Dealing with difference – religion, education and the challenges of democracy in Pakistan

Dr Matthew Nelson, Lecturer in the Politics of Asia at SOAS and Arif Jamal, Senior Instructor at AKU-ISMC (left to right).

On 4th June AKU-ISMC hosted a lunch hour seminar by Dr Matthew Nelson, Lecturer in the Politics of Asia at SOAS. Nelson explored the dynamics of religion and education in Pakistan, particularly the political dynamic of interpretational and sectarian diversity in the country.

Nelson’s research looks at ways that religious education providers, including madrassas, struggle with religious diversity. Nelson argued that sociological scholarship has often focused on the interaction between ‘Islamism’ on the one hand, and ‘secularism’ on the other, with a specific focus on how Islamic modernity and secularism overlap. In this framework the departure from Western systems is also given great importance.

In attempting to shift away from a perspective that appreciates competing religious interests, Nelson’s research explores transnational reform movements, scrutinizing modern politics based on the interaction of religions.

“[It is] an approach that includes religion and religious differences as a central and enduring part of modern politics. As if modern politics is defined by the engagement of religion and religious difference.“

Nelson’s work attempts to confront ordinary people with the reality of different religious interpretations of Islam.

Islamic law has produced a large volume of innovative and exciting examples relating to this project. Nelson believes Islamic law has involved locally embedded institutions, tied to the framework of a modern nation-state struggling to make their way through competing sectarian and religious interpretations.

“This literature shows, to a large extent, how individual Muslims in a particular time and place try to find their way through the complexities of what can only be described as different interpretations of religion.”

However, Nelson noted that literature which relates to this favours the elite point of view – notably the ‘Ulema. It does not often, therefore, consider the points of view of ordinary people.

Nelson’s work attempts to confront ordinary people with the reality of different religious interpretations of Islam. From this point of view, religious education stands out as a case study to see how ordinary people see religious or sectarian differences.

Participants in the seminar included AKU-ISMC faculty, staff, students and guests.

“For example, parents looking at their child’s religious education in the context of a particular school, and encountering difference. Religious and sectarian difference in that environment and how they engage with that. How do they formulate a political response – this is basically what my project deals with.”

Nelson asks two key questions: how does religious education frame a response to religious and sectarian difference; and, alternately, what is the impact of the response to religious or sectarian difference on the prospects for democracy?

Providing an overview of the premise of his research, Nelson said that in Pakistan, education has become increasingly privatised, and in turn largely market-oriented. Consequently, Nelson focused on local consumer demands.

The first point of reference for identifying local demands on education, Nelson stated, is finding out what parents want. His research suggests that parents in Pakistan generally want a religious education for their children. Parents are also concerned about the kind of religious education their children receive.

A major question, Nelson asks, is whether religious education is compatible with notions of diversity, debate and democracy. In exploring this, Nelson introduced the findings from interviews conducted with the parents of over 3500 school-aged children in Pakistan.

“The most important result that we found is that… 62% of the sample… said that religious education was their first priority... Over 72% of parents said that they would not be satisfied without madrassas.”

Nelson noted that despite the fact that overwhelming numbers of children do not receive their education only from madrassas, parents place a great level of importance on the role of this type of education. Nelson also found that although practical concerns are of concern to parents, some respondents saw high rates of unemployment as being the result of a religious void in society.

When confronted with the notion of religious or sectarian difference, Nelson explained, respondents were simply not willing to engage. Despite this, most people were not open to the idea of their children being taught about Islam by a member of a different sect.

Nelson summarised that attitudes to sectarian or religious difference in Pakistan can be described as an ‘elephant in the living room’ – an issue that is there, but politely ignored. Illustrating this point, Nelson quoted one parents’ response to the issue, “all ‘good’ Muslims interpret the example of the Prophet just as I do, because, of course, I am a ‘good‘ Muslim.”

Nelson’s research found that the notion of different Muslims living as good Muslims in different ways is still taboo. Many respondents expressed that when everyone is the same, equality is enhanced and that living out difference implies disagreement.

Nelson noted that it is possible to identify two demands – market driven education forces which demand religious education, and within that, a demand for religious homogeneity. If homogeneity is seen to be the best expression of modern Muslim identity, and efforts to promote diversity within Islam are an affront to Islam itself, Nelson questioned whether it is possible to conceive of a modern 21st century democracy.

Nelson expressed that over the past 60 years, religious unity has been used as a nationalist force in Pakistan. The challenge lies in sifting through competing ideas about peaceful coexistence within Islam and the different ways in which this has been articulated. Should difference be ignored? Or should difference be acknowledged? His project now looks at two questions – how have the politics of difference versus unity been created from below, and how have they been supported from above?

Audio*

• To listen to a recording (wma) of the seminar, please click here.

External Links**

• Matthew Nelson's profile SOAS Website

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