No Relief for
Kalash in Pakistan’s Valley of Infidels
By: Ayaz Gul
ISLAMABAD —
Years
of economic pressures and alleged forced conversions to Islam continue to pose
a threat to Pakistan’s tiny Kalash minority, the only pagans in the Islamic
republic.
Once a
large community that for many centuries ruled the scenic northern Pakistani district
of Chitral and adjoining border areas of Afghanistan, the Kalash minority tribe
has shrunk to around 4,000 people. They speak the Kalasha language and are now
confined to three small valleys (Rumbur, Brumbret and Birir), high up in the
Hindu Kush mountains.
Critics
say successive Pakistani governments have done little to address the extinction
threat to the Kalash and have failed to develop their poverty-stricken area to
make it accessible for tourism to boost local economy.
Bleak future, festivals still popular
But
despite the challenges, celebration mood and excitement remains undeterred at
annual Kalash festivals where men and women, wearing traditional colorful
dresses, dance and sing to entertain tourists.
Kalasha
women mingle easily with male members of the society and are free to move on to
new partners should the new lovers, under local customs, be willing to pay the
price.
Such an
act is condemned as against family honor in many other parts of Pakistan, where
families adhere to a strict religious and cultural code.
A
community member, Mohammad Ali, says tourism is now the only source of income
for the cash-strapped Kalash families. He cites repeated natural disasters in
recent years such as rain-triggered floods and earthquakes that have immensely
damaged the centuries old traditional livelihood of livestock and agriculture
farming.
“There
are no other sources of earning for us but tourism. A large number of our young
people are jobless and annually some of them also convert to the Muslim faith [in
exchange for jobs],” he said.
Ali
complained that absence of a proper road to link the valleys to the rest of the
country has over the years discouraged local and foreign tourists to show up in
large numbers at their annual festivals. It also makes at extremely difficult
for the community to transport patients to hospitals in Chitral for treatment
in emergency, he says.
Government says little they can do
Pakistani
officials acknowledge the “sorry and sad” situation facing the Kalash and also
admit nothing is being done to reverse it.
“A lot
of people are leaving their culture and their religion because of a lot of
immense social pressure and there are forced conversions,” warns Fouzia Saeed,
head of the national institute called Lok Virsa, which focuses on promoting and
raising awareness about traditional Pakistani cultures.
Activists
and researchers note the Kalash settlements are being rapidly encircled by the
growing Muslim population because over the years the improvised pagan community
has lost control of large parts of their lands to Muslims through sale or
mortgage in exchange for paltry loans.
One God
Community
leaders dismiss as “incorrect” many writings on the Kalash culture that suggest
the tribe believes in twelve gods and goddesses.
They
say the tribe believes in “a single, creative God” and is referred to as
Dezauc. But the Kalash does not believe in divine books and messengers. That
belief makes them “kafirs” or infidels in the eyes of Muslim communities, say
critics, which has triggered the race for converting them to Islam.
Rich
Muslim neighbors also keep up the social pressure by offering incentives such
as good jobs and better marriage prospects for Kalash girls to encourage
conversions, says Saeed.
“I
think that this whole focus of a lot of religious groups hovering around them,
this whole trend should have been stopped. There should have been a national
level responsibility. It is not just the government I think that the whole
society does not realize that these are our treasures,” she lamented.
Pakistan
has seen a rise in Islamist militancy in recent years and extremist attacks
have frequently hit parts of the country. Analysts and even officials admit
fears of an Islamist backlash and losing support of religious parties in
elections play a role in discouraging political leaders from publicly
condemning and speaking against the conversion campaign.
Origin still a mystery
The
mystery about the history and origin of the Kalash people, or Kalashas, remains
unresolved. While some historians say they are indigenous people, others point
to the fair skin, light eyes and brown hair of the Kalash, saying the tribe
might have descended from the armies of Alexander the Great, which conquered
this area in the fourth century B.C.
The
belief in purity and impurity is deeply rooted in the Kalash society. Women are
considered “impure” during their menstrual cycle and childbirth, and are not
allowed to touch anyone. They are forced to spend their days in an isolated
building called Bashali, which is off limits to men, and family members deliver
food at the doorstep
There
are no routine daily prayers, like the Muslim communities in the valleys. The
Kalash do pray whenever they initiate any activities like harvesting, plowing,
construction and whenever the favor and honor of Dezau is needed,
The
Kalash tribe welcomes local and foreign tourists to their four main seasonal
festivals that some observers say mirror the old pagan festivals of Europe. The
celebrations involve rituals and sacrifices, dances, songs, feasts and alcohol,
which the Kalash brew themselves.
The
Kalash break all ties to those who convert to Islam and do not accept them back
in the society, nor do they resort to violent means to discourage conversions.
Although, abandoning Islam in favor of another religion elsewhere in Pakistan
could trigger a fatal mob attack.
Activists
also complain the rate of conversions is increasing by the year because in the
absence of a curriculum for the minority community in government schools,
Kalasha students are forced to opt for Islamic studies.
Critics
believe urgent legal and administrative actions are required to effectively
document and preserve the Kalash culture and bring investment to the area to
improve lives of the pagans and protect them against forced conversions.
Provincial authorities say
they plan to convene a donors conference on development projects and
persevering the Kalash. The regional government says it will require huge funds
because officials are unable to allocate public money with their limited
budget.
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