Religious Pluralism and Religious Plurality in Pakistan

Abstract

A Festschrift on Jamal Malik would remain incomplete without mention of madrasas in Pakistan, a topic with which he began his scholarly journey in the 1980s. Madrasas in Pakistan have since then gained significant attention, particularly in the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11. The role of these religious schools in encouraging hate speech and violent extremism has been the subject of intense scrutiny in global and geopolitical debates. It has also been alleged that madrasas introduce students to highly traditional and conservative socio-political worldviews, which is seen to be an imminent threat to local and global political order. In 2015, Malik returned to the topic of madrasas by engaging with major religious schools of thought in Pakistan while hosting a two-year project titled “Religious Pluralism and Religious Plurality: Towards an Ethics of Peace.” Madrasa students belonging to Barelwi, Deobandi, Shiʿa, Ahl-i Hadith and Jamaʿat-i Islami schools of thought were invited to Erfurt to discuss the values of justice, pluralism and appreciating religious diversity, while grounding the discussion primarily within Islamic traditions. This chapter attempts to discuss various aspects of that project, to present some thoughts that were shared by the madrasa students, and also to learn about the participating madrasas and their networks in Pakistan.