Afghan Americans (Dari:آمریکایی‌های افغان‌تبارAmrikāyi-hāye Afghān tabar,Pashto:د امريکا افغانانDa Amrīka Afghanan) areAmericans with ancestry fromAfghanistan. They form the largestAfghan community inNorth America with the second beingAfghan Canadians. Afghan Americans may originate from any of theethnic groups of Afghanistan.

The Afghan community in theUnited States was minimal until large numbers were admitted asrefugees following the December 1979Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Others have arrived similarly during and after the latestwar in Afghanistan.^[11][12] Afghan Americans reside and work all across the United States.^[6] The states ofCalifornia,Virginia andNew York historically had the largest number of Afghan Americans.^[2][3] Thousands may also be found in the states ofArizona,Texas,Georgia,Colorado,Washington,Oklahoma,Nebraska,^[13]Idaho,Missouri,North Carolina,Maryland andIllinois.^{[4][5][6][12][14][15]}

Afghan Americans have a long history of immigrating to the United States, as they have arrived as early as the 1860s.^[16] This was around the time whenAfghanistan–United States relations were being established.Wallace Fard Muhammad claimed to have been from Afghanistan. AWorld War I draft registration card forWallie Dodd Fard from 1917 indicated he was living inLos Angeles, California, as an unmarried restaurant owner, and reported that he was born inShinka, Afghanistan in 1893.^[17] Between the 1920s and 1940s, hundreds of Afghans immigrated to the United States.^[18][19][20] Between 1953 and early 1970, at least 230 lawfully entered the United States.^[18] Some of them were students who had been grantedscholarships to study inAmerican universities.

After the 1979Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, around five millionAfghan citizens were displaced. They were compelled to secretly migrate to (or seek refuge in) other countries. TheseAfghan refugees orasylum seekers found temporary shelter in neighboringPakistan andIran, and from there thousands made it toEurope,North America,Oceania, andelsewhere in the world. Under the law, the ones born inPakistan,Iran orIndia are not in any wayPakistanis,Iranians orIndians. Their birth certificates and other legal documents confirm that they arecitizens of Afghanistan.

Beginning in 1980, Afghan Americans arrived into the United States as families. They were admitted asrefugees orasylum seekers. In some cases a family was represented by only one parent due to the death of the other parent. They began settling in theNew York metropolitan area,California (mainly in theSan Francisco Bay Area and theLos Angeles-Orange County area) and in other parts of the United States, where largeMuslim community centers keep them bonded.Fremont, California, is home to the largest population of Afghan Americans followed byNorthern Virginia and thenQueens inNew York City.^[2][4][14] Smaller Afghan American communities also exist in the states ofTexas,Arizona,Oklahoma,Washington,Georgia,Michigan,Idaho,Missouri,Illinois,Pennsylvania,Florida,North Carolina,Massachusetts,Maryland,Connecticut,Colorado,Ohio,Utah,New Mexico,Oregon,Tennessee and so on.^{[5][6][3][12]} In the city ofChicago, the 2000 census counted 556 Afghan Americans, approximately half of them within the city.^[21]

The first arrivals of Afghan families in the early 1980s were mainly the wealthy and from theurban and educatedelite. They had rightfully applied for refugee status while temporarily residing in Pakistan and India, and a large number had similarly resided inGermany before theirfirm resettlement in the United States. Thefamily reunification program brought in less affluent communities fromrural Afghanistan, many of which were illiterate and maintained a more traditional village lifestyle.^[22]

Those admitted under8 U.S.C. § 1157 and becominggreen card recipients under8 U.S.C. § 1159(a) are statutorily protected against inadmissibility, even if they are not in possession of their green cards,Afghan passports,Afghan identity cards, or any other legal document.^[23] In addition to that privilege or benefit, whenever oneparent becomesnaturalized all of his or herchildren statutorily become entitled tonaturalization through suchAmerican parent.^[24] This conferral ofAmerican nationality statutorily extends to all of his or her children that are born outside of the United States.^[25] All such nationality claims are statutorily reviewable under thefederal judiciary of the United States.^[26]

Post September 11, 2001, the Afghan American community faced discriminations. President Bush's plan to legalize works to help the economy came to a halt after the terror attack in 2001. It interrupted talk of legalizing immigrants thus leading to few admitted immigrants from 2001 to 2005. 406,080 immigrant visas were issued in 2001. 395,005 were issued in 2005 according to the Department of Homeland Security.^[27]

A news reporter in 2001 randomly stated, without providing any references or sources, that there were 200,000 Afghan Americans.^[28] This wild assumption probably includedAfghan Canadians. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, there were approximately 65,972 Afghan-Americans in 2006. TheAmerican Community Survey (ACS) estimated a total of 94,726 Afghan foreign-born immigrants were residing and working in the United States in 2016, which shows a 30% increase in the last ten years.^[29] Since 2005, thousands of Afghans have been admitted to the United States under theSpecial Immigrant Visa (SIV) program.^{[30][5][31][32]} Congress passed theAfghan Allies Protection Act of 2009, which was extended in 2014.^[33] Afghans who had put their lives at risk during theUS-led war in Afghanistan became eligible for SIVs.^[34] This program for Afghans created a legal pathway towardsU.S. citizenship for the recipients and their immediate family members.^[35][36][37]

Large numbers of Afghans, including those that worked with the United States, moved to the country following theTaliban take over of Kabul in August 2021.

Of the more than 100,000 Afghan nationals who have moved to the United States since August 2021, it has accepted more than 1,600 unaccompanied children, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement records show.^[38]

As many as 150,000 Afghans who assisted the United States remained in Afghanistan, including individuals who worked closely with US military forces.^[39]

Afghans who went through resettlement difficulties may experience discrimination, worsening the trauma.^[40] Afghans still continue to flee from Afghanistan and still struggle to find refuge, most recently on July 15 Canada had closed its Special Immigration Measures Program. Afghans who were relying on this program may face death or persecution due to being stuck in Afghanistan, especially since this program targeted former employees of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Governments and their families.^[41]

Qabuli Palau, is a traditional rice dish topped with sweet carrots, raisins, sliced almonds and served usually with lamb, beef or chicken.

Traditional dishaushak served at an Afghan restaurant in California

As other immigrants in the United States, Afghan Americans have gradually adopted theAmerican way of life. But many of those who were born in Afghanistan still highly valueAfghan culture. For example, they often wear at home Afghan clothes, watchAfghan shows, listen toAfghan music, eat mostlyAfghan food, and enthusiastically keep up withAfghan politics. They also value their oral tradition of story telling. The stories they sometimes tell are aboutMullahNasreddin,Afghan history, myths and religions.^[18]

Afghan Americans celebrate August 19 asAfghan Independence Day,^[42] which relates to August 1919, the date when Afghanistan became fully independent after the signing of theAnglo-Afghan Treaty. Smallfestivals are held in cities that have Afghan communities, usually at the parks where black, red and green coloredAfghan flags are spotted around cars.^[43] Eid and Nowruz remain popular festivals for Afghans. The 2021 American sitcomUnited States of Al featured American and Afghan culture.

AThe Washington Post article from October 2001 claims that the Afghan-American community, "concentrated in the towns ofFremont andHayward, is in many ways a microcosm of the country that's nearly a dozen time zones away." Various members of the community commented that the Afghan community, following conflicts and divisions at home, are still divided in the United States, but that they all share love for their home country.^[44]

Afghan Americans are composed of the variousethnic groups that exist in Afghanistan, which includePashtun,Tajik,Hazara,Uzbek,Turkmen,Baloch, and a number of others.^[45] Since 1945, Afghan Americans have been officially classified asCaucasians.^[46] ForU.S. Census purposes Afghans areracially categorized as White Americans.^[47] Some Afghan Americans, however, may self identify as beingMiddle Eastern Americans,Central Asian Americans orSouth Asian Americans.^[48][49] In recent years the creation of a new census category called SWANA (which includes Afghan Americans) has been proposed in an effort for more accurate categorization.^{[50][51][47][52]}

TheHazrati Abu Bakr SiddiqueMosque inFlushing, Queens,New York City

The majority of Afghan-Americans are Muslims whom followSunni Islam, with a sizable community ofShia Muslims. Many Afghan Americans residing inNorthern Virginia are members of theAll Dulles Area Muslim Society, which has a number of local branches.^[53][54] After theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001, a mosque run by Afghan-Americans in New York City donated blood, held a vigil for those who died inside theWorld Trade Center (WTC) and funded a memorial for theNew York City fire fighters.^[55]

There is a community ofAfghan Jews inNew York City, numbering about 200 families in 2007.^[8] A group of Afghan Americans in the Los Angeles area followChristianity.^[10] Hussain Andaryas is an Afghan Christian televangelist who belongs to the Hazara ethnic group.^[56] Outside of the Abrahamic faiths, there exists a community ofAfghan Hindus andAfghan Sikhs. They are mainly found in the states ofNew York andMaryland.^[9][57]

Afghan Americans have formed media outlets dedicated for its diaspora. Examples include television channels such asAriana Afghanistan,^[58]Payam-e-Afghan,Tuti TV,^[59] and Pamir TV. In the 1990s,Afghanistan TV broadcast onKSCI Channel 18 in Los Angeles and as well as magazines like theAfghanistan Mirror. Many organizations have also been formed for Afghan youth, solidarity, women's rights and more.^[60] Recently a new radio station has also launched named Radio Afghan Los Angeles.^[61] In 2020, "Afghanistan by Afghans" a TV show and podcast was started by Misaq Kazimi, showcasing the voices of Afghan artists, thinkers and cultural keepers.^[62] The show is also showcased onZarin TV.

According to estimates from the Migration Policy Institute website for 2017 - 2021, there were 118,500 Afghan immigrants in the USA.^[63] The counties or county-equivalents with the most Afghan immigrants were as follows:

Many Afghan Americans ownreal estate in Afghanistan,^[64] which in some cases have beenlawfullyinherited from their earliest ancestors for generations upon generations. Afghan Americans who arrived before the 21st century are mostly found residing near othermiddle class Americans. Some may be found living in theupper middle class neighborhoods and earning high salaries.

Because the majority of Afghan Americans were originally admitted as refugees under8 U.S.C. § 1157, the government provided various forms ofassistance (welfare) and selected their city of residence.^{[65][12][11][15]} Some^[quantify] decided to move to other cities that had larger Afghan communities but most remained in the cities where they first arrived. They gradually left the government assistance programs and eventuallymortgaged homes. Their children were sent tocolleges or universities. Those who could not achieve this decided to build orfranchisesmall businesses. Others became real estate agents, bank employees, office workers, hotel workers, store clerks, salespersons, security guards, drivers, mechanics, waiters, etc.^[3]

Like many other immigrants in the United States, Afghan Americans often engage in the operation of small businesses. Many operateAmerican andAfghanrestaurants as well as Afghan markets,^[64][2] while some have been reported in the 1990s asvendors inManhattan where they have replacedGreek Americans in the field.^[66]

The family incomes of Afghan Americans (specifically, those that were termed "refugees") was a median of $50,000 in 2015. This figure is higher thanMexican Americans,Cuban Americans and slightly higher thanHmong Americans, but lower thanVietnamese Americans.^[3]

Afghan immigrants that were admitted to the United States before 1979 were well educated.^[18] In contrast, current immigrants have escaped fromtotalitarianism,genocide,torture,persecution,mistreatment, and military conflicts. This group has had some trouble coping with learning the English language.^[18] Those who have pursued their education in America during the middle of the 20th century and traveled back to Afghanistan faced trouble attaining employment when returning to the United States since their education, often in medicine and engineering, is frequently viewed as outdated.^[18] After the 1979 Soviet invasion,Afghanistan's education system worsened, causing many migrants in the late 20th century to place less emphasis on educational attainment.^[18]

^[67]

• Zalmay Khalilzad –U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2007 to 2009
• Ashraf Ghani – 5thPresident of Afghanistan
• Ali Jalali –Distinguished Professor at theNational Defense University inWashington, D.C.; ex-Afghan diplomat
• Mohammad Qayoumi – Former President ofSan Jose State University andCalifornia State University, East Bay
• Safiya Wazir – Member of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives
• Aisha Wahab – Member of theCalifornia State Senate^[68][69]
• Ajmal Ahmady – Politician in Afghanistan
• Said Tayeb Jawad – Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States from 2003 to 2010
• Nazif Shahrani – Professor ofanthropology atIndiana University
• Ishaq Shahryar –Afghan Ambassador to the United States from 2002 to 2003
• Wali Karzai – Professor of Bio-Chemistry at Stony Brook University
• M. Ishaq Nadiri – Professor of economics atNYU^[70] and signatory at 2001 Afghanistan Bonn conference
• Nake M. Kamrany – Professor of economics atUniversity of Southern California^[71][72]
• Haris Tarin – Director ofMuslim Public Affairs Council ( MPAC)^[73]
• Tamim Ansary – Author ofWest of Kabul, East of New York, a book published in 2001, shortly after the "9-11" attacks.
• Khaled Hosseini – Best-selling author whose work includesThe Kite Runner andA Thousand Splendid Suns
• Fariba Nawa – Author ofOpium Nation and journalist
• Qais Akbar Omar – Author ofA Fort of Nine Towers and co-author ofShakespeare in Kabul
• Safi Rauf – Taliban captive and nonprofit founder
• Hamid Naweed – Author and art historian
• Leila Christine Nadir – Writer and artist
• Ghulam Haider Hamidi – Former Mayor ofKandahar
• Hafizullah Emadi (bornShibar), independent scholar and development consultant for Focus Humanitarian Assistance

• Mahmoud Karzai – Brother of former Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai and owner of Afghan cuisine restaurant
• Qayum Karzai – Brother of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and owner ofAfghan cuisine restaurants in the Southern California andBaltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area
• Ehsan Bayat – Business entrepreneur who foundedAfghan Wireless

• Hailai Arghandiwal -Association football (soccer) player who plays for German clubDuisburg and theAfghanistan national team.
• Adam Najem – Association football player who plays as amidfielder forCanadian Premier League clubFC Edmonton, and theAfghanistan national team.
• David Najem – Association football player who plays as adefender forUSL Championship clubNew Mexico United and theAfghanistan national team
• Ahmad Hatifi – Association football player who is amidfielder and currently plays forCD Aguiluchos USA
• Mohammad Mashriqi - Association football player
• Alex Hinshaw – Former baseball pitcher^[74]
• Jeff Bronkey – Former baseball player^[74]
• Shamila Kohestani - Former soccer player and founder of the first women's national soccer team

• Azita Ghanizada – Actress and TV host, she appeared in a number of films and TV shows
• Donnie Keshawarz - Canadian-American stage, film and television actor of Afghan descent
• Sonia Nassery Cole – Actress and director
• Anwar Hajher – Filmmaker and professor,16 Days in Afghanistan
• Youssof Kohzad – Artist, Poet, Painter and Actor
• Annet Mahendru – Actress, she appeared in a number of films and TV shows
• Nabil Miskinyar – Television anchor
• Jawed Wassel – Writer/Director of first Afghan Oscar contender Feature Film calledFireDancer.
• Josh Gad – Actor appearing inFrozen andJobs. Afghan-Jewish father.
• Leena Alam – Actress fromKabuli Kid,Loori,Soil and Coral, andThe Unknown
• Fahim Fazli – Actor who appears in various films, such asIron Man^[75]
• Robert Joffrey – born Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan is known for co-founder of theJoffrey Ballet
• Aman Mojadidi – Artist whose art focuses on Afghan politics and cross-cultural identity^[76]
• Noor Wodjouatt, founder ofZarin TV and performer at Kennedy Center

• Omar Akram – Pianist who won aGrammy award for best new age album^[77][78]
• Farhad Darya – Afghan musician
• Jawad Ghaziyar – Afghan musician
• Rahim Jahani – Afghan musician
• Naim Popal – Afghan musician
• Ahmad Wali – Afghan musician
• Aziz Herawi - Afghan musician
• Naghma - Afghan musician
• Ehsan Aman - Afghan musician

• Zohra Daoud –Miss Afghanistan 1974
• Vida Samadzai –Beauty for a Cause ofMiss Earth 2003

• Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan and Khatul Begum, Princess of Afghanistan

• Hevad Khan – ProfessionalPoker player^[79]
• Zahira Zahir - Sister of Afghan singerAhmad Zahir. Known for cutting the hairGeorge W. Bush, among others.
• Razia Jan - head of non-profit education organization in Afghanistan
• Shamim Jawad - Women's rights advocate and aid worker

• Central Asians in the United States
• Afghan diaspora
• Afghanistan–United States relations
• Demographics of Afghanistan

• Aslami, Wajma. "The Impact of 9/11 on Afghan-American Leaders."Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship 15.1 (2010): 124+.
• Baden, John Kenneth. "Through Disconnection and Revival: Afghan American Relations with Afghanistan, 1890-2016." (PhD Diss. Case Western Reserve University, 2018).
• Cvetkovich, Ann. “Can the Diaspora Speak? Afghan Americans and the 9/11 Oral History Archive.”Radical History Review (2011), no. 111 (2011): 90–100.
• Eigo, Tim. "Afghan Americans."Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 17–30.online
• Lipson, Juliene G., and Patricia A. Omidian. “Afghans.” InRefugees in America in the 1990s: A Reference Handbook, edited by David W. Haines. (Greenwood Press, 1996).
• Thernstrom, Stephan, ed.Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (1980) pp 3–5.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAfghan diaspora in the United States.

• Afghan American Demographics
• Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce
• In Va.'s Little Kabul, Joy (Washington Post, Nov. 14, 2001)J
• [1] (ABC News, Olivia Rubin, April 11th 2023)

• Afghan diaspora in the United States
• American people of Afghan descent
• Afghan diaspora
• Pashtun diaspora
• Central Asian diaspora in the United States

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