The Role of Tribalism

Islam birthed in tribalism. That is its fundamental characteristic. Ethnicity overlays tribalism as a secondary consideration. Nationalism is a newcomer to the layers of identity politics. In Afghanistan tribalism is the order of the day. To understand Afghans the first consideration is to think of Afghanistan as a place, not a people. The country is peopled by ethnic Tajiks, Uzbeks and Pashtuns, to name the major players only. These are ethnicities; the tribal fabric weaves through, providing the strong knots in the mosaic. This is where the real loyalties are: at the level of the tribe. Bear in mind that the major opposing force to the Taliban, who are ethnic Arabs and interlopers, is an alliance, the Northern Alliance. This does not bode well for future stability. History shows that unity occurs in Afghanistan only to evict an outside power. Post-eviction Afghanistan traditionally reverts to tribal bickering, the same tribal bickering from which Islam was born.

Tribalism of any kind must be subsumed into a greater order to generate the possibility of peace. Fifth-century (B.C.) Athens incorporated its tribes into a nascent democracy. Scottish clans had to be absorbed, or subdued, to forge the modern Scotland. In each case the tribal mystique developed after tribalism was submerged in a greater identity. The identity that Muslims fashion for themselves is an Islamic prerogative. That identity needs to be aware of the political failures familiar to Islamic nations. Stability and Islam are not well acquainted. If tribalism in Afghanistan can be subdued, energies may be directed to building up a mythology of the tribes that forged the Afghan identity. Besides, isn't identity through faith supposed to be about transcendence?

James Clark

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(c) 2001 Millennium Relief & Development Services, vol. 1 no. 3
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