Abstract
Whether spurred by religious images or academic history books, hardly a day goes by in South Asia without an incident or court case occurring as a result of hurt religious feelings. The sharp rise in blasphemy accusations over the past few decades calls for an investigation into why offence politics has become so pronounced, and why it is observable across religious and political differences. Outrage offers an interdisciplinary study of this growing trend. Bringing together researchers in Anthropology, Religious Studies, Languages, South Asia Studies and History, all with rich experience in the variegated ways in which religion and politics intersect in this region, the volume presents a fine-grained analysis that navigates and unpacks the religious sensitivities and political concerns under discussion. Each chapter focuses on a recent case or context of alleged blasphemy or desecration in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, collectively exploring common denominators across national and religious differences. Among the common features are the rapid introduction of social media and smartphones, the possible political gains of initiating blasphemy accusations, and the growing self-assertion of marginal communities. These features are turning South Asia into a veritable flash point for offence controversies in the world today, and will be of interest to researchers exploring the intersection of religion and politics in South Asia and beyond.
Highlights
Researching the rise of religious offence in South AsiaPaul Rollier, Kathinka Frøystad and Arild Engelsen RuudIn 2011 a dinner party conversation in New Delhi ended with the following joke
Drawing on detailed case studies of recent religious offence controversies in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, we look for commonalities in the structural conditions that mark the entire region, and that cut across national and religious differences
Bangladesh does not possess a blasphemy law such as that existing in Pakistan and envisioned by the Hefazat, Islamist organisations have been increasingly successful in setting the terms of what constitutes intolerable religious offence in the public sphere
Summary
This volume, Outrage: The Rise of Religious Offence in Contemporary South Asia, is a very ambitious project. 2–3, 31, 239 Meyer, Birgit 132 Milton, Kay 30, 39 Modi, Narendra 34, 123, 149 Mopyar case 90–91 Muhammad (Prophet of Islam) 38, 49, 210–11, 214, 232; Barelivism and 210; derogatory remarks toward 56, 112; Hinduism and 141; impersonation of 181, 188, 191, 193, 195, 198; perfection of 192; prohibition on images of 71–72, 138 Muslims (see Ahmadis; Islam; Sufism) 78, 85, 113, 139, 142–43, 146, 149–50, 193–94, 202, 204–5, 217–18, 220–21, 224–25, 228, 231; blasphemy accusations against 53; India 13; Shia 39, 50, 52–54, 68, 71–72, 108, 137; stereotypes toward 7; Sufi 52–54, 71, 180–82, 189, 191–96, 198–99, 201–2, 204–5, 208–9, 212, 229–30, 233; Sunni 39, 54, 210, 219 Myanmar 39–40, 81–83, 88–89, 91–94, 96–99, 236–37, 240, 244; legal system 21; media 31; penal code 39; religious minorities 26; revivalist Buddhism 21; under colonial rule (Burma) 21, 82–86, 88, 90, 99–100. V Gastro Bar case 94, 96–97 vigilante justice 209, 211, 213, 215–17, 219, 221, 223, 225, 227, 229, 231, 235 Vikramaditya 136 vinicchaya system 90, 94
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