Notes from the Fortune-telling Parrot
Islam and the Struggle for Religious Pluralism in Pakistan
1st Edition
Published on 1. December 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-84553-346-5 (ISBN)
Description
This book 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.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
395 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84553-346-5 (9781845533465)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Santa Clara University
Content
Introduction. Pluralism and Religious Identity in Pakistan.Chapter 1. My Fortune-Telling Parrot Triggers Trouble in Lahore: Street Rituals and the Legacy of Religious PluralismChapter 2. Being Hindu in Pakistan: Legacy and Survival.Chapter 3. Pakistani Christians and the Prospects for Inter-Religious Resistance to the Blasphemy Laws.Chapter 4. Ritual and Communal Identity: Shia-Sunni Relations in PakistanChapter 5. Spurting Blood and Attempts to Regulate Ritual: Pakistani Shias and Iran's Bid for Leadership of Global IslamChapter 6. Raw Meat Skyward: Pariah-Kite Rituals in Lahore.Chapter 7. Jinns and Sorcery in Lahore: Textual Sources and Personal Experiences.Chapter 8. A Comparison of Muslim and Hindu Perspectives on the Realm of the Jinns.Chapter 9. Lahori Pulp Fiction: The World of Khofnak Dijast ("Fright Digest").Chapter 10. The Politics of Jogging: Women's Issues in Pakistan.Chapter 11. The Greco-Buddhist Past: The Peshawar Museum and Pakistan's Pre-Islamic Heritage.Chapter 12. The Hazards of Being a Free-Thinker: Prince Dara Shikoh and the Prospects for Pluralism in 21st-Century Pakistan.