Afghanistan Times
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Afghanistan, a landlocked country in the heart of Asia, has been witnessing several conflicts through the five thousand-year of its history. When Islam came to the country through the conquests of the Muslim Arabs, the country’s people welcomed it as a new religion. Afghans in fact, welcomed the two major sects of Islam (Shiite and Sunni) as a number of them chose Shiite while some others liked Sunni. More than 99 per cent of Afghans are Muslims (less than one per cent is our Hindu and Sikh country fellows).
The Shiite Afghans are mostly Twelvers, following the 12 persons who are descendants of Prophet Mohammad (SAWW), and the Sunnis are mainly called Hanafis, the followers of Noman bin Sabet Abu Hanifa.
These two sects have lived together under the same flag with no tensions, unlike other Islamic countries who witness deadly sectarian conflicts, despite scores of foreign conspiracies for their division. They have been good neighbors in the cities and rural areas, sharing sadness and happiness with each other.
A big foreign conspiracy was rejected by Afghans in the late 19th century, trying to divide the people. One century later, the foreign hands again tried to separate Afghans in the late 1990s by organizing the civil war. But the enemies of Afghanistan failed once again to rule the country by dividing people.
Now, our sworn enemies want to try their luck once again by committing bombings and suicide attacks against the people. The December 2011, was the first attack at the entrance of Abulfazl shrine on Ashura (10th of Moharram), killing tens and injuring scores of others. Kidnapping and killing of Hazara people on the highways is another example of the division plots.
Attack on the Sakhi shrine in Kabul and the Balkh district on Wednesday was the most recent plot of division. One thing that the enemies of Afghanistan are yet to know is that Afghans are inheriting the unity from their fathers and forefathers. They will never separate despite differences they have among themselves.
The Sunni Afghans raised their voice of support for their Shiite brothers and sisters, expressed hatred to the attackers and even donated blood to the injured persons.
As president Ashraf Ghani said in a statement: “followers of different sects lived peacefully in Afghanistan – an example of co-existence at the regional level”, the Afghans’ co-existence is unique in the region. This is what the enemies of Afghans do not want. They want to divide Afghans and rule their country and destiny.
