Afghans in North America

Afghanistan consists primarily of four people groups: the Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, and Uzbek, with Dari and Pashto being the official languages spoken. Uzbek, Turkman, Urdu, Hazaragi, and other languages are the third official languages depending on the region of the country that people are from. The country is mountainous and has many natural resources. The largest export in recent years has been opium. Saffron, however, has begun to be produced in place of some of the opium poppies. The history of Afghanistan is replete with war and instability. As a result, many Afghans have fled their homeland in various waves over the last few decades, and this is the main reason they arrive in North America. There are also thousands of Afghans in the United States who have received Special Immigrant Visas due to their work on behalf of the U.S. Military.
Afghans may be found in Toronto, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, northern Virginia, and New York, with smaller populations in other cities. There are an estimated 400,000 Afghans in the North American diaspora, of which around 50% are Pashtun, 35% are Tajik, 10% are Hazara, and 5% are Uzbek (estimates from Afghan community leaders). They open restaurants and other businesses. Afghans in North America tend to live a middle-class lifestyle or higher as they adapt to life in North America. Some are involved in real estate and other such businesses. Young Afghans in North America are active in their community promoting Afghan music and culture. Due to the recent upheaval in the Afghan government, North America will likely see many new Afghan refugees.

Religious Life
Afghanistan is more than 99% Muslim. Most follow Sunni Islam, but some are Shia. Afghanistan once had a Jewish population, but that population almost wholly exists outside Afghanistan now, with many in New York City. Among the Hazara people group there are a small number of Christians, but they are still an unreached people group. There are also Hindu and Sikh populations among Afghans.
Under the influence of the Taliban (an ultra-conservative Islamic group), women in Afghanistan were required to wear a burqa which covers the entire face of the woman. Afghans living in North America vary in the strictness of their religious adherence. There are Taliban-supporting Afghans in North America, there are progressive Afghan Muslims, there are Afghan Muslims who identify with Islam only in a socio-cultural way, and everything in between!
There are a handful of Afghan Christian churches in North America, all of which are very small.
These are the Afghan communities in North America most in need of gospel witness
People Group | Metropolitan Area | Population Size | Concentrated Area | Priority Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Afghan | Washington D.C. | 33,236 | Springfield | 73 |
Afghan | Sacramento | 21,673 | Elk Grove | 69 |
Afghan | San Francisco | 32,142 | Fremont | 69 |
Afghan | Montreal | 10,805 | Saint-Martin (Laval) | 59 |
Afghan | San Diego | 7,189 | El Cajon | 58 |
Afghan | Los Angeles | 16,719 | Irvine | 57 |
Afghan | Toronto | 43,075 | Scarborough | 57 |
Afghan | Seattle | 6,994 | Kent | 54 |
Afghan | Vancouver | 7,980 | New Westminster | 51 |
Afghan | New York | 9,871 | Flushing (Queens) | 49 |
Afghan | Houston | 9,850 | Gulfton | 48 |