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Israelite origins of Pashtun people

This makes me wonder if I myself have some ancient Israeli blood in me, being part Pashtun.

One of the languages on the Ashoka pillar in Kandahar is Aramaic. Afghanistan became a part of Chandragupta Maurya's empire after he defeated the Greeks.

It does suggest that there was a population of Jews living there at that time.

However the so called "clues" mentioned in the video are very very speculative, and are likely to be wrong. Even if some Jews did settle there, it does not mean that they were there since before the bible was written.
 
Some say Pashtuns were that lost tribe, but not even all pashtuns believe this theory.
 
That is a very interesting and thought-provoking documentary. I have some close friends from Kashmir who said similar things about some of their communities. And I thought that they were kidding me. Maybe they were not?

I read somewhere that some European went to Afghanistan and said how the king zahir shah openly said pastuns were one of the israeli tribes that were scattered and that many locals held the same belief. However the same man said they took offense to being called Jews. I don't remember if he was a historian, diplomat or what.
 
Bilingual (Greek and Aramaic) inscriptions by king Ashoka at Kandahar (Shar-i-kuna). (3rd century BC). Preserved at Kabul Museum. Today disappeared. Two-dimensional inscription.

AsokaKandahar.jpg
 
I read somewhere that some European went to Afghanistan and said how the king zahir shah openly said pastuns were one of the israeli tribes that were scattered and that many locals held the same belief. However the same man said they took offense to being called Jews. I don't remember if he was a historian, diplomat or what.

I've heard/read this story many times without paying much attention to it. But I think I will seek more information; esp the Kashmiri connection.
About the underlined part; was that always the case? Or did it become a practice in say the last 3-4 decades? That will give a clue as to how and why it originated.
 
I've heard/read this story many times without paying much attention to it. But I think I will seek more information; esp the Kashmiri connection.
About the underlined part; was that always the case? Or did it become a practice in say the last 3-4 decades? That will give a clue as to how and why it originated.

You mean is it because of anti semetic views :P Shockingly no, rememner back in those times there was I believe 10 tribes of the kingdom of israel who were known as israelis and they were split of a fight or something from their southern neighbors who were 2 tribes in the kingdom of Judah/Judea. The roman conquered and threw out the Israelites of the North and they became the lost israelites however the people who remained were inhabitants of the southern kingdom and became known as Jews after the name of their kingdom. Eventually they too were removed from the levant but by then the word Jew was mistakenly used to describe both groups. That is why some israelite tribes take offense to be called Jews in this case the pashtun.

Provided Pashtuns are indeed a lost tribe.
 
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