Notes from the fortune-telling parrot : Islam and the struggle for religious pluralism in Pakistan / David Pinault.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pinault, David.

Contributor:

Hazel M. Hussong Fund.

Series:

Comparative Islamic studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religious minorities--Pakistan.

Religious minorities.

Religious pluralism--Pakistan.

Religious pluralism.

Islam and other religions.

Islam--Relations.

Islam.

Relations.

Religion.

Pakistan--Religion.

Pakistan.

Physical Description:

xii, 240 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; Oakville, CT : Equinox Pub., 2008.

Summary:

Notes from the Fortune-telling Parrot explores the richness of Pakistan's religious landscape, giving attention to a number of topics: Shia flagellation processions, Urdu-language pulp fiction, streetside rituals involving animals (pariah-kites and fortune-telling parrots), and the use of sorcery to contend with the jinns that are believed to infest cities such as Lahore. Uniting these topics is an investigation of how Islamist politicians seek to eradicate sectarian diversity and repress localized forms of Muslim folk practices in the name of a standardized, uniform, and globalized version of Islam. The book looks at forms of resistance to this Islamist globalization, such as collaborative efforts by Christian, Hindu, and Muslim human-rights activists to repeal Pakistan's notorious blasphemy law and assert the worth of religious pluralism.

Contents:

1 My Fortune-Telling Parrot Triggers Trouble in Lahore: Street Rituals and the Legacy of Religious Pluralism 1

2 Being Hindu in Pakistan: Legacy and Survival 11

3 Pakistani Christians and the Prospects for Inter-Religious Resistance to the Blasphemy Laws 38

4 Ritual and Communal Identity: Shia-Sunni Relations in Pakistan 59

5 Spurting Blood and Attempts to Regulate Ritual: Pakistani Shias and Iran's Bid for Leadership of Global Islam 95

6 Raw Meat Skyward: Pariah-Kite Rituals in Lahore 108

7 Jinns and Sorcery in Lahore: Textual Sources and Personal Experiences 122

8 A Comparison of Muslim and Hindu Perspectives on the Realm of the Jinns 151

9 Lahori Pulp Fiction: The World of Khofnak Dijast ("Fright Digest") 161

10 The Politics of Jogging: Women's Status in Pakistan 195

11 The Greco-Buddhist Past: The Peshawar Museum and Pakistan's Pre-Islamic Heritage 205

12 The Hazards of Being a Free-Thinker: Prince Dara Shikoh and the Prospects for Religious Pluralism in Twenty-First-Century Pakistan 210.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [227]-231) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Hazel M. Hussong Fund.

ISBN:

1845533453

9781845533458

1845533461

9781845533465

OCLC:

173299096