The Hindu: The Shias, who are predominantly of the Hazara ethnic group, have historically faced persecution in Afghanistan. “Ethnic divisions have been a feature of Afghan society and politics for a long time and have been exploited by political groups,” observes Patricia Gossman, a senior Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Sectarian persecution against the Hazaras existed since the 19th century, when Abdur Rahman Khan was King,” says Ahmad Shuja, an Afghan analyst and researcher, referring to the reign of the so-called Iron Amir in 1800s. Khan was known to tax the Shias and forcibly convert them to Sunni Islam, leading to a Hazara insurrection in 1891. Click here to read more (external link).