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Beyond the idea of 'Pure'

Throughout the book, Mr Fuchs does not fall prey to the temptation to create a black and white binary regarding Shi'is and Sunnis

In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi‘Ism Between Pakistan and the Middle East
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Sarthak Choudhury
5 min read Last Updated : Jan 28 2020 | 10:55 PM IST
At the beginning of the second chapter of In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi'ism Between Pakistan And the Middle East, Simon Wolfgang Fuchs talks about the monographs prepared by traditionalist scholars, observing that “this was hardly written with lay audience in mind”. This is the same thought I had while reading this book.

Though the book required frequent googling for meanings and definitions or references to the glossary, it could not have been published at a more interesting time for Indian readers. Against the background of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests around the country, Mr Fuchs offers an insight into the plight of minorities in Pakistan and a counter to those who argue that majoritarian countries  cannot have minorities from the same religion.

The book offers a nuanced glimpse of what Shi’is, one of Islam’s many minority groups, have been facing and continue to face in Pakistan and West Asia. Mr Fuchs chooses to focus on Pakistan, arguing that, despite the association between Shi’ism and the Iranian Revolution, Pakistan is home to an equally buzzing Shi’i culture.

He starts by tackling the pre-partition era, explaining how the Shi’is were apprehensive about the formation of Pakistan and the potentially oppressive nature of the “pure Muslim land”. The author also points to the disunity among the Shi’is during that time. He chooses an interesting term for them in pre-partition India, calling them a “double minority” who had to choose between the Muslim League and Congress. He also emphasises the role of the All India Shi’i Conference in working for Shi’s interests and the cultural importance of  Lucknow for them. Mr Fuchs makes the point that despite their differences with the Sunnis, the Shi’i never dissociated themselves from the majority sect.  

Broadly, Mr Fuchs touches upon three themes in the book: Religious authority, transnational Shi’ism and sectarianism. He pays close attention to the ways in which the authority of the Maraji (the rank obtained by Grand Ayatollahs) is affirmed, appropriated and challenged in the context of Pakistan.

Mr Fuchs attaches considerable importance to the Iranian Revolution, describing it as a “watershed”; for modern Shi’i thought. He makes the case that a wider Shi’i landscape emerged after the revolution. He demonstrates how local concepts and politics shaped Pakistan’s view towards Iran. He also explains how Pakistani Shi’is embraced the Iranian project, suggesting that some made the case for a similar Islamic Revolution in Pakistan.

Mr Fuchs tries to explore certain aspects of sectarianism in Pakistan. He says that a number of scholars in Pakistan believed that “Sunni extremists became involved in sectarian politics of violence because of money, business and power”. He blames the selective readings of literature produced by sectarian groups for the lack of a credible explanation for the situation in Pakistan. Mr Fuchs also speaks of anti-Shi’i groups such as the Sipah-I Sahabbah-I Pakistan (SSP). The SSP tried countering the export of the Iranian Revolution to Pakistan, and in doing so attempted to exclude the Shi’i from the Muslim community and, thus, from partaking in the national political discourse in Pakistan. Shi’is retorted by “advancing alternate forms of envisioning Pakistan as a political utopia within reach”. 

Mr Fuchs ends the book by discussing two issues. He compares the experiences of Pakistan Shi’is with that of the Indians after partition. He says that Indian Shi’is were less enthusiastic about orienting towards Iran because they had inherited a Shi’i infrastructure. He also talks about sectarian violence in the two countries. Mr Fuchs looks for a broader connection between the Shi’is in West and South Asia. He stresses the fact that local and national lenses remain crucial in reshaping modern Islam. He criticises the limited attention religious intellectual work in South Asia has received, going on to suggest a new way to study the flow of ideas, one which focuses on “bidirectional flows of religious thought”.  

Throughout the book, Mr Fuchs does not fall prey to the temptation to create a black and white binary regarding Shi’is and Sunnis. He points out, for instance, that between 1990 and 1997, 208 Sunnis and 289 Shi’is were killed in Punjab province, suggesting that there were Shi’i perpetrators of violence as well. He challenges the idea of Pakistan being a “mere Shi’i backwater”, arguing that the community there has a lot to offer to the global Islamic intellectual space.

Other than the long list of books Mr Fuchs has used for his research, he has also referred to a number of local journals and newspapers, which makes the book an in-depth and articulate, albeit difficult read. Though the book is about Shi’is in Pakistan, it might hold up a mirror to where India will be heading if dividing and sectarian ideas aren’t kept in check.

In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi'ism Between Pakistan And the Middle East
Author: Simon Wolfgang Fuchs
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Price: Rs 599

Topics :BOOK REVIEW

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