Culture

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Permalink Reply by Karen Butterworth on January 14, 2009 at 7:19pm

Can someone tell me a little bit about what the social life is like. Are there unspoken rules or etiquette that one would follow while socializing with peers? What do you do for fun?
Karen

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Permalink Reply by Zahid on January 22, 2009 at 4:56am

well, Karen, it is a difficult question to answer...perhaps to write a book about it. i should admit the social life is different in many perspectives than the rest of the world. however, we have similarities with some regional states, for example religion that we share with the Islamic world; culture similarities you can find in Central Asian, Iran, and Pakistan... however, these countries' cultures have been deeply influenced during the colonization or Sovietization, but still you will find many things that we have in common.
YES, Afghanistan is very different from Europe, Africa, Latin America, and North America. it would be difficult to compare them at all; i mean from the cultural perspective. there are many social norms and restrictions that one has to take in mind before visiting the country. for example, it is not socially accepted to have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend... it doesnt mean that people follow this rule, but this kind of relationship has some sever consequences for both parties if they couldnt keep it in secrecy. i would aviod to say it is particular to Afghanistan, but it is a norm in many traditionalist and religious societies...

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Permalink Reply by Anisah A on January 23, 2009 at 2:51pm

Hi Karen, I am from Afghanistan and to answer your questions I have to tell you that there is an ongoing war in Afghanistan for almost 30 years now, this of course have influenced the social life of most Afghans. People have learnt to stay together with their families, relatives since they very much rely on each other for help and support…there are a lot of orphans, widows and many people live in poverty, especially in rural areas, but Afghans are very sociable and friendly, they like getting together to celebrate weddings, religious and other holidays, or just to visit relatives and friends...Afghan youth very much like going out with friends to watch movies or to a concert (of course if they can afford this), because the religion practiced by most Afghans is Islam (which is total submission to the will of God Almighty (Allah), the Creator of the Heaven and the Earth, the same God who is worshipped by Jews and Christians) Afghan guys and girls are not allowed to have pre-marital relationships, but they are allowed to be friends...nothing wrong with this...Islam promotes friendship, respect and love, not only towards your fellow Muslims, but also towards non-Muslims ...anyways, hope that answers your questions :)

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Permalink Reply by Elham Gharji on January 28, 2009 at 2:20am

Hi Anisha, good reply! I think this sentence of you "...I have to tell you that there is an ongoing war in Afghanistan for almost 30 years now, this of course have influenced the social life of most Afghans." can serve as a fresh and fruitful source of reflection on social life in today's Afghanistan. Just keep seeing from this perspective.

thank you,

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Permalink Reply by Elham Gharji on January 28, 2009 at 2:23am

sorry for mistyping your name, Anisah :)

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