with life experience and endowed with organizational skills, act at jirgas as a kind of tribal judges who embody both judicial and legislative powers.
Jirgas differ in the level of problems discussed at them. Thus, the sabha-jirga deals with the discussion and solution of internal problems related to a particular village, for example, conciliatory settlement of quarrels, settlement of conflicts over the distribution of water, land or the use of communal lands. Jirga meetings are held publicly, with the participation of all comers, including women.
Samti-jirga is designed to solve external problems affecting the relations of the clan and tribe with neighbors or central authorities. Only tribal elders and influential clergy can participate in such a jirga. Jirga is a temporary body that stops functioning after it succeeds or fails to solve the stated problems.
At jirgas, everyone is free to express an opinion to the owl, however, it is strictly forbidden to speak obscenities, swear and insult anyone with a word or action. Curiously, Pashtuns do not vote with the traditional show of hands. A decision is considered adopted when no one objects to it.
But there is a category of Afghans that does not need consultative bodies. They decide everything from a position of strength. British journalist Ken Guest, a former sabotage soldier, described his 1989 meeting with a Pashtun, a member of an illegal gang. The bandit then clearly stated his position to Guest: "Everything that turns out to be in the territory under my control rightfully belongs to me."
“He won the argument thanks to his loud argument - the proximity of the barrel of his AK-47 assault rifle to my chest,” the journalist recalled. "As a result of this victory, the Pashtun took possession of those objects that, in his opinion, testified to the excessiveness of my wealth - my watch and my trousers!"
Variety of revenge
Badal (revenge) is the core of Pashtun customs. It most clearly manifested a typical feature of the Pashtuns - intolerance to insult. Badal orders to take revenge on the offender at any cost, thereby compensating for the damage caused to property or honor. Afghans value honor very much. “Better to lose your head and wealth than honor,” says an Afghan proverb.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and blood for blood" - this rule is strictly followed by the Pashtun. The custom of blood feud still engenders inter-tribal quarrels and sometimes armed clashes that involve entire areas. Often, a small quarrel, the reason for which may be, for example, a violation of the established sequence when watering fields turns into a bloody massacre with the use of daggers and guns.
Blood feud in the Pashtun tribes is selective. So, if the murder was committed by a fellow tribesman, then, as a rule, the "blood payment" does not apply to him. But if the killer belongs to another tribe, then the affected tribe by all available means seeks to restore its honor and dignity. The object of revenge often becomes not only the murderer, but the first tribesman of the offender who came to hand.
In some Pashtun tribes, the custom of badal can serve as a means of ending bloodshed and blood feud. Thus, the tribe of a person who has violated the law can give one or more brides to the relatives of the murdered person as compensation.
Another side of the badal custom is to reciprocate for the service rendered. For example, an invitation to visit must be answered in kind. Pashtuns know how not only to take revenge, but also to maintain good-neighborly relations.