Tajiks

The Tajiks are one of the principal ethnic groups of Central Asia, and are primarily found in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran, and the Xinjiang province of China.

Religion

The great majority of Tajiks follow the Sunni form of Islam, although small Ismaili and Jafari Shia minorities also exist in scattered pockets. In Afghanistan, Tajiks who follow Jafari Shiism are called Farsi or Farsiwan (Persians). The popular forms of Islam practiced by the Tajiks often bear the influence of Zoroastrianism and pre-Zoroastrian cults that were followed before the advent of Islam to Central Asia. Additionally, large Tajik-speaking Jewish communities have existed since ancient times in the cities of Samarqand and Bukhara, and in smaller numbers in Herat, Kabul, and other Tajik centers. Over the 20th century, the majority of these Tajik-speaking Jews emigrated to Israel and the United States, although many of these emigrants maintain ties with their homeland. Despite the advent of Christian missionaries to Central Asia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Tajik Christian population is virtually non-existent.

Related Topics:
Sunni - Islam - Ismaili - Jafari - Shia - Afghanistan - Farsiwan - Persians - Zoroastrianism - Jewish - Israel - Emigrant - Homeland - Christian missionaries - Soviet Union - Christian

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