Notes from the Fortune-Telling Parrot: Islam and the Struggle for Religious Pluralism in Pakistan (Comparative Islamic Studies)

This book explores the richness of Pakistans religious landscape, giving attention to a number of topics: Shia flagellation processions, Urdu-language pulp fiction, streetside rituals involving animals (pariah-kites and fortune-telling parrots), and the use of sorcery to contend with the jinns that are believed to infest cities such as Lahore. Uniting these topics is an investigation of how Islamist politicians seek to eradicate sectarian diversity and repress localized forms of Muslim folk practices in the name of a standardized, uniform, and globalized version of Islam. The book looks at forms of resistance to this Islamist globalization, such as collaborative efforts by Christian, Hindu, and Muslim human-rights activists to repeal Pakistans notorious blasphemy law and assert the worth of religious pluralism. Introduction: Pluralism And Religious Identity In Pakistan -- My Fortune-telling Parrot Triggers Trouble In Lahore : Street Rituals And The Legacy Of Religious Pluralism -- Being Hindu In Pakistan : Legacy And Survival -- Pakistani Christians And The Prospects For Inter-religious Resistance To The Blasphemy Laws -- Ritual And Communal Identity : Shia-sunni Relations In Pakistan -- Spurting Blood And Attempts To Regulate Ritual : Pakistani Shias And Iran's Bid For Leadership Of Global Islam -- Raw Meat Skyward : Pariah-kite Rituals In Lahore -- Jinns And Sorcery In Lahore : Textual Sources And Personal Experiences -- A Comparison Of Muslim And Hindu Perspectives On The Realm Of The Jinns -- Lahori Pulp Fiction : The World Of Khofnak Dijast (fright Digest) -- The Politics Of Jogging : Women's Status In Pakistan -- The Greco-buddhist Past : The Peshawar Museum And Pakistan's Pre-islamic Heritage -- The Hazards Of Being A Free-thinker : Prince Dara Shikoh And The Prospects For Pluralism In 21st-century Pakistan. David Pinault. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [227]-231) And Index. "Notes from the Fortune-telling Parrot explores the richness of Pakistan's religious landscape, giving attention to a number of topics: Shia flagellation processions, Urdu-language pulp fiction, streetside rituals involving animals (pariah-kites and fortune-telling parrots), and the use of sorcery to contend with the jinns that are believed to infest cities such as Lahore. Uniting these topics is an investigation of how Islamist politicians seek to eradicate sectarian diversity and repress localized forms of Muslim folk practices in the name of a standardized, uniform, and globalized version of Islam. The book looks at forms of resistance to this Islamist globalization, such as collaborative efforts by Christian, Hindu, and Muslim human-rights activists to repeal Pakistan's notorious blasphemy law and assert the worth of religious pluralism."--BOOK JACKET