National Identity Formation in Pakistan
Analysis of the Anti-Secular Narrative
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21153/jcgs2017vol1no1art1066Keywords:
national identity, anti-secularism, Islamists, pluralism, counter-narrativeAbstract
Soon after its declaration as an Islamic Republic in 1956, Islamists have experienced numerous ups and downs in Pakistan. Islamists not only try to maintain the status quo of the Islamic state but also endeavour to expand the scope of sharia. Despite insignificant achievements in elections, Islamists have mostly been able to dictate civilian and military governments in matters of national identity. One of the greatest challenges for the promotion of pluralism is the Islamists’ anti-secular narrative, which holds significant backing from both the civil and the military elites. The goal of this paper is to analyse such narrative with reference to Pakistan’s continuous struggle for national identity. ‘The analyses propose that anti-secular voices are occupying centre stage in Pakistan, leaving little room for diverse opinions. Anti-secular groups use violence as a tool to silence any opposition against their ideology for Pakistan, which is evident by regular attacks on not only the religious minorities but also the moderate or liberal Muslim thinkers. The conflict over national identity between extremists and moderates is also one of the main causes of rising violent extremism in Pakistan.
References
Abbasi, Ansar. 2016. “US commission recommends further changes in Pak textbooks.” The News, 22 November.
ACLED. 2016. “Targeting religious minorities in Pakistan.” Real Time Analysis of Political Violence across Africa (ACLED), accessed 26 December. http://www.crisis.acleddata.com/targeting-religious-minorities-in-pakistan/.
Ahmed, Zahid Shahab. 2012. “Political Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Pakistan’s Role in the Afghan-Soviet War, 1979-1988.” In Religion and the Cold War: A Global Perspective, edited by P Muehlenbeck, 275-296. Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press.
Ali, Mukhtar Ahmad. 2000. Sectarian Conflict in Pakistan: A Case Study of Jhang. Colombo: Regional Centre for Strategic Studies.
Amir, Ayaz. 2016. “Pakistan’s problem is moderation, not extremism.” The News, 27 December.
Burki, Shahid Javed. 1986. Pakistan: A Nation in the Making. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
Cesari, Jocelyne. 2014. The Awakening of Muslim Democracy: Religion, Modernity, and the State. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Dhakku, Nabeel Anwar. 2016. “Fear stalks Chakwal after attack on Ahmadi place of worship.” Dawn, 14 December.
Ghori, Habib Khan. 2016. “Sindh govt decides to review bill on forced conversion.” Dawn, 17 December.
Gishkori, Zahid. 2011. “JI seeks Presidential pardon for Mumtaz Qadri.” The Express Tribune, 21 October.
Haider, Irfan. 2015. “Pakistan will not allow NGOs working against national interest: Nisar.” Dawn, 13 June.
Haq, Sirajul. 2016a. “Any amendment in the Blasphemy law unacceptable. Nizam-e-Mustafa Conference.” Jamaat-e-Islami, Last Modified 2 April, accessed 12 December. http://jamaat.org/en/news_detail.php?article_id=604.
Haq, Sirajul. 2016b. “Only secular, liberal people are named by Panama leaks.” Jamaat-e-Islami, Last Modified 10 April, accessed 20 December. http://jamaat.org/en/news_detail.php?article_id=615.
Hoodbhoy, Pervez. 2006. “Education Reform in Pakistan - Challenges and Prospects.” Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education. http://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2014/02/Pakistan-Education-Challenges-and-Prospects-2006.pdf.
Hoodbhoy, Pervez. 2016. “Could Pakistan Have Remained Pluralistic?” In Faith-Based Violence and Deobandi Militancy in Pakistan, edited by Jawad Syed, Edwina Pio, Tahir Kamran and Abbas Zaidi, 35-64. London: Macmillan Publishers.
Imtiaz, Saba. 2012. “We will make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state’: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.” The Express Tribune, 27 January.
Iqbal, Nasir. 2014. “Marching on the capital - a history.” Dawn, 17 August.
Ismail, Sheikh. 2015. “Pakistan remains one of the deadliest countries for aid workers: Report.” The Express Tribune, 16 July.
Jabbar, Javed. 2016. “M.A. Jinnah, re-born.” Dawn, 25 December.
Jan, Abid Ullah. 2005. The Musharraf Factor: Leading Pakistan to Inevitable Demise. Ottawa: Pragmatic Publishing.
Karim, Mehtab S. 2016. “Our population prerogatives.” Dawn, 11 July.
Khan, Raza. 2016. “‘Lightly beating’ wife permissible, says CII’s proposed women protection bill.” Dawn, 26 May.
Malik, Anas. 2011. Political Survival in Pakistan: Beyond Ideology. London: Routledge.
Musharraf, Pervez. 2006. In the Line of Fire. New York: Free Press.
Nadeem, Afzal. 2002. “Six shot in attack on Christian welfare group.” The Age, 26 September.
Nasir, Mohammad Jibran. 2016. “Sleeping with sectarianism: How militants are becoming a political force in Pakistan.” The Nation, 8 November.
PRC. 2009. “Mapping the Global Muslim Population.” Pew Research Center (PRC), Last Modified 7 October, accessed 10 December. http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/.
Rais, Rasul Bakhsh. 2004. “Islamic radicalism and minorities in Pakistan.” In Religious radicalism and security in South Asia, edited by Satu P Limaye, Robert G Wirsing and Mohan Malik, 447-465. Honolulu: Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.
Rathore, Mujtaba, and Abdul Basit. 2010. “Trends and Patterns of Radicalization in Pakistan.” Conflict and Peace Studies 3 (2):15-32.
Sareen, Sushant. 2011. “Pakistan’s Slide towards Talibanisation.” In Religion and Security in South and Central Asia, edited by K Warikoo, 23-36. New York: Routledge.
SCP. 2016. Quetta Commission Report. Islamabad: Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP).
Shah, Hijab. 2010. The Inside Pages: Analysis of the Pakistani Press. Washington: Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Shah, Saeed. 2011. “CIA organised fake vaccination drive to get Osama bin Laden’s family DNA.” The Guardian, 12 July.
Sial, Safdar, and Tanveer Anjum. 2010. “Jihad, Extremism and Radicalization: A Public Perspective.” Conflict and Peace Studies 3 (2):33-62.
Sindhu, Haider Ali. 2016. “Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi wins PP-78 Jhang by-election.” Daily Pakistan, 1 December.
Tharoor, Ishaan. 2014. “The Pakistani origins of the Israeli state.” The Washington Post, 3 December.
Warde, Ibrahim. 2010. Islamic Finance in the Global Economy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Zaidi, Syed M Zulqurnain. 2003. The Emergence of Ulema in the Politics of India and Pakistan 1918-1949: A Historical Perspective. Lincoln: Writers Club Press.
