Afghanistan Human Terrain Team Pashtun Homosexuality Report

Afghanistan Human Terrain Team Pashtun Homosexuality Report

Key Observations

- Aculturally-contrived homosexuality (significantly not termed as such by its practitioners) appears to affect a far greater population base then some researchers would argue is attributable to natural inclination.
- Some of its root causes lie in the severe segregation of women, the prohibitive cost of marriage within Pashtun tribal codes, and the depressed economic situation into which young Pashtun men are placed.
- Other root causes include a long-standing cultural tradition in which boys are appreciated for physical beauty and apprenticed to older men for their sexual initiation. The fallout of this pattern of behavior over generations has a profound impact on Pashtun society and culture.
- Homosexuality is strictly prohibited in Islam, but cultural interpretations of Islamic teaching prevalent in Pashtun areas of southern Afghanistan tacitly condone it in comparison to heterosexual relationships in several contexts.
- Pashtun men are freer with companionship, affection, emotional and artistic expression, and the trust bred of familiarity with other men. They often lack the experience of these aspects of life with women.
- This usurping of the female role may contribute to the alienation of women over generations, and their eventual relegation to extreme segregation and abuse.

…

Findings

Military cultural awareness training for Afghanistan often emphasizes that the effeminate
characteristics of male Pashtun interaction are to be considered “normal” and no indicator of a
prevalence of homosexuality. This training is intended to prevent servicemembers from reacting
with typically western shock or aversion to such displays. However, slightly more in-depth
research points to the presence of a culturally-dependent homosexuality appearing to affect a far
greater population base then some researchers would argue is attributable to natural inclination.
To dismiss the existence of this dynamic out of desire to avoid western discomfort is to risk
failing to comprehend an essential social force underlying Pashtun culture—one with a variety of
potential implications upon the efficacy and applicability of ISAF efforts and on the long-term
future of Afghan society.

HTT is often approached for advice by US and British servicemembers who report
encounters with men displaying apparently homosexual tenancies. These servicemembers are
frequently confused in the interpretation of this behavior. The British newspaper article below
may be written with an attempt at humor, yet the Marines quoted typify the reaction often seen in
servicemembers upon their initial encounters with Pashtun males. As HTT has observed with
frequency while on patrols in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, these men are outwardly
affectionate toward both one another and male ISAF members, are extremely gentle in their
demeanor and touch, and have often taken great care in embellishing their personal appearance
with fingernails dyed red, hair and beards hennaed in careful patterns, and eyes very occasionally
subtly outlined.

full report here (has link to 18 page pdf report):
http://publicintelligence.net/afghanistan-human-terrain-team-pashtun-homosexuality-report/

make a great Twilight Zone episode. Bookmarked to read entire article later.

They've developed their own attitudes towards gays, developed over centuries and a part of their culture.

One might sat that San Francisco isn't exactly a new phenomenon.

... before interacting with these locals.

1) They are definitely more intimate with each other (the men) than we are used to

2) They know that it makes us uncomfortable and can use it to their advantage or as a means to test you.

The Afghan police commander I mentored thought it was high-freakin-hilarious to holds hands with me and my predecessor. He wanted to see what your tolerance was and gauge your reaction. Sneaky SOB snuck up and kissed me on the head once too.

People call them Pathans instead of Pashtuns, and everyone knows about them. When I first moved to the Middle East, I was surprised to see men holding hands and doing these long kisses in greeting, but I'm used to it now. Indian men also hold hands, and Arab men kiss, and no one thinks anything of it. My Pakistani friend told me he asked a Pathan once about the homosexuality thing, and he told him that women were for making babies and men were for loving, everyone knows that. Not for the first time, I was so so glad that I wasn't born a Pathan woman.

You've cleared that up. :hi:

but they call themselves Pathans, or at least the ones where I live do. Glad I could clear it up for you!