In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi'ism between Pakistan and the Middle East

by Simon Wolfgang Fuchs

Overview

Centering Pakistan in a story of transnational Islam stretching from South Asia to the Middle East, Simon Wolfgang Fuchs offers the first in-depth ethnographic history of the intellectual production of Shi'is and their religious competitors in this "Land of the Pure." The notion of Pakistan as the pinnacle of modern global Muslim aspiration forms a crucial component of this story. It has empowered Shi'is, who form about twenty percent of the country's population, to advance alternative conceptions of their religious hierarchy while claiming the support of towering grand ayatollahs in Iran and Iraq.

Fuchs shows how popular Pakistani preachers and scholars have boldly tapped into the esoteric potential of Shi'ism, occupying a creative and at times disruptive role as brokers, translators, and self-confident pioneers of contemporary Islamic thought. They have indigenized the Iranian Revolution and formulated their own ideas for fulfilling the original promise of Pakistan. Challenging typical views of Pakistan as a mere Shi'i backwater, Fuchs argues that its complex religious landscape represents how a local, South Asian Islam may open up space for new intellectual contributions to global Islam. Yet religious ideology has also turned Pakistan into a deadly battlefield: sectarian groups since the 1980s have been bent on excluding Shi'is as harmful to their own vision of an exemplary Islamic state.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781469649788
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	04/22/2019
Series:	Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Simon Wolfgang Fuchs is a lecturer in Islamic and Middle East studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Exciting, stimulating, and convincing, this richly conceived study of the Shi'a in the Indian subcontinent raises crucial points about transnational links, religious authority, and doctrinal positioning. Easy and fluid reading, it will appeal to a broad range of readers interested in Islam and its global and transnational history, as well as those focused on Pakistan and South Asia, Shi'ism, and sectarianism—a crucial issue today."—Sabrina Mervin, French National Center for Scientific Research, Paris

This unparalleled study assesses the place of Pakistan in global Shi'ism, arguing convincingly that this major center of Shi'i Islam has all too often been cast to the periphery within both academic scholarship and Shi'i thought itself. Fuchs shows instead how Shi'is have come to understand Pakistan as representing a nascent pure land, where transnational flows of religious leadership and influence all make their mark. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of religious authority, and the complex negotiations of closeness and distance, in contemporary Shi'ism."—Justin Jones, University of Oxford

Editorial Reviews

Challenges common assumptions about Shi'i Muslims, focusing less on Iran and more on Pakistan. . . . Those who wade into the depth of Fuchs's impeccable scholarship will find a nuanced picture of the debate in Pakistan about the ideal Muslim state in the modern world.—Publishers Weekly

This stimulating and vibrant study of Shi'i Islam in Pakistan will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Islam and its diverse and international history." —CHOICE

As for Simon Wolfgang Fuchs's In a Pure Muslim Land, its lucid prose and thought-provoking analytical engagement with transnational Islam makes it highly recommendable to those interested in the journey of religious ideas between the Middle East and South Asia.—Middle East Journal

In a Pure Muslim Land makes a major contribution to the study of Pakistani Shi'ism. . . . This book adds to a growing body of scholarship on different trajectories of Pakistani Shi'ism . . . contributing a much-needed perspective of post-Partition Shi'ism in which 'ulama are complex individuals whose stances on tradition, authority, and the Subcontinent's relationship to Iran and Iraq are worthy of our attention and understanding.—Bloomsbury Pakistan

This excellent account of the development of Shi'i thought in Pakistan, written in lucid language. . . . Makes a major contribution to the study of Islam in South Asia and will prove highly instructive to anyone interested in Islamic thought, religious authority, and the transnational history of ideas.—The Book Review

In a Pure Muslim Land is a ground-breaking addition to the growing field of Shi'i studies. By centering Pakistan in the story of Shi'i Islam, Simon Wolfgang Fuchs' work broadens a dialogue that is typically restricted to the Middle East. . . . Fuchs highlights transnational relationships and religious concepts that travel across borders and are thereby transformed in the process.—South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies

While escorting the readers through five well-researched and well-written chapters, the author examines a pertinent question — whether South Asia could be treated as a Shi'i periphery if compared to the Middle East. . . . The multi-disciplinary approach, a painstaking consultation of original and secondary sources gathered from different countries, the author's lucid style of argumentation and the attractive cover enhance the academic value of the book across disciplines.—The Telegraph

Simon Fuchs's In a Pure Muslim Land displays a wealthy and important contribution to our understanding of Shi'is in Pakistan, the indigenous 'ulama' and their transnational ties with other centres of Shi'ism in the Middle East.—Journal of the Contemporary Study of Islam

The highlight of the book is the fascinating theological and religious spectrum of Shi'a thought and its diverse responsive-ness to the evolving sociopolitical realities. . . . Fuchs provides the essential background to the key ideas and debates. The untapped archival research is, in itself, a remarkable achievement. In sum, this study is a major contribution to our understanding of the complexity of South Asian Shi'a Islam.—Religious Studies Review

Fuchs makes an important contribution to the study of South Asian Shiism. He argues against typical views of Pakistan as a mere Shia backwater by highlighting the community's political agency and theological innovations.—Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs

From the Publisher

01/31/2019

In this dense but rewarding work, Fuchs (Proper Signposts for the Camp), lecturer in Islamic and Middle East studies at the University of Freiburg, challenges common assumptions about Shi’i Muslims, focusing less on Iran and more on Pakistan to tell a story of conversations and tensions between scholars and practitioners in South Asia and the Middle East. When most people think of Shi’i Muslims, Fuchs writes, they think of Iranian Revolution, but he argues that Pakistan is now home to an equally vibrant Shi’i political and judicial culture. He makes the case that a wider Shi’i religious landscape emerged after the Iranian revolution, arguing that lessons of the revolution—including how Pakistani scholars wrestled with and implemented Ayatollah Khomeini’s concept of vilayat-i faqih (guardianship or rule by a jurist)—were translated into South Asian Shi’i politics and theology through the vociferous, and often sectarian, discussions and debates between popular Islamic scholars in the region. Some individuals stand out from the mass of details, such as Ihsan Ilahi Zahir, a Pakistani theologian and anti-Shi’i sectarian who was killed during a bombing in 1987. Dense in its delivery, this text is not for those without some knowledge of Shiism, South Asia, and the Muslim world. Those who wade into the depth of Fuchs’s impeccable scholarship will find a nuanced picture of the debate in Pakistan about the ideal Muslim state in the modern world. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly