View source for Afghan Americans

{{Short description|Americans of Afghan birth or descent}}
{{for|[[Pashtuns]] in the United States|Pashtun Americans}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Afghan Americans
| native_name      = {{native name|ps|د امريکا افغانان}}<br>{{native name|prs|آمریکایی‌های افغان‌تبار}}
| flag             = 
| image            = 
| pop              = '''219,257''' (2023)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B04006|title=People Reporting Ancestry|publisher=US Census Bureau|work=American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables|accessdate=30 March 2025}}</ref>
| popplace         = [[California]] (Especially [[Sacramento]] and the [[East Bay]]), Northeast [[Virginia]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Texas]] ([[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[San Antonio]], [[Fort Worth]], [[Houston]] and [[Dallas]]), [[Washington (state)|Washington]] ([[Seattle]]), [[Arizona]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Missouri]], [[Illinois]]<ref name="Afghans in New York Look Back on a Strange Decade" /><ref name="UNU" /><ref name="California and New York are hubs for Afghan resettlement" /><ref name="Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states" /><ref name="Great Falls Tribune" />
| langs            = [[English language|English]], [[Pashto]], [[Dari Persian]]<ref name="LeeNadeau2011">{{cite book|author1=Jonathan H. X. Lee|author2=Kathleen M. Nadeau|title=Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BrfLWdeISoC&pg=PA105|access-date=January 22, 2016|volume=1|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35066-5|pages=105–123}}</ref>
| rels             = '''Predominantly:'''<br />[[Islam in Afghanistan|Sunni Islam]]<br /><small>'''Minority:'''<br /> [[Shia Islam in Afghanistan|Shia Islam]], [[History of the Jews in Afghanistan|Judaism]],<ref name="rferl.org"/> [[Hinduism in Afghanistan|Hinduism]], [[Sikhism in Afghanistan|Sikhism]],<ref name="First Afghan Hindu and Sikh Temple in Maryland a Cultural Bridge"/> [[Christianity in Afghanistan|Christianity]]<ref name="afghanchurch.net" /></small>
| related_groups   = [[Pashtuns]], [[Tajiks]], [[Hazaras]],
}}
'''Afghan Americans''' ({{langx|prs|آمریکایی‌های افغان‌تبار}} ''Amrikāyi-hāye Afghān tabar'', {{langx|ps|د امريکا افغانان}} ''Da Amrīka Afghanan'') are [[Americans]] with ancestry from [[Afghanistan]]. They form the largest [[Afghan diaspora|Afghan community]] in [[North America]] with the second being [[Afghan Canadians]]. Afghan Americans may originate from any of the [[ethnic groups in Afghanistan|ethnic groups of Afghanistan]].

The Afghan community in the [[United States]] was minimal until large numbers were admitted as [[Afghan refugees|refugees]] following the December 1979 [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]. Others have arrived similarly during and after the latest [[war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|war in Afghanistan]].<ref name="How Biden is resettling Afghans in the US"/><ref name="Denver ranks among top relocation destinations for Afghan refugees"/> Afghan Americans reside and work all across the United States.<ref name="Great Falls Tribune"/> The states of [[California]], [[Virginia]] and [[New York (state)|New York]] historically had the largest number of Afghan Americans.<ref name="Afghans in New York Look Back on a Strange Decade"/><ref name="UNU" /> Thousands may also be found in the states of [[Arizona]], [[Texas]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Colorado]],  [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Nebraska]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Shannon Najmabadi {{!}} Photographs by Rebecca S. Gratz for The Wall Street |title=White-Collar Afghans Start Over in Nebraska |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-collar-afghans-start-over-in-nebraska-bb17a6c8 |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=WSJ |date=March 8, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Idaho]], [[Missouri]], [[North Carolina]], [[Maryland]] and [[Illinois]].<ref name="California and New York are hubs for Afghan resettlement" /><ref name="Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states"/><ref name="Great Falls Tribune" /><ref name="Denver ranks among top relocation destinations for Afghan refugees"/><ref name="Fremont's Little Kabul eyes election with hop"/><ref name="New York's Divided Afghans" />

==History and population==
Afghan Americans have a long history of immigrating to the United States, as they have arrived as early as the 1860s.<ref name="National Archives Catalog">{{cite web|url=https://narations.blogs.archives.gov/2017/06/23/private-mohammed-kahn-civil-war-soldier/|title=Private Mohammed Kahn: Civil War Soldier|work=catalog.archives.gov|date=June 23, 2017|access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> This was around the time when [[Afghanistan–United States relations]] were being established. [[Wallace Fard Muhammad]] claimed to have been from Afghanistan. A [[World War I]] draft registration card for ''Wallie Dodd Fard'' from 1917 indicated he was living in [[Los Angeles]], California, as an unmarried restaurant owner, and reported that he was born in [[Shinkay District|Shinka]], Afghanistan in 1893.<ref name="ReferenceA">Ancestry.com database, Registration Location: Los Angeles County, California; Roll: 1530899; Draft Board: 17</ref> Between the 1920s and 1940s, hundreds of Afghans immigrated to the United States.<ref name=Eigo>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300013/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=e9903fbc|author=Eigo, Tim|title=Afghan Americans|encyclopedia=Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America|access-date=2021-09-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://casetext.com/admin-law/in-the-matter-of-k-27#p256|title=In the Matter of K|work=[[Board of Immigration Appeals]] |date=May 26, 1945|publisher=Casetext.com|quote=According to the alien registration figures, there are less than 200 Afghans now living in the United States.|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f2d/253/547/#p548 |title=Khan v. Barber, 253 F.2d 547 |page=548 |publisher=Harvard Law School |work=[[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] |date=March 11, 1958 |access-date=2020-07-28}}</ref> Between 1953 and early 1970, at least 230 lawfully entered the United States.<ref name=Eigo /> Some of them were students who had been granted [[scholarship]]s to study in [[Lists of American universities and colleges|American universities]].

===Afghan refugees and the Refugee Act of 1980===
{{Further|Afghan refugees|Refugee Act of 1980}}
[[File:2017-us-green-card-specimen.png|upright|thumb|[[Afghan refugees]] statutorily become [[green card|lawful permanent residents]] ([[green card]] holders) as of the date of their arrival into the United States.]]
After the 1979 [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], around five million [[Afghans|Afghan]] citizens were displaced. They were compelled to secretly migrate to (or seek refuge in) other countries. These [[Afghan refugees]] or [[asylum seeker]]s found temporary shelter in neighboring [[Afghans in Pakistan|Pakistan]] and [[Afghans in Iran|Iran]], and from there thousands made it to [[Europe]], [[North America]], [[Oceania]], and [[Afghan diaspora|elsewhere in the world]]. Under the law, the ones born in [[Pakistan]], [[Iran]] or [[Afghans in India|India]] are not in any way [[Pakistanis]], [[demographics of Iran|Iranians]] or [[Indian nationality law|Indians]]. Their birth certificates and other legal documents confirm that they are [[Afghan identity card|citizens of Afghanistan]].

Beginning in 1980, Afghan Americans arrived into the United States as families. They were admitted as refugees or [[asylum seekers]]. In some cases a family was represented by only one parent due to the death of the other parent. They began settling in the [[New York metropolitan area]], [[California]] (mainly in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] and the [[Los Angeles]]-[[Orange County, California|Orange County]] area) and in other parts of the United States, where large [[Islam in the United States|Muslim community centers]] keep them bonded. [[Fremont, California]], is home to the largest population of Afghan Americans followed by [[Northern Virginia]] and then [[Queens]] in [[New York City]].<ref name="Afghans in New York Look Back on a Strange Decade"/><ref name="California and New York are hubs for Afghan resettlement">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/california-new-york-hubs-afghan-resettlements |title=California and New York are hubs for Afghan resettlements |publisher=Washington Examiner |date=August 24, 2021 |access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref><ref name="Fremont's Little Kabul eyes election with hop">{{cite news|author=Matthew B. Stannard|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fremont-s-Little-Kabul-eyes-election-with-hope-3289383.php|title=Fremont's Little Kabul eyes election with hope|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=August 21, 2009|access-date=2016-01-22}}</ref> Smaller Afghan American communities also exist in the states of [[Texas]], [[Arizona]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Michigan]], [[Idaho]], [[Missouri]], [[Illinois]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Florida]], [[North Carolina]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Maryland]], [[Connecticut]], [[Colorado]], [[Ohio]], [[Utah]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oregon]], [[Tennessee]] and so on.<ref name="Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states"/><ref name="Great Falls Tribune">{{cite web |url=https://data.greatfallstribune.com/refugee/all/afghanistan/all/ |title=Country of origin: Afghanistan |publisher=Great Falls Tribune |access-date=2021-08-11}}</ref><ref name="UNU"/><ref name="Denver ranks among top relocation destinations for Afghan refugees"/> In the city of [[Chicago]], the 2000 census counted 556 Afghan Americans, approximately half of them within the city.<ref>{{cite web|author=Daniel Greene |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/26.html |title=Afghans |publisher=Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org |date=2004 |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>

The first arrivals of Afghan families in the early 1980s were mainly the wealthy and from the [[urban area|urban]] and educated [[elite]]. They had rightfully applied for refugee status while temporarily residing in Pakistan and India, and a large number had similarly resided in [[Afghans in Germany|Germany]] before their [[third country resettlement|firm resettlement]] in the United States. The [[family reunification]] program brought in less affluent communities from [[rural area|rural]] Afghanistan, many of which were illiterate and maintained a more traditional village lifestyle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.culturalorientation.net/content/download/2137/12309/version/1/file/The+Afghans+Culture+Profile.pdf|title=Afghan Culture Profile|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>

===Child Citizenship Act of 2000===
{{Further|Child Citizenship Act of 2000}}
Those admitted under {{usc|8|1157}} and becoming [[green card]] recipients under {{uscsub|8|1159|a}} are statutorily protected against inadmissibility, even if they are not in possession of their green cards, [[Afghan passport]]s, [[Afghan identity card]]s, or any other legal document.<ref>See, e.g., generally
*{{uscsub|8|1181|c}} ("Nonapplicability to aliens admitted as refugees")
*{{cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f3d/387/279/ |title=Smriko v. Ashcroft, 387 F.3d 279 |publisher=Harvard Law School |work=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit |date=October 26, 2004}}
*{{cite web |url=https://casetext.com/case/tima-v-attorney-gen-1#p277 |title=Tima v. Attorney General, 903 F.3d 272 |page=277 |publisher=Casetext.com |work=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit |date=September 6, 2018 |quote=So § 1227(a)(1) piggybacks on § 1182(a) by treating grounds of inadmissibility as grounds for removal as well. And the Act has long piggybacked these grounds for removal on these grounds of inadmissibility.}}
*{{cite web |url=https://casetext.com/case/barton-v-barr-2#p1446 |title=Barton v. Barr, 140 S. Ct. 1442 |page=1446 |publisher=Casetext.com |work=Supreme Court of the United States |date=April 23, 2020 |quote=The umbrella statutory term for being inadmissible or deportable is 'removable.'}}</ref> In addition to that privilege or benefit, whenever one [[parent]] becomes [[naturalization|naturalized]] all of his or her [[child]]ren statutorily become entitled to [[naturalization]] through such [[Americans|American]] parent.<ref>See, e.g.,
*{{cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f3d/324/913/#p915 |title=Gomez-Diaz v. Ashcroft, 324 F.3d 913 |page=915 |work=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit|date=April 7, 2003 |publisher=Harvard Law School |quote=The [[Child Citizenship Act of 2000]], Pub.L. No. 106-395, 114 Stat. 1631, revised the manner in which children of non-citizens born outside the United States are eligible to become U.S. citizens.}}
*{{cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f3d/712/543/#p545 |title=Belleri v. United States, 712 F.3d 543 |page=545 |work=U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit |date=March 14, 2013 |publisher=Harvard Law School |quote=A child acquires derivative citizenship by operation of law, not by adjudication.}}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/07/25/3316.pdf |title=In re Fuentes-Martinez, 21 I&N Dec. 893 |page=896 footnote 4 |work=Board of Immigration Appeals |date=April 25, 1997 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Justice |quote=A person who claims to have derived United States citizenship by [[naturalization]] of a parent may apply to the [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] for a certificate, but a certificate is not required.}}
*{{cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f-supp-2d/599/772/#p779 |title=Robertson-Dewar v. Mukasey, 599 F. Supp. 2d 772 |page=779 footnote 3 |work=U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas |date=February 25, 2009 |publisher=Harvard Law School |quote=The [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952|Immigration and Nationality Act]] defines [[naturalization]] as 'conferring of nationality of a state upon a person after birth, by any means whatsoever.'}}
*{{cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f-supp/559/2/#p3 |title=Petition for Naturalization of Tubig ex rel. Tubig, 559 F. Supp. 2 |page=3 |work=U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California |date=October 7, 1981 |publisher=Harvard Law School |quote=A person naturalized under § 1433(a) need not meet many of the requirements for naturalization—such as language, residence, and physical presence requirements—imposed upon those who seek naturalization under other provisions.... Thus, qualifying for [[naturalization]] under § 1433(a) can be of substantial importance to applicants for naturalization.}}</ref> This conferral of [[United States nationality law|American nationality]] statutorily extends to all of his or her children that are born outside of the United States.<ref>See, e.g., {{uscsub|8|1401|g}}; {{uscsub|8|1408|4}}; {{usc|8|1452}}</ref> All such nationality claims are statutorily reviewable under the [[federal judiciary of the United States]].<ref>See generally {{usc|8|1503}}; {{uscsub|8|1252|b|5}}; see also 
*{{USCFR|8|1003.2}}(c)(3)(vi) (about filing a "motion to reopen" [[removal proceedings]] with the [[Board of Immigration Appeals]] "based on specific allegations, supported by evidence, that the respondent is a United States citizen or national...."); 
*{{USCFR|8|1239.2}} ("Cancellation of notice to appear").</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Howley|first=Kerry|title=Bad Fences Make Bad Neighbors: How 9/11 Dumbed down the Immigration Debate|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010656222/OVIC?u=live10669&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=cdc592c7|journal=Reason}}</ref>

===Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009===
{{Further|Emergency Afghan Allies Extension Act of 2014}}
[[File:U.S. Soldier with an Afghan American interpreter.jpg|upright|thumb|A U.S. soldier with an Afghan American interpreter in [[Jalalabad]], [[Nangarhar Province]], Afghanistan.]]
A news reporter in 2001 randomly stated, without providing any references or sources, that there were 200,000 Afghan Americans.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ritter|first=John|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001/09/20/kabul.htm|title='Little Kabul' immigrants apprehensive|newspaper=USA Today|date=September 19, 2001|access-date=December 30, 2016}}</ref> This wild assumption probably included [[Afghan Canadians]]. According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], there were approximately 65,972 Afghan-Americans in 2006. The [[American 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates: Afghan|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_16_1YR_S0201&prodType=table|work=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214011051/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_16_1YR_S0201&prodType=table|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2005, thousands of Afghans have been admitted to the United States under the [[Special Immigrant Visa]] (SIV) program.<ref name="Cato Institute">{{cite news |url=https://www.cato.org/blog/there-no-good-reason-block-afghan-refugees |title=There Is No Good Reason to Block Afghan Refugees |publisher=Cato Institute |date=August 16, 2021 |access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref><ref name="Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states">{{cite news |url=https://www.axios.com/afghan-refugees-each-state-data-bea47ca4-0212-4a41-98bd-a2ea9f15a5bc.html |title=Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states |publisher=Axios (website) |date=September 16, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/welcome-home-first-group-of-evacuated-afghan-interpreters-arrive-in-us/2572291/ |title='Welcome Home': First Group of Evacuated Afghan Interpreters Arrive in US |publisher=WMAQ-TV |date=July 30, 2021 |access-date=2021-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-07-30/afghan-contractors-who-aided-us-arrive-at-virginia-base-but-thousands-still-in-peril |title=Afghan who aided U.S. arrive at Virginia base, but many others remain in peril |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 30, 2021 |access-date=2021-08-11}}</ref> Congress passed the [[Emergency Afghan Allies Extension Act of 2014|Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009]], which was extended in 2014.<ref>{{cite report |last1=Bruno |first1=Andorra |title=Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Programs |journal=[[Congressional Research Service]] |date=September 12, 2014 |url=https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/library/P8979.pdf |access-date=8 March 2021 |publisher=[[Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse]]}}</ref> Afghans who had put their lives at risk during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|US-led war in Afghanistan]] became eligible for SIVs.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/22/asia/afghanistan-interpreters-taliban-reprisals-intl-hnk/index.html |title=Afghan interpreter for US Army was beheaded by Taliban. Others fear they will be hunted down too |publisher=CNN |date=July 23, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-23}}</ref> This program for Afghans created a legal pathway towards [[citizenship of the United States|U.S. citizenship]] for the recipients and their immediate family members.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/Afghan-SIV-Fact-Sheet-Dec-2016.pdf |title=The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program |date=2017 |website=www.humanrightsfirst.org |access-date=2021-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/22/house-votes-to-expand-speed-up-visa-process-for-afghans-who-helped-the-us-during-war.html |title=House votes to expand and speed up visa process for Afghans who helped the U.S. during war |publisher=CNBC |date=July 22, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3985/text |title=H.R.3985 - Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act of 2021 |date=22 July 2021 |publisher=U.S. Congress |access-date=2021-07-23}}</ref>

===Evacuations of 2021===
[[File:Afghan refugees resettled after 2021 Afghan withdrawal by state.svg|thumb|right|upright=2.5|
<div style="text-align: center">Afghan refugees resettled per 100K residents after the 2021 Afghan withdrawal and evacuation in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia according to CBS News</div>]]
{{further|Fall of Kabul (2021)|2021 Kabul Airlift}}
Large numbers of Afghans, including those that worked with the United States, moved to the country following the [[Taliban]] 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jervis |first1=Rick |title=At age 12, he fled the Taliban to try to save his family. Then he faced years in US custody |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/08/13/afghan-children-fled-taliban-unaccompanied-minors/70555533007/ |agency=USA TODAY |date=2023}}</ref>

As many as 150,000 Afghans who assisted the United States remained in Afghanistan, including individuals who worked closely with US military forces.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nearly two years later, Afghan allies still left hoping for help |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/home/2023/08/22/nearly-two-years-later-afghan-allies-still-left-hoping-for-help/ |work=Military Times |date=22 August 2023}}</ref>

=== Discrimination of Refugees ===
Afghans who went through resettlement difficulties may experience discrimination, worsening the trauma.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Alemi |first1=Qais |last2=Stempel |first2=Carl |date=2018-05-21 |title=Discrimination and distress among Afghan refugees in northern California: The moderating role of pre- and post-migration factors |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=e0196822 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0196822 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=5962064 |pmid=29782531|bibcode=2018PLoSO..1396822A |doi-access=free }}</ref> 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.<ref>Bodnaruk, Candice. "Afghanistan Abandoned by the International Community." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, vol. 41, no. 6, Oct. 2022, pp. 28-30. MasterFILE Complete.</ref>

==Culture==
{{Further|Culture of Afghanistan}}
{{multiple image | width = 200|total_width=350 |align=right | image1 = Qabili Pulau - Afghanistan National Dish.jpg | caption1 = Qabuli Palau, is a traditional rice dish topped with sweet carrots, raisins, sliced almonds and served usually  with lamb, beef or chicken. | image2 = Aushak.jpg | caption2 = Traditional dish ''[[aushak]]'' served at an Afghan restaurant in California}}
As other immigrants in the United States, Afghan Americans have gradually adopted the [[American way]] of life. But many of those who were born in Afghanistan still highly value [[Afghan culture]]. For example, they often wear at home Afghan clothes, watch [[Television in Afghanistan|Afghan shows]], listen to [[Music of Afghanistan|Afghan music]], eat mostly [[Afghan cuisine|Afghan food]], and enthusiastically keep up with [[Politics of Afghanistan|Afghan politics]]. They also value their oral tradition of story telling. The stories they sometimes tell are about [[Mullah]] [[Nasreddin]], [[History of Afghanistan|Afghan history]], myths and religions.<ref name=Eigo />

Afghan Americans celebrate August 19 as [[Afghan Independence Day]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Vic Kovacs|title=Life as an Afghan American|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0UpgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21|date=15 December 2017|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc|isbn=978-1-5383-2239-0|pages=21–}}</ref> which relates to August 1919, the date when Afghanistan became fully independent after the signing of the [[Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919|Anglo-Afghan Treaty]]. Small [[festival]]s are held in cities that have Afghan communities, usually at the parks where black, red and green colored [[Flag of Afghanistan|Afghan flags]] are spotted around cars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.embassyofafghanistan.org/newsletter/newsletter/aug06.html|title=Embassy Celebrates Independence Day|work=Afghan Embassy news letter|volume=34|date=August 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617010432/http://www.embassyofafghanistan.org/newsletter/newsletter/aug06.html |archive-date=June 17, 2010}}</ref> Eid and Nowruz remain popular festivals for Afghans. The 2021 American sitcom ''[[United States of Al]]'' featured American and Afghan culture.

A ''[[The Washington Post]]'' article from October 2001 claims that the Afghan-American community, "concentrated in the towns of [[Fremont, California|Fremont]] and [[Hayward, California|Hayward]], 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Waxman |first=Sharon |date=2001-10-31 |title=Kabul in Miniature |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/31/kabul-in-miniature/e6ce929c-db07-43d1-93d5-2d437d6c8cad/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

===Ethnicity and race===
{{Further|Ethnic groups in Afghanistan|religion in Afghanistan}}
Afghan Americans are composed of the various [[ethnic groups in Afghanistan|ethnic groups]] that exist in Afghanistan, which include [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]], [[Tajiks|Tajik]], [[Hazaras|Hazara]], [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]], [[Turkmens|Turkmen]], [[Baloch people|Baloch]], and a number of others.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robinson |first1=Barbara |last2=Lipson |first2=Julian |last3=Younos |first3=Farid |last4=Mehdi |first4=Mariam |title=The Afghans : their history and culture |date=2002 |publisher=Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics |location=Washington D.C. |pages=Chapter 5(B)- The People: The Tajiks and Other Dari-Speaking Groups |oclc=56081073 }}</ref> Since 1945, Afghan Americans have been officially classified as [[Caucasian race|Caucasians]].<ref name="In the Matter of K">{{cite web |url=https://casetext.com/admin-law/in-the-matter-of-k-27#p256|title=In the Matter of K, 2 I&N Dec. 253|page=256|work=[[Board of Immigration Appeals]]|date=May 26, 1945|publisher=Casetext.com|quote=From an ethnological and scientific point of view, Afghans are unanimously considered to be of the [[Caucasian race]] and [[White people|white persons]].|access-date=2021-07-23}}</ref> For [[United States census|U.S. Census]] purposes Afghans are [[Race and ethnicity in the United States|racially categorized]] as White Americans.<ref name="The Changing Racial and Ethnic Comp"/> Some Afghan Americans, however, may self identify as being [[Middle Eastern Americans]], [[Central Asian Americans]] or [[South Asian Americans]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mohsini |first=Zainab |date=2022-02-22 |title=I Am My Own Savior |url=https://www.saada.org/tides/article/i-am-my-own-savior |access-date=2024-07-10|website=South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Zeweri">{{cite book|last=Zeweri|first=Helena|editor=Jonathan H. X. Lee|title=Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BrfLWdeISoC|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35066-5|pages=117–120|chapter=Afghan American: Identity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BrfLWdeISoC&pg=PA117 |quote=Some of Afghan ancestry might choose Middle Eastern as a way to self-identify, while others might pick Asian based on geographical understand of their ancestral lineage, and still others might pick white (non-Hispanic) because it rings truer to them from a racial classification point of view.}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://swanaalliance.com/about | title=What is SWANA? }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-census-middle-east-north-africa-race/ | title=Are Arabs and Iranians white? Census says yes, but many disagree | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] }}</ref><ref name="The Changing Racial and Ethnic Comp">{{cite journal |last1=Daniel Perez |first1=Anthony |last2=Hirschman |first2=Charles |date=March 2008 |title=The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of the US Population: Emerging American Identities |journal=Population and Development Review |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=1–51 |doi=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2009.00260.x |pmid=20539823 |quote=The racial codes used in Census 2000 (as well as current American Community Surveys) include 'Afghanistani' are white, while the ancestry codes in the same document list 'Afghan' under South Asia. |pmc=2882688 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Table Podcast (July-Sept 2021) |year=2021 |url=https://archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu/handle/10713/16211 |publisher=University of Maryland, Baltimore |access-date=24 December 2022|hdl=10713/16211|last1=Ferreira |first1=Rosemary |last2=Carney |first2=Courtney Jones }}</ref>

===Religion===
{{multiple image | width = 150|total_width=250 |align=right | image1 = Flushing 33 Av 143 St mosque jeh.JPG | caption1 = The [[Hazrati Abu Bakr Siddique]] [[Mosque]] in [[Flushing, Queens]], [[New York City]]}}
The majority of Afghan-Americans are Muslims whom follow [[Islam in Afghanistan|Sunni Islam]], with a sizable community of [[Shia Islam in Afghanistan|Shia]] Muslims. Many Afghan Americans residing in [[Northern Virginia]] are members of the [[All Dulles Area Muslim Society]], which has a number of local branches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tysonsreporter.com/2021/08/25/the-adams-center-is-helping-afghan-evacuees-make-a-new-life-in-northern-virginia/ |title=The ADAMS Center is helping Afghan evacuees make a new life in Northern Virginia |publisher=Tysons Reporter |date=August 25, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adamscenter.org/|title=Home|website=All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS)|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> After the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, a mosque run by Afghan-Americans in New York City donated blood, held a vigil for those who died inside the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] (WTC) and funded a memorial for the [[New York City Fire Department|New York City fire fighters]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1564157.stm|title=Troubling times for Afghan-Americans|publisher=BBC News|date=September 26, 2001 |access-date=2015-03-17}}</ref>

There is a community of [[History of the Jews in Afghanistan|Afghan Jews]] in [[New York City]], numbering about 200 families in 2007.<ref name="rferl.org">{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/content/article/1077209.html|title=U.S.: Afghan Jews Keep Traditions Alive Far From Home|date=June 19, 2007|publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)|work=Nikola Krastev|access-date=2013-09-07}}</ref> A group of Afghan Americans in the Los Angeles area follow [[Christianity in Afghanistan|Christianity]].<ref name="afghanchurch.net">{{cite web|url=https://www.afghanchurch.net/|title=Afghan Christian Fellowship, Los Angeles|work=afghanchurch.net|access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808060429/http://www.afghanchurch.net/|archive-date=August 8, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hussain Andaryas is an Afghan Christian televangelist who belongs to the Hazara ethnic group.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www1.cbn.com/700club/long-road-christ-muslims-story |title=The Long Road to Christ: A Muslim's Story |publisher=Christian Broadcasting Network |date= |access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref> Outside of the Abrahamic faiths, there exists a community of [[Hinduism in Afghanistan|Afghan Hindus]] and [[Sikhism in Afghanistan|Afghan Sikhs]]. They are mainly found in the states of [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Maryland]].<ref name="First Afghan Hindu and Sikh Temple in Maryland a Cultural Bridge">{{cite video |last1=Ahmadi |first1=Mohammad |title=First Afghan Hindu and Sikh Temple in Maryland a Cultural Bridge |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/first-afghan-hindu-sikh-temple-maryland-cultural-bridge/4381558.html |website=Voice of America |date=May 6, 2018 |access-date=2018-11-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Afghani Sikh and Hindu Community pay tribute to their brethren slain in Afghanistan |url=https://www.theindianpanorama.news/unitedstates/afghani-sikh-and-hindu-community-pay-tribute-to-their-brethren-slain-in-afghanistan/ |publisher=The Indian Panorama Newspaper |date=6 July 2018 |access-date=2018-11-25}}</ref>

===Media===
Afghan Americans have formed media outlets dedicated for its diaspora. Examples include television channels such as [[Ariana Afghanistan]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://psmag.com/magazine/an-afghan-variety-show | title=An Afghan Variety Show on the Bay | date=May 16, 2018 }}</ref> [[Payam-e-Afghan]], [[Tuti TV]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tuti.tv/about-tuti/ |title=Live Streaming Music. Afghan Entertainment TV. TriVision &#124; Tuti |website=tuti.tv |access-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222160910/http://tuti.tv/about-tuti/ |archive-date=22 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and Pamir TV. In the 1990s, ''Afghanistan TV'' broadcast on [[KSCI]] Channel 18 in Los Angeles and as well as magazines like the ''Afghanistan Mirror''. Many organizations have also been formed for Afghan youth, solidarity, women's rights and more.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_QezyxtLr04C&pg=PA86 | title=Afghanistan: Civil War or Uncivil Peace? : Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session, May 9, 1996 | year=1996 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | isbn=9780160539107 }}</ref> Recently a new radio station has also launched named Radio Afghan Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prunderground.com/radio-afghan-los-angeles-95-5fm-socalafghan-com-debuts-an-hour-with-fatah/00275919/ |title=Radio Afghan Los Angeles / 95.5FM / SoCalAfghan.com Debuts 'An Hour with Fatah' |publisher=PRUnderground |date=2022-09-15 |access-date=2022-12-24}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theafghan.org/show/|title=Afghanistan by Afghans – Afghan Cultural Foundation|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> The show is also showcased on [[Zarin TV]].

==Demographics==
===Immigration===
According to estimates from the Migration Policy Institute website for 2017 - 2021, there were 118,500 Afghan immigrants in the USA.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-04 |title=U.S. Immigrant Population by State and County |url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-immigrant-population-state-and-county |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=migrationpolicy.org |language=en}}</ref> The counties or county-equivalents with the most Afghan immigrants were as follows:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Afghan Immigrant Population by County or County-Equivalent
|-
! Rank !! County !! State !! Population
|-
| 1 || [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento County]] || [[California]] || 15,400
|-
| 2 || [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]] || [[California]] || 7,200
|-
| 3 || [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] || [[Virginia]] || 6,400
|-
| 4 || [[King County, Washington|King County]] || [[Washington (state)|Washington]] || 4,700
|-
| 5 || [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa County]] || [[California]] || 4,500
|-
| 6 || [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]] || [[Virginia]] || 4,300
|-
| 7 || [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]] || [[California]] || 3,800
|-
| 8 || [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] || [[California]] || 3,600
|-
| 9 || [[San Diego County, California|San Diego County]] || [[California]] || 3,300
|-
| 10 || [[Bexar County, Texas|Bexar County]] || [[Texas]] || 3,100
|-
| 11 || [[Queens County, New York|Queens County]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 2,700
|-
| 12 || [[San Joaquin County, California|San Joaquin County]] || [[California]] || 2,200
|-
| 13 || [[Stanislaus County, California|Stanislaus County]] || [[California]] || 1,900
|-
| 14 || [[Travis County, Texas|Travis County]] || [[Texas]] || 1,800
|-
| 15 || [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria (city)]] || [[Virginia]] || 1,800
|-
| 16 || [[Riverside County, California|Riverside County]] || [[California]] || 1,800
|-
| 17 || [[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant County]] || [[Texas]] || 1,700
|-
| 18 || [[Prince George's County, Maryland|Prince George's County]] || [[Maryland]] || 1,700
|-
| 19 || [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]] || [[Arizona]] || 1,600
|-
| 20 || [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 1,500
|-
| 21 || [[Loudoun County, Virginia|Loudoun County]] || [[Virginia]] || 1,500
|-
| 22 || [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] || [[Texas]] || 1,500
|-
| 23 || [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas County]] || [[Texas]] || 1,100
|-
| 24 || [[Albany County, New York|Albany County]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 1,100
|}

===Economics===
[[File:Tysons Corner Sunset_.jpg|thumb|[[Northern Virginia]] has a large Afghan American work force]]
Many Afghan Americans own [[real estate]] in Afghanistan,<ref name="The Baltimore Sun-03-03-2015"/> which in some cases have been [[law of Afghanistan|lawfully]] [[inheritance|inherited]] from their earliest ancestors for generations upon generations. Afghan Americans who arrived before the 21st century are mostly found residing near other [[American middle class|middle class Americans]]. Some may be found living in the [[upper middle class]] neighborhoods and earning high salaries.

Because the majority of Afghan Americans were originally admitted as refugees under {{usc|8|1157}}, the government provided various forms of [[Social programs in the United States#Federal welfare programs|assistance]] ([[welfare spending|welfare]]) and selected their city of residence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-08-17/do-not-give-up-americans-help-afghans-in-new-homeland |title='Do Not Give Up': Americans Help Afghans in New Homeland |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |date=August 17, 2021 |access-date=2021-08-18}}</ref><ref name="Denver ranks among top relocation destinations for Afghan refugees">{{cite news |url=https://www.axios.com/denver-afghan-refugees-resettlement-458c5fca-f8c0-4a17-b07f-8d9aeb24ab2a.html |title=Denver ranks among top relocation destinations for Afghan refugees |publisher=Axios (website) |date=September 1, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref><ref name="How Biden is resettling Afghans in the US">{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/how-biden-is-resettling-afghan-citizens-in-the-us |title=How Biden is resettling Afghans in the US |publisher=Washington Examiner |date=September 1, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-01}}</ref><ref name="New York's Divided Afghans">{{cite news |url=https://www.gothamgazette.com/demographics/2471-new-yorks-divided-afghans |title=New York's Divided Afghans |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=July 8, 2004 |access-date=2021-08-11}}</ref> Some{{Quantify|date=August 2021}} 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 eventually [[mortgage loan|mortgaged]] homes. Their children were sent to [[Lists of American universities and colleges|colleges or universities]]. Those who could not achieve this decided to build or [[franchising|franchise]] [[small business]]es. Others became real estate agents, bank employees, office workers, hotel workers, store clerks, salespersons, security guards, drivers, mechanics, waiters, etc.<ref name="UNU">{{cite web |url=https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2018-49.pdf |title=Economic integration of Afghan refugees in the US, 1980–2015 |publisher=World Institute for Development Economics Research |date=May 2018 |access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref>

Like many other immigrants in the United States, Afghan Americans often engage in the operation of small businesses. Many operate [[Kennedy Fried Chicken|American]] and [[Afghan cuisine|Afghan]] [[restaurant]]s as well as Afghan markets,<ref name="The Baltimore Sun-03-03-2015">{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/citypaper/bcp-qayum-karzais-life-is-split-between-his-baltimore-restaurants-and-his-native-afghanistan-20150303-story.html |title=Exile on Charles Street: Restaurateur Qayum Karzai's life is split between Baltimore and his native Afghanistan |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=March 3, 2015 |access-date=2021-08-11}}</ref><ref name="Afghans in New York Look Back on a Strange Decade">{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/09/afghans-in-new-york-look-back-on-a-strange-decade/244386/ |title=Afghans in New York Look Back on a Strange Decade |publisher=The Atlantic |date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=2021-08-11}}</ref> while some have been reported in the 1990s as [[Street food#United States|vendors]] in [[Manhattan]] where they have replaced [[Greek Americans]] in the field.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mirta Ojito|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/18/nyregion/face-behind-bagel-afghan-newcomers-use-coffee-carts-succeed-vendors-new-york-s.html|title=The Face Behind the Bagel - Afghan Newcomers Use Coffee Carts to Succeed As Vendors of New York's Rush-Hour Breakfast|work=New York Times|date=September 18, 1997|access-date=2016-01-21}}</ref>

The family incomes of Afghan Americans (specifically, those that were termed "refugees") was a median of $50,000 in 2015. This figure is higher than [[Mexican Americans]], [[Cuban Americans]] and slightly higher than [[Hmong Americans]], but lower than [[Vietnamese Americans]].<ref name="UNU"/>

===Education===
Afghan immigrants that were admitted to the United States before 1979 were well educated.<ref name=Eigo /> In contrast, current immigrants have escaped from [[totalitarianism]], [[genocide]], [[torture]], [[persecution]], [[mistreatment]], and military conflicts. This group has had some trouble coping with learning the English language.<ref name=Eigo /> 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.<ref name=Eigo /> After the 1979 Soviet invasion, [[Education in Afghanistan|Afghanistan's education]] system worsened, causing many migrants in the late 20th century to place less emphasis on educational attainment.<ref name=Eigo />

==Notable people==
{{main list|List of Afghan Americans}}
[[File:Zalmay Khalilzad with George W. Bush in 2004.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Zalmay Khalilzad]] with [[George W. Bush]] in 2004]]
[[File:Lina Rozbih in 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Lina Rozbih, Senior Editor and television personality at [[Voice of America]]]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.insidevoa.com/a/voa-experts/3834958.html#south___central_asia_division | title=VOA Experts }}</ref>
[[File:Tamim Ansary & Humaira Ghilzai at SF Public Library 10-15-08.JPG|thumb|upright|Author [[Tamim Ansary]] and activist Humaira Ghilzai]]
[[File:Aschraf Ghani MSC 2017 2 (cropped_modified).jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Ashraf Ghani]], the 5th [[President of Afghanistan]]]]
[[File:Mohammad Qayoumi podium.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mohammad Qayoumi]] served as President of [[San Jose State University]] and [[California State University, East Bay]]]]

===Politics, academia and literature===
*[[Zalmay Khalilzad]] – [[U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations]] from 2007 to 2009
*[[Ashraf Ghani]] – 5th [[President of Afghanistan]]
*[[Ali Jalali]] – [[Distinguished Professor]] at the [[National Defense University (Washington, D.C.)|National Defense University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]; ex-Afghan diplomat
*[[Mohammad Qayoumi]] – Former President of [[San Jose State University]] and [[California State University, East Bay]]
*[[Safiya Wazir]] – Member of the [[New Hampshire House of Representatives]]
* Aisha Wahab – Member of the [[California State Senate]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sd10.senate.ca.gov/biography |title=Biography}}</ref><ref name="Wahab History">{{cite web|url=https://eastbayexpress.com/aisha-wahab-made-history-1/|title=Aisha Wahab Made History|date=February 6, 2019|last=Tavares|first=Steven|website=[[East Bay Express]]|access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref>
*[[Ajmal Ahmady]] – Politician in Afghanistan
*[[Said Tayeb Jawad]] – Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States from 2003 to 2010
*[[Nazif Shahrani]] – Professor of [[anthropology]] at [[Indiana University]]
*[[Ishaq Shahryar]] – [[Embassy of Afghanistan, Washington, D.C.|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 at [[NYU]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://econ.as.nyu.edu/object/MIshaqNadiri.html|title=M. Ishaq Nadiri, Faculty of Department of Economics – NYU|access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref> and signatory at 2001 Afghanistan Bonn conference
*[[Nake M. Kamrany]] – Professor of economics at [[University of Southern California]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/nake-m-kamrany/|title=Nake M. Kamrany|website=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kamrany.us/|title=Nake M. Kamrany, Ph.D., J.D.|access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref>
*[[Haris Tarin]] – Director of [[Muslim Public Affairs Council]] ( MPAC)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/rising-muslim-american-leader-in-dc-speaks-for-his-generation/2012/11/11/850d39f0-2201-11e2-8448-81b1ce7d6978_story.html|title=Rising Muslim American leader in D.C. speaks for his generation|newspaper=Washington Post|date=November 11, 2012|access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref>
*[[Tamim Ansary]] – Author of ''West of Kabul, East of New York'', a book published in 2001, shortly after the "9-11" attacks.
*[[Khaled Hosseini]] – Best-selling author whose work includes ''[[The Kite Runner]]'' and ''[[A Thousand Splendid Suns]]''
*[[Fariba Nawa]] – Author of ''[[Opium Nation]]'' and journalist
*[[Qais Akbar Omar]] – Author of ''A Fort of Nine Towers'' and co-author of ''Shakespeare 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 of [[Kandahar]]
*[[Hafizullah Emadi]] (born [[Shibar District|Shibar]]), independent scholar and development consultant for Focus Humanitarian Assistance

===Business and finance===
*[[Mahmoud Karzai]] – Brother of former Afghan President [[Hamid Karzai]] and owner of Afghan cuisine restaurant
*[[Qayum Karzai]] – Brother of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and owner of [[Afghan cuisine]] restaurants in the Southern California and [[Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area]]
*[[Ehsan Bayat]] – Business entrepreneur who founded [[Afghan Wireless]]

===Sports===
*[[Hailai Arghandiwal]] - [[Association football]] (soccer) player who plays for German club [[MSV Duisburg (women)|Duisburg]] and the [[Afghanistan women's national football team|Afghanistan national team]].
*[[Adam Najem]] – Association football player who plays as a [[midfielder]] for [[Canadian Premier League]] club [[FC Edmonton]], and the [[Afghanistan national football team|Afghanistan national team]].
*[[David Najem]] – Association football player who plays as a [[defender (association football)|defender]] for [[USL Championship]] club [[New Mexico United]] and the [[Afghanistan national football team|Afghanistan national team]]
*[[Ahmad Hatifi]] – Association football player who is a [[midfielder]] and currently plays for [[CD Aguiluchos USA]]
*[[Mohammad Mashriqi]] - Association football player
*[[Alex Hinshaw]] – Former baseball pitcher<ref name="thestar.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2013/02/21/blue_jays_pitcher_hinshaw_comes_from_exotic_background_dimanno.html|title=Blue Jays: Pitcher Hinshaw comes from exotic background: DiManno|work=thestar.com|date=February 21, 2013|access-date=17 March 2015|last1=Dimanno|first1=Rosie}}</ref>
*[[Jeff Bronkey]] – Former baseball player<ref name="thestar.com" />
*[[Shamila Kohestani]] - Former soccer player and founder of the first women's national soccer team

===Media and art===
*[[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 called ''[[FireDancer]]''.
*[[Josh Gad]] – Actor appearing in [[Frozen (2013 film)|''Frozen'']] and [[Jobs (film)|''Jobs'']]. Afghan-Jewish father.
*[[Leena Alam]] – Actress from ''Kabuli Kid'', ''Loori'', ''Soil and Coral'', and ''The Unknown''
*[[Fahim Fazli]] – Actor who appears in various films, such as ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fahimspeaks.com/authors.html|title=Authors|work=Fahim speaks|access-date=March 17, 2015}}</ref>
*[[Robert Joffrey]] – born Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan is known for co-founder of the [[Joffrey Ballet]]
*[[Aman Mojadidi]] – Artist whose art focuses on Afghan politics and cross-cultural identity<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/27/opinion/mojadidi-afghan-performance-art/index.html?|title=An 'Afghan redneck' creates art in a war zone |author=Aman Mojadidi|publisher=CNN|date=January 27, 2013|access-date=2015-03-17}}</ref>
*[[Noor Wodjouatt]], founder of [[Zarin TV]] and performer at Kennedy Center

===Musicians===
*[[Omar Akram]] – Pianist who won a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]] award for best new age album <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.last.fm/music/Omar+Akram/+wiki|title=Omar Akram|work=Last.fm|access-date=March 17, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/photos/omar-akram|title=Omar Akram|work=The GRAMMYs|access-date=March 17, 2015}}</ref>
*[[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 (singer)|Naghma]] - Afghan musician
*[[Ehsan Aman]] - Afghan musician

===Beauty pageant contestants===
*[[Zohra Daoud]] – [[Miss Afghanistan]] 1974
*[[Vida Samadzai]] – [[Beauty for a Cause]] of [[Miss Earth 2003]]

===Afghan royalty===
*[[Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan]] and  Khatul Begum, Princess of Afghanistan

===Other===
*[[Hevad Khan]] – Professional [[Poker player]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pokernews.com/news/2009/01/pokernews-profile-hevad-khan-5962.htm|title=The PokerNews Profile: Hevad Khan|author=Nicole Gordon|date=January 9, 2009 |publisher=pokernews.com|access-date=March 17, 2015}}</ref>
*[[Zahira Zahir]] - Sister of Afghan singer [[Ahmad Zahir]]. Known for cutting the hair [[George W. Bush]], among others.
*[[Razia Jan]] - head of non-profit education organization in Afghanistan
*[[Shamim Jawad]] - Women's rights advocate and aid worker

==See also==
{{portal|Afghanistan|United States}}
*[[Central Asians in the United States]]
*[[Afghan diaspora]]
*[[Afghanistan–United States relations]]
*[[Demographics of Afghanistan]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* 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.&nbsp;17–30. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300013/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=e9903fbc online]
* Lipson, Juliene G., and Patricia A. Omidian. “Afghans.” In ''Refugees 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.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.allied-media.com/Afghan_American/index.html Afghan American Demographics]
*[https://www.a-acc.org/ Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce]
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/11/14/in-vas-little-kabul-joy/1f659471-bba9-4a03-8953-0be4d83fb9e4/ In Va.'s Little Kabul, Joy] (Washington Post, Nov. 14, 2001)J
*[https://abcnews.go.com/US/forbes-30-30-honorees-charity-accused-mistreating-refugees/story?id=98192433] (ABC News, Olivia Rubin, April 11, 2023)

{{Afghan diaspora}}
{{Pashtun diaspora}}
{{Central Asians in the United States}}

[[Category:Afghan diaspora in the United States| ]]
[[Category:American people of Afghan descent]]
[[Category:Afghan diaspora]]
[[Category:Pashtun diaspora]]
[[Category:Central Asian diaspora in the United States]]