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Pakistan
“There is no god but GOD”
The Story of Islam’s Rise in South Asia
Indus River Valley:
Home to one of the earliest civilizations
Taxila illustrates the different stages in the development of a city on
the Indus, alternately influenced by Persia, Greece and Central Asia
and which, from the 5th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., was an
important Buddhist centre of learning.
Before the Turks
In 711 C.E., the powerful
Muslim governor of Iraq
wished to gain greater
control over shipping lanes
in the Indian Ocean. He
mounted an invasion of
South Asia, and the Sind
province in modern
Pakistan became the first
Muslim province in India.
For 200 years, it was the
only Muslim province in the
region.
Moghul Empire
1526–1707
Barbur, a direct descendent of Timur, a Mongol war lord
who had left India 150 prior, was a military genius. When
he invaded India in 1525, he wound up founding the
Moghul Empire. The Moghul Empire became the peak of
Muslim civilization in India. By the time he died in 1530,
Babur had established his power. His grandson, Akbar,
consolidated the Mongol’s power over Northern India and
built the Taj Mahal (one of the wonders of the world) as a
memorial to his late Hindu wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
European Colonialism
Under the influence of colonial rule, South Asia adopted
western-inspired legal codes and displaced Islamic Law
producing a anglo-muhammad law
Colonial Era Gives First Impetus to a Pakistani State
The Aligarh Movement (Two Nation’s Theory) began in
1857 after the failure of a series of revolts headed by
South Asians against British rule. Under the leadership
of Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, the Muhammadan AngloOriental College (Aligarh Muslim University) was
established and provided the training for the next
generation of Muslim leadership.
Legacy of Aligarh Muslim University
Sir Syed clearly foresaw the imperative
need for the Muslims to acquire
proficiency in the English language and
"Western Sciences" if the Muslim
community were to maintain its social
and political clout, particularly in Northern
India.
His objective was to build a college in
tune with the British education system
but without compromising its Islamic
values.
Algarh Muslim University was the first
residential educational institution that
was established by public or government
in India. It produced Muslims who
became active in the political system of
the British Raj.
Indic Islam
South Asia has always been home to a diverse
group of people. The Islamic voice has never
been one; rather, it has many understandings
but always one community (Iqbal). The following
movements were prominent in the nineteenth
century:
1. Fundamentalist – led by Shah Wali Allah
(Delphi), and Sayyid Ahmad Shahid (Bareilly)
2. Religious Revivalist – led by Maulana
Muhammad Ilyas, Jamaati Islami, Maulana
Ashraf Ali Thanvi.
3. Nationalist-Traditionalist – led by Sir Sayyid
Ahmad Khan, Syed Ameer Ali, Muhammad Iqbal.
Muslim League (1906)
Founded by the Aga Khan III in 1906, it was an all Indian Muslim
association determined to safeguard the rights of Indian Muslims.
Muhammad Iqbal (spiritual father of Pakistan) was one of its leaders and
advocated a separate Indian Muslim state (1930). In 1940 Muhammad Ali
Jinnah (father of Pakistan) demanded a Muslim state against the protest of
the Indian National Congress. The League was able to unite the Indian
Muslims and won the right to form Pakistan (“There is no god but GOD”).
The League fractured into a number of political parties in 1953,
reconstituted itself but was never successful after the 1970 elections.
Pakistan Established in 1947
Only Muslim nation established in
the name of Islam. A major problem
arose immediately; namely, what
would be the role of Islam in politics
and state? A fierce ideological divide
arose with the traditionalists and
fundamentalists (ulama, Jamaati
Islami) pitted against the modernists
and professionals (Iqbal, Jinnah). The
ulama wanted an Islamic constitution,
introduction of shariah law and
restoration of socio-religious
institutions created during the
medieval era. Jinnah wanted an
Islamic state but one where Islam is a
faith, religious, moral system whose
cardinal beliefs are practiced by
Muslims. Islam as a political ideology
would establish separate communities
where Muslims could create their own
Islamic set of values consistent with
the Quran.
Conflict Produces Compromise
Working with the Jamaati
Islami, Pakistan’s first Prime
Minister Nawabzada Liaquat
Ali Khan agrees to the
passage of the Objectives
Resolution (1949). The
National Assembly, not the
ulama, would decide if any
law was repugnant to the
Quran and shariah. Pakistan’s
leadership held the formal
power, but the ulamas were
supported by the masses.
This led to years of conflict
that sometimes escalated into
civil strife and violence.
Conflict with India leads to Civil War (1971)
The elections of 1970 brought a surprising victory by the East Pakistan’s
Awami Party gave them a majority of seats in the Pakistani Assembly
which entitled them to form the government. However, Prime Minister
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto refused to give the premiership to the Awami Party
leader, Sheikh Mujib. Instead, the Awami Party was outlawed and its
leaders put in jail. This action caused a great migration of East Pakistanis
into India. Finally, in the fall of 1971, the Indian army attacked Pakistani
troops and defeated the military in two weeks. In the end, a new country
had emerged, Bangladesh, and the Pakistani military had been soundly
defeated. The aftermath was a time of soul searching which gave impetus
to a revivalists movement that continues to challenge Pakistan today.
Orthodox Islam is a Significant Cultural
Tradition
Orthodox Islam in Pakistan is represented by the Sunni Ulama. They have three
schools that support their views: 1.) Deobandi, 2.) Barelwi (Surfi-oriented), 3.)
Wahhabi school of Ahl-I hadith (extreme right-wing). The ulama control a large
network of mosques in cities and towns (not state supported). They also have
thousands of madrasahs that are influencing the next generation of Pakistan’s
religious and political leadership. The state cannot control these institutions because
they are privately funded. However, there have been recent dialogues between the
ulama and the modern educated elite. This sharing of intellectual space and common
language holds promise for Pakistan’s future development as a modern nation.
Cultural Diversity
97% of Pakistanis are Muslim. There are
10-15% Shiis and 85-90% are Sunnis.
A majority of the Shiis belong to the
Ashari (Twelver) school while a
minority subscribe to the Ismailis
school. The Sunni’s primary school is
the Hanafi school of law and a minority
belong to the Hanbali school.
The balance 3% are either Hindu,
Christian, or Parsees.
The two schools of thought which impact
the nation’s ideological character
continue to divide rather than unify.
The one school claims that Pakistan
was created in the name of Islam and
be govern by Islamic law, while the
other school believes that Pakistan
was created as a safeguard for South
Asian political, economic interests. It
was not intended to be a theological
state.
Pakistan: Living Islam in a Social
Context
• Muhammad Iqbal “ Islam is more
than a creed, it is a community,
nation, locus in which mankind
attains individuality. Mohammad
founded a society based on
freedom, equality and
brotherhood” (Esposito 182) Iqbal
uses the word “tawid” (unity of
God) to emphasize the supremacy
of God’s law and absolute equality
of Islam’s society. How true can the
Pakistani people be to those
principles will determine how
influential it will become in the
modern world.