Politics of Desecularization: Law and the Minority Question in Pakistan (Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics)

Introduction: Rethinking desecularization -- Colonial genealogy of Muslim politics -- Democratic exclusions, authoritarian inclusions -- Politics of minoritization -- The nation-state and its heretics -- Courts and the minority question -- Conclusion: After secularization. The movement away from secularist practices and toward political Islam is a prominent trend across Muslim polities. Yet this shift remains under-theorized. Why do modern Muslim polities adopt policies that explicitly cater to religious sensibilities? How are these encoded in law and with what effects? Sadia Saeed addresses these questions through examining shifts in Pakistan's official state policies toward the rights of religious minorities, in particular the controversial Ahmadiyya community. Looking closely at the 'Ahmadi question', Saeed develops a framework for conceptualizing and explaining modern desecularization processes that emphasizes the critical role of nation-state formation, political majoritarianism, and struggles between 'secularist' and 'religious' ideologues in evolving political and legal fields. The book demonstrates that desecularization entails instituting new understandings of religion through processes and justifications that are quintessentially modern 00. 9781316505571 01.0_pp_i_ii_Politics_of_Desecularization 02.0_pp_iii_iv_Cambridge_Studies_in_Social_Theory_Religion_and_Politics 03.0_pp_v_v_Politics_of_Desecularization 04.0_pp_vi_vi_Copyright_page 05.0_pp_vii_viii_Dedication 06.0_pp_ix_x_Contents 07.0_pp_xi_xiv_Acknowledgements 08.0_pp_1_44_Introduction 09.0_pp_45_76_Colonial_Genealogy_of_Muslim_Politics 10.0_pp_77_106_Democratic_Exclusions_Authoritarian_Inclusions 11.0_pp_107_144_Politics_of_Minoritization 12.0_pp_145_177_The_Nation-State_and_Its_Heretics 13.0_pp_178_208_Courts_and_the_Minority_Question 14.0_pp_209_234_Conclusion 15.0_pp_235_238_Appendices 15.1_pp_235_236_Appendices 15.2_pp_237_238_Appendices 16.0_pp_239_264_Bibliography 17.0_pp_265_269_Index A fascinating account of how Islam can be deployed or resisted to shape minority rights and religious change in Muslim societies.