Muslim Impact on Religion and Culture of the Kalash

Introduction: The Kalash are the only non-Muslim ethnic group living in three small and beautiful valleys of district Chitral. They are the last tribe of the Kafirs of the Hindu Kush. The Kalash exhibit, perhaps, one of the ancient and unique primitive traditions and cultures. They are living with the Muslims in this region for a long period of time, and had been under Muslim rule most of this period. In spite of being a small minority community, surrounded by the Muslims from all sides, they still are able to sustain their religious ideas and practices to display the most colourful way of living and celebrating their unique culture in modern world. On the other hand the Kalash do not have any solid ideological foundations. Their religious practices and customs are based on some mythological ideas along with nature, animal and ancestor veneration. With the strengthen of Muslim rule in Chitral in 14 th century C. E. most of the Kalash embraced Islam gradually, except a small number of them who up-hold their religion and customs, but they were restricted to Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir, three small valleys that are known as the Kalash Valleys till today. Despite of increasing Muslim population that converted the majority of the Kalash to a minority even in these valleys as well, their survival with their ancient religious and cultural traditions is a matter of significance. Credit goes, on one hand, to the moderate and caring Muslims community of Chitral who being the ruling power with overwhelming majority neither interfered in religious and cultural matters of the Kalash nor attempt to convert them to Islam by force, and, on the other hand, credit goes to the peaceful and lenient Kalash people who always avoided any form of confrontation with the Muslims. Surrounding by the Muslims from all sides, with weaker religious foundation it was quite natural that the smallest non-Muslim minority community of the Kalash to have been influenced by Islamic ideology in many aspect of life. It is a historical fact that the Kalash have been influenced by Islamic ideology and culture according to natural social phenomenon in which an influential ideology dominates a weaker one, and a subjugated community loses its cultural identity against prevailing culture. Unfortunately, in the case of the Kalash, this situation is