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Columbia University Press
June 2009
On Sale: June 1, 2009
288 pages
ISBN: 023114962X
EAN: 9780231149624
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Once a model of Muslim enlightenment, Pakistan is now facing
a lethal Islamist threat. Many believe this is due to
Pakistan's partnership with the United States, while others
see it as the consequence of an authoritarian rule that has
marginalized liberal opinion while creating inroads for the
religious right. Farzana Shaikh argues that though external influences and
domestic politics have unquestionably shaped Pakistan, an
uncertainty about the meaning of Pakistan and the
significance of "being Pakistani" lies at the heart of the
state's social and political decline. Making Sense of
Pakistan shows how these concerns have contributed to the
spread of Islam in the public sphere. They have also widened
the gap between personal piety and public morality,
compromising the country's economic foundations and social
stability. This uncertainty has also affected Pakistan's
foreign policy, which compensates for the country's poor
sense of national identity. Even more ominous, national
insecurities have given rise to a dangerous symbiosis
between Pakistan's armed forces and Muslim extremists, rival
contenders in the struggle to redefine the meaning of
Pakistan. Drawing on extensive research into the origins and
evolution of the country, Shaikh follows the forces of
culture and ideology that pressured Indo-Muslims in the
years leading up to Partition and continue to resonate
throughout the country.
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