Pakistan's transformation from supposed model of Muslim enlightenment to a state now threatened by an Islamist takeover has been remarkable. Many account for the change by pointing to Pakistan's controversial partnership with the United States since 9/11; others see it as a consequence of Pakistan's long history of authoritarian rule, which has marginalised liberal opinion and allowed the rise of a religious right. Farzana Shaikh argues the country's decline is rooted primarily in uncertainty about the meaning of Pakistan and the significance of 'being Pakistani'. This has pre-empted a consensus on the role of Islam in the public sphere and encouraged the spread of political Islam. It has also widened the gap between personal piety and public morality, corrupting the country's economic foundations and tearing apart its social fabric. More ominously still, it has given rise to a new and dangerous symbiosis between the country's powerful armed forces and Muslim extremists. Shaikh demonstrates how the ideology that constrained Indo-Muslim politics in the years leading to Partition in 1947 has left its mark, skilfully deploying insights from history to better understand Pakistan's troubled present.

About the Author
Farzana Shaikh is an Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London and the author of 'Community and Consensus in Islam: Muslim Representation in Colonial India, 1860-1947'. A well known commentator on Pakistan, she has lectured and written widely on the country in the course of an academic career that has included positions in the UK, the US and Europe.

Reviews
'Erudite and persuasive . . . this is a book that should be read.'
'Brilliant.' * Peter Preston, The Guardian *
'A work of genuine scholarship on one of the most complicated countries on earth. If you have ever wondered why Pakistan's problems are so deep, then Farzana Shaikh has the answers.' * Owen Bennett Jones, BBC World Service *
'Intellectually acute, impressively researched,and strongly argued.' * Anatol Lieven,The American Prospect *



Book Information
ISBN 9781787380325
Author Farzana Shaikh
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Publisher C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd