The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

community, and the sinfulness of secular principles of government that exist in other,mostly European countries.“The low education and cultural level of the population (more than ninety percent ofAfghan citizens are illiterate), limited communication between provincial residents and themore educated strata of society, and the fact that Islam has been the country’s officialreligion (while atheistic propaganda has been prohibited) since the emergence of theAfghan state, all contributed to widespread adoption of the Muslim faith and strengthenedthe influence of the clergy. Throughout centuries, Islamic beliefs closely intertwined withthe national traditions of the Afghan people and formed a sort of filter, which either allowsor denies the entrance of new ideas presented to Afghan society from outside.“More than ninety-eight percent of the Afghan population is Muslim. According toAfghan statistics, eighty percent are Sunni and eighteen are Shia. The Muslim clergy in thecountry consists of about 250,000 clerics. One of the most important features of the AfghanMuslim clergy is its multi-class structure. The Muslim clergy exists across all classes andsocial strata of Afghan culture, and is represented by people of those classes and socialgroups.“The clergy’s influence upon the national bourgeoisie is considerable. Many Afghanentrepreneurs emerged from this religious environment, or are religious extremiststhemselves—for example, such prominent traders as Hak-Murad and Kari Yaman, amongothers. Some clerics, who receive their initial profits from religious activities, invest theircapital in different business enterprises, which ties them closely to the Afghan and foreignbourgeoisie.“The so-called ‘official spiritual leaders,’ those who work for the state (members of404