Pakistan as an ‘Islamic Zion’
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19452009 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Farooq Sulehria (0000-0002-1677-1999, Beaconhouse National University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 61-80 |
| Publication date | 2022-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South Asian Survey (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0973-0788 • E-ISSN: 0971-5231 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09715231221076395 |
| OpenAlex | W4221137385 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 14 |
In order to understand the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan, it is important to go beyond culturalist and orientalist explanations. As an alternative, this article foregrounds four factors that have been instrumental in projecting fundamentalism to a near-hegemonic position in the country. First, the fact that Pakistan has been imagined as a community of Muslims offers the fundamentalist an edge over secular rivals. This confessional intrinsicality is compounded by an official appeasement and patronage of the fundamentalists. Second, elaborate charity networks offering an ‘alternative society’ that caters to basic needs such as health, education and jobs have helped Islamic fundamentalism expand its outreach during a neoliberal period when the state shunned its welfare role. Third, the radical decline of the Pakistani left spawned a political vacuum that allowed the fundamentalists to become a mainstream platform for the public to vent their anger. Finally, imperialism, in particular the United States, contributed to the growth of fundamentalism in Pakistan in the context of the Cold War. This process apexed during the Afghan Jihad of the 1980s, and it laid the grounds for 9/11 and beyond
Fundamentalism · Islam · Islamic fundamentalism · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Radicalization · Sectarianism · Secularism · Sociology · History · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Religion and Society Interactions · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |