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Abstracts
Panel: Sustainable Development and Peace: Respecting Religious Diversity
Neoliberal Globalization and the Rise of Fundamentalisms
Respecting Religious Minorities: A Case Study
Print media and Pakistan ’s minority communities: Challenges and prospects
The marginal voice in South Asian literature
The Role of Minorities in the Development of Pakistani Literature
Neoliberal Globalization and the Rise of Fundamentalisms
Masood A. Raja*
While developmental theorists rely heavily on analysis of macro and micro economic theories and developmental sequencing, not much attention is paid to the undeniable linkage between the post seventies liberalisation of global economies and the rise of different kinds of religious fundamentalism. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan can be directly linked to the insertion of performative religious acts, predominantly Islamic, into the national public sphere during the rule of Zia-ul-Haq. Since then the public sphere in Pakistan has been increasingly Islamised and the space of minorities within the public sphere has constantly diminished.
Furthermore, this rise of fundamentalism is inextricably linked with the deregulation policies adopted for Pakistan. Thus, as the state fails in its redemptive functions, the private religious charities encroach upon the civic functions of the state, which enables them to shape and imbue the public consciousness of their beneficiaries with an exclusivist and chauvinistic view of the world. The fundamentalist Islamic ideologies, that of Taliban for example, must create an “other” to mobilise and legitimate their own world-view, and in most of the cases the minorities become an easy target for this process of othering. In case of Taliban the same principles of exclusion are also extended to various Muslim sects that may not conform to the purist view of religion espoused by the Taliban.
I believe literature and public media, through consistent acts of representation, have the power to reshape the public sphere by giving voice to those who have traditionally been silenced by the dominant religious groups in Pakistan. Using the rise of Taliban in Pakistan as an example, this paper provides an explanation, and a discussion, of the need to restructure the Pakistani public sphere in order to create a viable and inclusive space for the minorities.
 *Author of Constructing Pakistan (Oxford UP, 2010), Dr. Masood Ashraf Raja is an Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Literature and Theory at the University of North Texas, United States, and the editor of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies. His critical essays have been published in journals including South Asian Review, Digest of Middle East Studies, Caribbean Studies, Muslim Public Affairs Journal, and Mosaic. He is currently working on his second book, entitled Secular Fundamentalism: Poetics of Incitement and the Muslim Sacred.
Respecting Religious Minorities: A Case Study
Ayesha Salman*
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A woman once said to me, “when I was growing up all I wanted to be was like the other children, but every morning when I went to school I was told I was different and I wondered what was wrong with me. They told me I had bad blood, they told me I was soiled, but I still didn’t understand. Now I know I am different. I am not like the others.”
The woman who told me this was the daughter of a Christian woman and a Muslim man. She was referring to her childhood years when she was incessantly teased and berated at school for being the product of a mixed religious background. She was repeatedly asked what her beliefs were, she was attacked physically and she was told she was a lesser human being because she had “dirty” blood.
Against the backdrop of the relentless bouts of violence directed at religious minorities that have endured over the last few years in Pakistan, I will use the case study of a woman whose life inspired me to write my first novel and who I call Zaib in the novel. Her journey was checkered by the turmoil that resulted from the mental and physical abuse that she suffered because of her religious background. Through her story I will show how hatred breeds hatred and destroys not just individuals but entire families and their future generations. I will quote excerpts from the novel of direct conversations with her as well as incidents she faced throughout her life to shed light upon the extent of the destruction that can be caused by the bigotry that is so deeply embedded in our society and indeed many societies across the globe. I will end by posing a few important questions that pertain to where we are today and how that is reflected in the socio-political fabric of our country and the societies that we create. I will ask us to look within ourselves and ask the question, how many Zaibs do we give birth to everyday and how many do we kill - with a gun, a derogatory look, a gesture or simply a few choice words.
 * Ayesha Salman graduated in Philosophy from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK and has since worked as a writer and editor for the development sector. Her areas of special interest are issues relating to child abuse and religious minorities. She is a published poet and her first novel Blue Dust is currently in the process of being published.
Print media and Pakistan ’s minority communities: Challenges and prospects
Ahmad Salim*
Every religion and its socio-cultural value system has its respective norms, practices, ethos and behavioural patterns that are reflected in the dialects, perceptions of social issues, communication and interaction of given societies. At times, a state moves to implement its own socio-legal norms thus creating divergence in opinions and conflicts among certain groups of the population. Restricted and forced interpretations of religious instructions stemming from orthodox viewpoints tend to regress to extremism often seeking violent solutions. A biased media policy may further heighten the conflict. On the other hand, creating and maintaining social tranquility by projecting unbiased and truthful images of different societal segments can become a strong base for peace and progress.
As socio-cultural norms are rooted in corresponding political, social or religious ideologies, such norms, characteristics and viewpoints may need to be questioned when they create negative impacts and support violence. Print media in Pakistan, where it refers to Pakistan ’s minority communities and their social life, is marred by problems of religious, communal, economic and gender-based prejudice resulting in false and partial reporting.
In the twenty-first century, the media has become perhaps the most important tool of politics and democracy that can be used both constructively and destructively. It can, and does, influence the attitudes of peoples, politicians and other decision makers. If used positively, it can create remarkable changes in balancing the state-citizen relationship and the socio-political development of various religious population groups. However, the media in Pakistan has contributed more to heighten the conflict among people, at times going too far in its speculation and negative projection of Pakistan ’s religious minority groups.
There is no denying the fact that the role of the media in this global era has become larger than life. As a result, whenever the ethics of neutrality, transparency and accountability are pushed aside by media organisations, the divide between religions has widened. Similarly, the international media’s onslaught against Islam, the projection of a negative image of Pakistan vis-à-vis its minority communities, and the human rights situation in the country has also adversely affected Pakistan’s image. This has been caused by a handful of internal vested interest groups that have capitalised on the opportunity to fan ethnic and religious conflicts.
The concept of a “mercenary army” or conscription has played a vital role in state power dynamics. From the day the concept of nation-state emerged in the seventeenth century, the world has been dominated by “muscle” where the state has strong manpower in the form of an army whose services are bought through “money”. With the advent of knowledge, science and technological knowhow another term has been added to the power axis: the “mind.” However, the concept of dominance in a nation-state has taken a new shape in the twenty-first century. Now it is not just the old triad of muscle, money and mind, the “media” has also emerged as a prized new state tool to gain dominance, giving it an unparalleled power in statecraft.
This also means that the media can play a decisive role in political, social and ideological relations of states and peoples. Recognising this pivotal role, this paper will deal with the challenges and prospects faced by Pakistan ’s minority communities with regard to the role of print media. It will emphasize its ability to form public opinion that allows Pakistan’s minority communities to enjoy equality as citizens. It will also explore the future course of action and make recommendations to evolve the media as a tool for freedom of expression and unbiased information in order to promote interfaith harmony in our society.
 *Ahmad Salim has a diverse portfolio and has worked for over 36 years as a teacher, language instructor, writer, researcher, translator and editor with the government, media, international organisations, and research institutions. He has over 150 publications to his credit including 87 books, 22 research publications including three on curriculum and education, and eight international publications besides a number of articles in reputed newspapers. Mr. Salim is a Senior Research Advisor at SDPI.
The marginal voice in South Asian literature
Urvashi Butalia*
Literature is a powerful tool in the struggle for peace everywhere in the world. The creative impulse is often triggered by the very things that form the core of so much violence in the world today - questions of identity, of home and belonging, of borders, of cultural differences, of gender disparities, of economic disparities - and the writer’s imagination transforms these complex subjects into stories to do with the lives of ordinary people. This presentation will look at recent writings in the subcontinent, in English and in some of the local languages, to see how writers perceive and depict the lives and concerns of not only religious minorities, but of others on the margins of society. It will also turn its attention to the 'difference' and the change that is wrought when people whose voices are otherwise marginalised, take on the power of the word and produce their own literature - how does such literature shape the self of the writer, how does it reach out to a wider readership, how does it change the very definition of literature itself. The work of Dalit writers in India for example, has produced a unique blend of fiction and fact, and has often been labelled as 'faction' - offering conventional literary definitions a new way of changing their boundaries. Does this kind of thing remain limited to literature or does it make its way into life as well. These are the sorts of questions that will be posed here.
 *Urvashi Butalia is a publisher and writer based in India. She is co-founder of Kali for Women, India's first feminist publishing house, and is now Director of Zubaan, an imprint of Kali.
The Role of Minorities in the Development of Pakistani Literature
Humaira Ashfaq*
The non-Muslim communities of Pakistan have played an important role in the socio-cultural development of the country. The present paper intends to reflect their role for the promotion of literature in Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi, Urdu, English and other Pakistani languages. Writers from the minorities, though small in number, have produced high quality novels, short stories, dramas, nonfiction, prose and poetry.
I would like to elaborate upon the creative contributions of Joshua Fazluddin, Nasreen Anjum Bhatti, and Nazeer Qaisar from the Christian community, Bapsi Sidhwa from Parsi Community, Sobho Gian Chandani, Vali Ram Vallabh and many others from the Hindu Community, Raja Tiridev Roy from the Buddists of Pakistan, Dr. Sabir Afaqi and Professor Pritam Singh from the Bahai Community.
Their contribution in literary and social journalism is also worth mentioning. For instance, Joshua Fazluddin founded an outstanding Literary Journal “Punjabi Darabr”; C.V. Nariman started an English journal from Karachi in mid-fifties. “Parsi Sunsar” was a Zoroastrian literary and social magazine started in early twentieth century to be continued till today. It is also noteworthy that “there are a large number of newspapers, journals and magazines in Pakistan edited by[1]” Christians and Literary figures of other Communities.
Humaira Ishfaq is a literary critic, short story writer, folklorist, author and co-author of books on Urdu literature, mystical poets art and culture. She teaches Urdu Literature at the International Islamic University and is a visiting teacher of Gender and Women Studies at Allama Iqbal Open University.
[1] Ahmad Salim, Nosheen D’souza, Leonard D’souza, Violence, Memories and Peace Building, Islamabad, 2006, P. 21
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