/pol/ - International /Pol/itics & /Bant/er

It is a well known fact that Afghanistan was majority Buddhist before its conquest by Muslim empires, and that during this Buddhist period, Afghanistan was a major hub of Buddhism, and was a beacon of civilization and culture.

But what if I were to tell you that Buddhists remain there?

It has been thought that the last records of Buddhists in the region were in the 1400s. Thoughever, I possess evidence, although most of it is not very solid, that Buddhism remains in Afghanistan secretly?

My first piece of evidence is the existence of Sanskrit names and last names in Afghanistan and Afghan-inhabited areas. For example, the last name "Mangala" comes from the Sanskrit word for "Auspicious".
My second piece of evidence, is that in Pakistan, in areas inhabited largely by ethnic Afghans, The Taliban will often kidnap individuals, and command them to destroy ancient Buddhist statues and ruins in exchange for their freedom, or for the freedom of a kidnapped relative.

Why would they need to do this if there are no Buddhists among them?

Third piece of evidence, is that the Buddhists of Afghanistan fought against Muslim invader for approximately 600 years before being entirely conquered.

When you fight for this long, your religion does not just disappear.

My fourth piece of evidence is the many non-Islamic customs of Afghans. The Honor Code, Wine production, and many other customs which go against the laws of Islam. Islamic dress is rare, especially for women. Many Afghan Restaurants outside of Afghanistan serve Wine.

My fifth form of evidence, is that among Afghans and other related peoples, the Sufi strain of Islam is common, which shares some similarities with Buddhism. It is reasonable to believe that many of these sufis are secret Buddhists.

Additional Evidence: Many place names of non-islamic origin have remained, According to a Monk that i know and trust, when some Buddhist Monks some years back went to Afghanistan and Norther Pakistan (mostly populated by Afghans) at almost every village they stopped at, the population were Buddhists, and the Elders of these villages were usually those in the community who had the most knowledge regarding Buddhism. He also alleged that some Buddhists in Afghanistan retained contact with major monasteries in Sri Lanka, even after Muslim conquest. Shah Babur of the Mughal Empire recorded putting down a rebellion of Pagans in the Bajaur region. A Buddhist online encyclopedia listed that there is an estimated 150,000 Buddhists remaining in Afghanistan. Various censuses from Afghan-majority areas in Pakistan report Buddhists on the census rolls throughout different points in time.

And second to last, I have seen online two Buddhist Afghans. One, I believe was a convert, the other, I do not know if he was a convert or not.

Lastly, There is the fact that hidden Buddhist Community in the Punjab and Sindh Provinces of Pakistan was discovered in the 1990s. Would it not be reasonable to speculate that similar communities may exist in Afghanistan?


If anyone else has further evidence for this, that would be greatly appreciated, I wish to obtain more concrete evidence than what i currently possess.

Repost because original got slid