In:
New Blackfriars, Cambridge University Press (CUP), Vol. 71, No. 835 ( 1990-02), p. 67-80
Kurzfassung:
During General Zia-ul-Haq’s tenure, the escalating conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan brought Pakistan to the centre stage of international politics. However, at the popular level, it was Zia’s Islamisation campaign, particularly its more brutal manifestations, that drew shocked world attention. Following hard on the heels of the Iranian revolution, it raised fears of another Muslim fundamentalist sweep in the region. These fears were unfounded. Comparisons between the outcome of a mass movement and the impact of state-imposed measures introduced by a military dictator are unwarranted and one needs to remember that the religiously defined political parties ( Islam-pasand) in Pakistan have consistently failed to mobilise wide-spread popular support. Furthermore, the current use of the term ‘fundamentalism’ is so loose that it obscures important differences between various religious political forces. Described by some as the high point of fundamentalism in Pakistan, the last decade should be seen as one which witnessed the convergence of interests between the military rulers and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The former needed political support for credibility; the latter saw in the situation the possibility of access to power, otherwise remote. Thus the slogan of Islamisation became the meeting point. If viewed in terms of social configuration this was the opportunity for the emerging class of traders and entrepreneurs to attain political power.
Materialart:
Online-Ressource
ISSN:
0028-4289
,
1741-2005
DOI:
10.1111/nbfr.1990.71.issue-835
DOI:
10.1111/j.1741-2005.1990.tb01387.x
Sprache:
Englisch
Verlag:
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Publikationsdatum:
1990
ZDB Id:
2132190-5
SSG:
1
