Faqiror faker
The Pakpattan tragedy and the politics of Sufism in Pakistan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5111480 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert Rozehnal (Lehigh University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 29-47 |
| Publication date | 2006-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0048-721X • E-ISSN: 1096-1151 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.religion.2006.02.013 |
| OpenAlex | W2042296517 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 18 |
On the night of April 1, 2001, over a hundred devotees were crushed to death in a mob stampede during the annual pilgrimage at the shrine of Pakistan's most famous Sufi saint, Baba Farid ad-Din Ganj-i Shakkar. This article explores this tragedy as a case study of the politics of Sufism. In today's Pakistan, Sufism remains an emotive, multi-valent and highly contested symbolda lightning rod in the contestation over Islamic identity, authority and authenticity. While most Pakistanis view Sufi saints as the embodiment of Islamic virtued-true faqirs ('impoverished ones') committed to a life of piety, self-sacrifice and public servicedthe detractors of the tradition dismiss them as fakers. Faqir or faker? The opposing answers to this question reveal how the Sufi tradition is argued and debated in Pakistan and throughout the modern Muslim world. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, I examine the differing responses of the state, the shrine custodians and a group of Chishti Sabiri Sufi disciples to the Pakpattan tragedy of 2001. Focusing on the response of Sufi participants, I trace how a story of personal loss and national trauma was transformed into a narrative of sacrifice and sacralisation, with Sufism framed as Islamic orthodoxy
Ancient history · Islam · Orthodoxy · Piety · Pilgrimage · Political science · Politics · Sacrifice · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science) · Sufism · Theology · Tragedy (event) · Asian Studies and History · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Religious studies
Devotional Islam and Politics in British India
Jihad
Sufi heirs of the Prophet
And Muhammad is his messenger
Sufi Martyrs of Love
Islamic Revival in British India
Embodying Charisma
Shrines, Succession, and Sources of Moral Authority
Public Sphere in Muslim Societies, The
Arguing Sainthood
Islamic Mysticism Contested
The Islamic Leviathan
Public Religions in the Modern World
The Politics of Sufism
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2021 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |