Hamida belongs to a group of tribal people called the Nuristanis who were conquered by the Afghan Armies in 1900 and forced to abandon their ancient religious beliefs in favor of Islam. Today the Nuristanis are extremely devout Muslims who live primarily in Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Considered to be very fierce they were the first to revolt against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1978. In contrast to their Kalash neighbors, the Nuristani girls cover their faces in public and usually are not allowed to go to school.