Afghan Canadians

Afghan Canadians
Total population
83,995[1]
Regions with significant populations
Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Vancouver
Languages
Canadian English, French, Persian, Pashto, and other Afghan languages
Religion
Sunni Islam and Shia Islam

Afghan Canadians are Canadians with ancestry from Afghanistan. Their ethnic origin may come from any of the ethnic groups of Afghanistan. In the Canada 2016 Census about 83,995 Canadians were from Afghanistan.[1] Due to the political borders at earlier times, some of these Afghan immigrants may have been ethnic Pashtuns from British India (present-day Pakistan) or Afghanistan.


They are mostly concentrated in the southwestern region of Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, with significant communities in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. Afghan Canadians are from various ethnic groups from Afghanistan and are able to fluently speak Dari, Pashto or Turkmen.

In the Canadian Census, Canadians with descent from Afghanistan are classified as being West Central Asian.[1]

Notable individuals

  • Madam Qamargul Zakhel - Legendary Singer of Afghanistan
  • Mr. Emal Zakhel- Award winning Artist and a great harmonium player
  • Maryam Monsef - Member of Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha; first Afghan-Canadian elected to Canada's House of Commons, current Minister of Status of Women
  • Salar Pashtoonyar - Afghan-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto.
  • Hangama - singer
  • Vaheed Kaacemy - singer
  • Mozhdah - singer
  • Nelofer Pazira - filmmaker and author (Kandahar, Return to Kandahar, A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan)
  • Hangama Amiri - Artist
  • Fazila Amiri - Film Director
  • Kane Mahon - Actor
  • Waheed Soroor - singer
  • Sima Tarana - singer
  • Shah Wali - singer
  • Hamid Zaher - writer and gay rights activist
  • Rahela Nayebzadah - writer of Jeegareh Ma
  • Khalid Sarwar - Serial Entrepreneur, Animals Rights Activist, Afghan Blanket Collector
  • Dr. Hussain Ramoz - Human Rights Activist, Civil Society and political Activist
  • Parween Pazhwak - Persian Artist and Poet

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ethnic origin population". statcan. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2018.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.