The Hazara speak Hazaragi, a mixed Persian-Mongol tongue, and are thought to be of mixed Turkic and Mongol descent.[1] 

Hazaras are Shia Muslims, and some have looked to Iran, where Shia Islam prevails, for support.[2]  For example, the Islamic Coalition Council of Afghanistan, or Hizb-i-Wahdat, an alliance formed in 1987 by Iranian fundamentalist parties that would go on to battle the Taliban, received considerable support from Iran.[3]

Although Hazaras may be considered Afghanistan’s only exclusive ethnic group, because of the years of conflict that have ravaged the country, many have become refugees in neighboring Iran and Pakistan.[4]

Demography

There are approximately 915,000 Afghan refugees in Iran, roughly half of whom are Hazaras.[5]  Between 2002 and 2007, 9 percent of the returning refugees to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan were Hazaras.[6]

Geographic Distribution

Hazaras live throughout Iran, although it is common to find them in urban centers.[7]  In 1986, Afghan refugees were concentrated in several refugee camps in eastern Iran, although approximately one-third of them were living in cities such as Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tehran.[8]

Historic Experiences

In the past, Hazaras in Afghanistan have received external support from Iran.[9]  When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Tehran provided support to resistance groups in the Afghanistan area of Hazarajat because it saw the invasion not only as a threat, but also as an opportunity to strengthen the position of the Shia Muslims in Afghanistan.[10]

During the Afghanistan-Soviet War, Iran accepted 2.9 million Afghan refugees.[11]

Although Iran has supported Hazara resistance groups in Afghanistan and accepted Hazara refugees, group members are still discriminated against.  Iranians’ treatment of Hazaras may be linked to their possible historic connection to Genghis Khan, who invaded and destroyed Persia.[12]  Although Hazaras and Iranians are of the same Islamic sect, differences in physical appearance – Mongol versus Aryan – have also led to discrimination.[13]

Ongoing Hardship

The Iranian government has been frustrated of late by the slow pace of refugee repatriation, and many refugees cite pressure from Tehran as the reason for returning to Afghanistan.  The Iranian government has exerted this pressure by prohibiting the employment of Afghan refugees – a policy that took effect in June 2001.[14]  Additionally, Amnesty International has documented cases of refugees being harassed by police in both Iran and Pakistan.  Moreover, authorities in these countries have denied refugees access to schools and closed many camps. [15]

Many returning refugees say that they were unable to collect their belongings and get their financial affairs in order while in Iran because of the abrupt nature of the deportation process.  This often left the deportees unable to afford transportation to their final destinations in Afghanistan.[16] 

While there has been no formal report from the government of Afghanistan to Iran concerning the treatment of deportees, officials state that there have been 130 cases of physical violence by Iranian forces reported in Nimruz Province.[17]

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