Sharia and the State in Pakistan: Blasphemy Politics

205 Pages·2019·2.426 MB·English

by  Farhat Haq

Sharia and the State in Pakistan
This book analyses the formulation, interpretation, and implementation of sharia
in Pakistan and its relationship with the Pakistani state whilst addressing the
complexity of sharia as a codified set of laws.
Drawing on insights from Islamic studies, anthropology, and legal studies to
examine the interactions between ideas, institutions, and political actors that
have enabled blasphemy laws to become the site of continuous controversy,
this book furthers the readers’ understanding of Pakistani politics and presents
the transformation of sharia from a pluralistic religious precept to a set of rigid
laws. Using new materials, including government documents and Urdu language
newspapers, the author contextualizes the larger political debate within Pakistan
and utilizes a comparative and historical framework to weave descriptions of
various events with discussions on sharia and blasphemy.
A contribution to the growing body of literature, which explores the role of the
state in shaping the religion and religious politics in Muslim-majority countries,
this book will be of interest to academics working on South Asian Politics,
Political Islam, Sharia Law, and the relationship of Religion and the State.
Farhat Haq is Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science at
Monmouth College, U.S.A. Her research interests include ethnic politics, gender
and politics, Islam and Human Rights, and militarism and motherhood.
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Bidyut Chakrabarty
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Murad Ali
India, Democracy and Constitutional Identity
Ideological Beliefs and Preferences
Bidyut Chakrabarty
Sharia and the State in Pakistan
Blasphemy Politics
Farhat Haq
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/asian
studies/series/RSSAP
Sharia and the State
in Pakistan
Blasphemy Politics
Farhat Haq
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Farhat Haq
The right of Farhat Haq to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-15065-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-05477-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For my beloved father, Dr. Ihsan Ul Haque
and Mohsin Masood

Contents
List of figures viii
List of tables ix
Acknowledgments x
Introduction 1
1 A tale of two saints: the politics of blasphemy in Pakistan 14
2 Blasphemy, apostasy, and heresy and the politics of outrage 45
3 Debating blasphemy: sharia and the constitution 79
4 Sacralizing the state and secularizing sharia: Islamic
politics in the age of the nation-state 104
5 The administrative state chasing the Goldilocks moment:
the conundrums of a Muslim nation-state 134
6 The fatigue of sharia and contemporary Muslim politics 156
Glossary 179
Index 182
Figures
1.1 Entry gate of Miani Sahib Cemetery, Lahore: Illum-ud-Din
Devotee of the Prophet 15
1.2 Tomb of Illum-ud-Din 15
1.3 Entry gate to Mumtaz Qadri’s Tomb, Bara Kauh, Islamabad 16
1.4 Mumtaz Qadri’s Tomb 16
Tables
2.1 Percentage of Countries with Penalties for Blasphemy, Apostasy,
and Defamation of Religion in 2011 57
3.1 National Vote Count and Share in Percentages 97
3.2 Punjab Vote Count and Share in Percentages 97