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Mawlawi Mohammad Yunus Khalis (alternate spellings Yunis and Younas) ( ps, محمد يونس خالص; c. 1919 – 19 July 2006) was a
mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...
commander in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
during the
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
. His party was called
Hezb-i-Islami Hezb-e-Islami (also ''Hezb-e Islami'', ''Hezb-i-Islami'', ''Hezbi-Islami'', ''Hezbi Islami''), lit. Islamic Party, was an Islamist organization that was commonly known for fighting the Communist Government of Afghanistan and their close ally ...
("Islamic Party"), the same as
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ( ps, ګلب الدين حكمتيار; born 1 August 1949) is an Afghan politician, former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so calle ...
's party. The two are commonly differentiated as
Hezb-e Islami Khalis Hezb-e Islami Khalis ( ps, ) is an Afghan political ex-Mujahidin movement under Maulawi Khalis, who separated from Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami and formed his own resistance group in 1979. The two parties were distinguished as Hezb-e I ...
and
Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin The Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin ( fa, حزب اسلامی گلبدین; abbreviated HIG), also referred to as Hezb-e-Islami or Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), is an Afghan political party and former militia, originally founded in 1976 as Hezb-e-Isla ...
.


Biography

Belonging to the Khugiani tribe of
Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
, Maulvi Mohammad Yunus Khalis was born in 1919 in
Khogyani District Khogyani ( ps, خوږياڼي ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی خوگیانی) is a district in the south of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering on Pakistan. Its population is entirely Pashtun, and was estimated at 146,852 in 2002. The ...
, Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan and became a powerful figure in his country’s turbulent modern history. Educated in
Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...
and
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at the
Darul Uloom Haqqania Darul Uloom Haqqania or Jamia Dar al-Ulum Haqqania ( ur, ) is an Islamic Seminary (darul uloom or madrasa) in the town of Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northwestern Pakistan. The seminary propagates the Hanafi Deobandi school ...
in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Khalis exercised influence through his conservative vision of Islamic society. Sometimes referred to as the don of Nangarhar, he was also a shrewd politician who wielded considerable power behind the scenes during one of the most turbulent and violent periods in his country’s history. After the overthrow of king
Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: , 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last king of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Serving for 40 years, Zahir was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan s ...
by Daoud Khan in 1973, Khalis reportedly wrote a book criticizing Daoud's administration, which forced him to flee to Pakistan in 1974. There he joined
Hekmatyar Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ( ps, ګلب الدين حكمتيار; born 1 August 1949) is an Afghan politician, former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so called ...
's Islamic Party (
Hezb-e Islami Hezb-e-Islami (also ''Hezb-e Islami'', ''Hezb-i-Islami'', ''Hezbi-Islami'', ''Hezbi Islami''), lit. Islamic Party, was an Islamist organization that was commonly known for fighting the Communist Government of Afghanistan and their close ally ...
). After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Khalis broke with Hekmatyar and established his own party (
Hezb-e Islami Khalis Hezb-e Islami Khalis ( ps, ) is an Afghan political ex-Mujahidin movement under Maulawi Khalis, who separated from Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami and formed his own resistance group in 1979. The two parties were distinguished as Hezb-e I ...
). Unlike some other leaders of the Afghan mujahideen, Khalis depended more on his tribal support rather than religious to gather followers in his native Nangarhar province against the
Democratic Republic A democratic republic is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. As a cross between two exceedingly similar systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democrac ...
. Khalis reportedly entered Afghanistan many times to join his forces in waging war against the Soviets and their local proxies. Many prominent mujahideen commanders including
Abdul Haq ʻAbd al-Ḥaqq (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الحقّ) is an Arabic male given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Ḥaqq'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the ...
,
Amin Wardak Amin Wardak (born 1951) is a major Afghanistan, Afghan mujahideen leader who mostly fought against the Afghan communist regime and the Soviet invaders in his home region of Wardak Province during the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s. However, his ...
Faisal Babakarkhail and
Jalaluddin Haqqani Jalaluddin Haqqani ( ps, جلال الدين حقاني, Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥaqqānī) (1939 – 3 September 2018) was an Afghan insurgent commander who founded the Haqqani network, an insurgent group fighting in guerilla warfare against US-led ...
were affiliated with Hezb-e-Islami Khalis. After the fall of the Communist regime in 1992, Khalis participated in the interim
Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
government. He was a member of the Leadership Council (Shura-ye Qiyaadi), but held no other official post. Instead of moving to
Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, he chose to remain in Nangarhar. His party controlled major parts of this politically and strategically important province. The
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
brought Nangarhar under their control in September 1996 and Khalis was supportive of the Taliban movement and had a close relationship with Taliban commanders. Khalis resided in Pakistan in the late 1990s. After the fall of the Taliban, his supporters regained their stronghold in Jalalabad where Khalis exerted considerable influence, although he held no official post. Two of his close associates, Haji
Abdul Qadir Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir ( ar, عبد القادر) is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means "servant of the powerful", ''Al-Qādir'' being one of the names of God in the ...
and
Haji Din Mohammad Hajji Din Mohammad also known as Azizullah Din Mohammad is a politician in Afghanistan who served as the Governor of Nangarhar Province followed by Governor of Kabul Province. He is currently the Chairman of Peace and Development Islamic Party. ...
served as governors of Nangarhar Province after the fall of the Communist regime.
Steve Coll Steve Coll (born October 8, 1958) is an Americans, American journalist, academic and executive. He is currently the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he is also the Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. A staf ...
described Yunus Khalis as "an octogenarian who took teenage wives." According to a statement from his son
Anwar ul Haq Mujahid Anwar ul Haq Mujahid (born 1967, Nangarhar Province) is the son of deceased Afghan militant leader Mohammed Yunis Khalis, founder of the Hezb-e Islami Khalis. When Khalis died in 2006 his son took over the organization, but later transitioned t ...
, leader of the insurgent group
Tora Bora Military Front The Tora Bora Military Front (Pashto: Tora Bora Nizami Mahaz) is an insurgent group in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. It is led by Anwarul Haq Mujahid. The faction broke away from Hezb-e Islami Khalis (HiK) following the death of HiK's leader ...
, Khalis died on 19 July 2006.


Books

The author of many essays and poetry collections, his publications include:Profile
on ''
WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...
''


Pashto

*''Dīnī malghalirī'', Kābul : Dawlatī Maṭbaʻh, 1957, 140 p. Fundamentals of Islam. *''Damūnah aw dāne : shiʻrī ṭolgah'', Peṣhawar : Iḥsān Khparandwiyah Ṭolanah, 2002, 124 p.
Pashto poetry Pashto literature ( ps, ) refers to literature and poetry in Pashto language. The history of Pashto literature spreads over five thousands years having its roots in the oral tradition of tapa. However, the first recorded period begins in 7th cen ...
.
*''Da Islāmī ʻālam nan aw parūn : da Khāliṣ Bābā da khawro waro līkno tolkah'', Peṣhawar : Iḥsān Khparndwiyah Ṭolanah, 2002, 91 p. Collection of articles arranged by ʻAbd al-Hādī Mulākhel.


Dari

*''Islām va ʻAdālat-i Ijtimāʻī'', Kābul : Anjuman-i Tarbīyah-ʼi Afkār, 1958, 326 p. Translation from Arabic of
Sayyid Qutb Sayyid 'Ibrāhīm Ḥusayn Quṭb ( or ; , ; ar, سيد قطب إبراهيم حسين ''Sayyid Quṭb''; 9 October 1906 – 29 August 1966), known popularly as Sayyid Qutb ( ar, سيد قطب), was an Egyptians, Egyptian author, educato ...
's ''Social Justice in Islam''.


References


External links


Biography at www.khyber.org

Khalis and the Moderate Parties
– Library of Congress country studies {{DEFAULTSORT:Khalis, Mohammad Yunus 1910s births 2006 deaths Pashto-language poets History of Nangarhar Province People from Nangarhar Province Hezb-i Islami Khalis politicians Pashtun people Mujahideen members of the Soviet–Afghan War Anti-Shi'ism Afghan expatriates in Pakistan Salafi jihadists Darul Uloom Haqqania alumni