Beyond moderation: dynamics of political Islam in Pakistan

Abstract

Concerned with a rising tide of religious radicalism within Pakistan, many observers have wondered why moderates do not speak out against militancy. This article explores that question, arguing that the term ‘moderate’ as used in Pakistan has conflicting meanings and is both more complicated and less useful as a tool of analysis than it once seemed. In particular, the inadequacy of extant definitions is best reflected in the reassertion of a radical Sunni Barelvi subculture and in the growing rift between some leading Islamist parties and the Pakistani Taliban. This article argues in conclusion that ideological factors are typically given undue weight in explaining why and when Pakistanis choose to ‘speak out’ against militancy and that a narrow, minimalist rendering of ‘moderate’ provides the most useful definition for those trying to understand the new fault lines emerging within Pakistani Islam.