SOCIAL

__**Pashtun and Hazara**__

The Pashtun and the Hazara are two different groups of people. The Pashtuns were of a higher class and the Hazaras are from wer working class. The Pashtuns are Muslim pople from Easter Iranian group. The Hazara are Shia Muslim people who reside mainly in cental Afghanistan, in a town called Hazarajat. Both the Hazara and the Pashtun are groups that separate the poor from the wealthy. Usually the Hazaras work for the Pashtun as servents in their house.

The Taliban is a group of Sunni Muslim people which has been alive since September 1994, and is still in movement. The Taliban rule the countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban ruler is Mullan Mohammed Omar and the previous ruler was Mullah Obaidullah Akhund. The Taliban group originally was a group against the Soviets who were planning to invade Afghanistan. The Taliban has a strict, old-school type of ideology. Many things which we would consider normal things, are banned by the Taliban, for example alcohol. When the rules were broken the "religious police" would beat the victims. nobody was allowed to question the Taliban authority, not even the Afghani reporters. Soccer used to be one of Afghanistan's social treasures, people could play a simple game without being persecuted for it.
 * __Taliban__**


 * __Soccer in Afghanistan__**

Soccer was viewed in Afghanistan as the national pastime. The country's national team effectively did not exist from 1984, at the height of the Soviet Union's military occupation through 2001 the year Taliban rule was defeated by the U.S. The Taliban disapproved fiercely of soccer, even though they never banned soccer outright the Taliban ensured that it was severely restricted. Public executions and punishments (such as floggings) became regular events at Afghan soccer stadiums. Players couldn't wear shorts they were forced to play in the tradtional shalwar kameez, and had to stop mid-game when the call to prayer went out. The Taliban also even prohibited fans from cheering loudly for their teams. Since 1992 the Afghan national team has lost all 10 games it has played and was ranked 196th out of 204 in the FIFA world rankings. Soccer has been re-introduced at many schools since the fall of the Taliban to U.S forces, it is once again normal to see kids and adults playing soccer in the streets or fields without being persecuted for it.