Pakistan, militancy and identity: parallel struggles

This article focuses on the dominant and parallel struggles that have been carried out in Pakistan in terms of its Islamic identity since 9/11. It argues that the Pakistan government has legitimised and explained its partnership with the US government in countering terrorism through a discourse that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian journal of international affairs 2013-04, Vol.67 (2), p.157-175
Main Author: Yasmeen, Samina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asia: Politics and government
Asia: Social conditions
Blasphemy
Blasphemy law
Discourse analysis
Hafiz Saeed
Identity
Islam
Islam in Pakistan
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Militancy
militant discourses
Muslims
National identity
Pakistan
Pakistan and militancy
September 11
Terrorism
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Summary:This article focuses on the dominant and parallel struggles that have been carried out in Pakistan in terms of its Islamic identity since 9/11. It argues that the Pakistan government has legitimised and explained its partnership with the US government in countering terrorism through a discourse that makes use of Islamic symbols. The Islamists have engaged in a similar process, arguing for jihad against the enemies of Islam. Simultaneously, a tension has persisted between liberal/progressive and orthodox notions of being a Pakistani Muslim, which has been reflected in, for example, the debate on the blasphemy law in Pakistan. It is important that strategies to strengthen Pakistan also creatively empower groups subscribing to liberal/progressive ideas so as to succeed in the struggle against militancy in the long term. The argument is developed in three parts, starting with a discussion of opposing views on Pakistan's identity and the place of Islam as the context for the Pakistan government's participation in the War on Terror. The second part explores features of the opposing discourses adopted by Islamabad and jihadi groups. The third part discusses the parallel tensions between alternative understandings of Pakistan's Islamic identity at the societal level with reference to the blasphemy law. The concluding section suggests a carefully crafted approach to assisting Pakistan at this stage in its history that could also respond to the subordinate tensions.
ISSN:1035-7718
1465-332X
DOI:10.1080/10357718.2012.750640