The Rise of Sectarianism: An Ethnography of Religious Intolerance  in Southern Punjab: The Rise of Sectarianism

Nayyab Khan; Muhammad Bilal; Shafia Azam

Authors

Nayyab Khan National University of Modern Sciences (NUML), Islamabad
Muhammad Bilal Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi
Shafia Azam Fatima Jinnah Women University, The Mall, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Keywords:

Pakistan, Southern Punjab, Sectarianism, Intolerance, Blasphemy Law

Abstract

Pakistan has been experiencing a sharp resurgence in sectarian violence. The upsurge of the sectarian loathing can be traced to the emergence of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the mid-2000s and their coalition with militant sectarian organizations. The consequence of sectarian schism has engendered horrific fallouts such as target killings, bomb blasts, accusations of heresy and misuse of blasphemy laws against the followers of other sects. The current multi-sited ethnographic study was conducted in Karor Lal Eason – a poverty-stricken region of Southern Punjab which is considered as a hub of sectarian abhorrence. This article explores the grassroots structure of sectarianism while presenting the forms and expressions highlighting the sectarian repugnance. While employing the methodological triangulation, the participant observation was conducted in the community at numerous places such as homes, shrines, female madrassas and schools. Also, 30 in-depth interviews were conducted to grasp the native perspectives. The sample was selected using purposive sampling including both genders with varied sectarian, socio-economic and educational backgrounds. The current research suggests that sectarian-based division, hate literature, hate speech and allegations of blasphemy laws are the prominent symbols of sectarian schism in Southern Punjab.

Author Biographies

Nayyab Khan, National University of Modern Sciences (NUML), Islamabad

Lecturer, Department of Psychology, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, Pakistan

Muhammad Bilal, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi

Dr. Bilal received his PhD in Anthropology from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia after securing prestigious Endeavour Awards from the Department of Education and Training, Australian Government. He is Head of Anthropology Department at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He also served as Head of Behavioral Sciences Department in the same university. His research bridges the areas of religion, politics and identity. He is particularly interested in topics that have implications for contemporary debates about Islam in world politics, religio-political movements, politics of international terrorism and dynamics of political and religious violence.

Shafia Azam, Fatima Jinnah Women University, The Mall, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Dr. Shafia received her PhD degree in Anthropology in 2013 from Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia after securing Cultural Exchange Scholarship from Ministry of Education, Pakistan and Slovak Ministry of Education to pursue her PhD (Cultural Anthropology) degree in Slovak Republic in 2008. Her research interests include the areas of food, religion, media discourses, politics and their impact on broader social system particularly the identity formation.

The Rise of Sectarianism: An Ethnography of Religious Intolerance in Southern Punjab