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Secularism in Balochistan (Balochi: بلۏچستان ءِ تہ ءَ سیکولرزم) refers to the practice of secularism in Balochistan as well as in Baloch society and politics.

History

Before Islam, the Baloch largely followed the Mazdakian and Manichaean sects of Zoroastrianism. Eventually, most Baloch converted to Sunni Islam, with a small Shia minority. There was no sectarianism among the Baloch people. Many pre-Islamic practices continued in Baloch culture after the conversion to Islam.

Under the many historic Baloch dynasties, non-Muslims had much religious and economic freedom. Even after the Baloch people were incorporated into Pakistan, the Baloch society did not discriminate against non-Muslims.

Baloch people were known for secularism, and Balochistan was largely untouched by several waves of Islamism which swept the region. Until the 20th century, the Baloch had no elaborate structure of religious institutions and had a secular sociopolitical structure. The influence of religion in Balochistan grew after the mid-20th century, due to the Iranian revolution and the Insurgency in Balochistan.

Baloch nationalism also espoused secularism. The first Baloch nationalists were inspired by Marxism–Leninism. Baloch nationalism was also known for its progressivism.

Islamic clergy in Iran and Pakistan vilified the Baloch people due to their secularism. Many religious institutions used the term "bad Muslims" to describe the Baloch people.

In Baloch society, the role of Islamic clerics was limited to preserving the mosque and performing essential rites, such as marriage or funerals. The majority of Islamic clerics in Balochistan were not Baloch, as such jobs were considered against Baloch honor. There was also no influence of Pirs and Sayyids in Baloch sociopolitical affairs.

Following the 1970s operation in Balochistan, Pakistani intelligence agencies began their policy of Islamization of Balochistan. Pakistani authorities were mainly concerned with secular Baloch nationalists, and they had tolerated the activities of Islamist groups, which they used to weaken the Baloch nationalist influence. Pakistani authorities funded Islamists, who later overshadowed Baloch nationalists in both militancy and politics. Pakistan also funded religious schools and Islamic institutions in Balochistan to increase Islamic fundamentalism and weaken Baloch nationalism and secularism. Pakistan had also settled foreign Islamists in Balochistan. The Pakistani army specifically focused on attacking the secular Baloch nationalists instead of Islamists. In 2002, the Pakistani army rigged the elections in Balochistan in favor of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.

The Iranian revolution had a role in the Islamization of Balochistan due to religious differences. The influence of Molavis grew, as they gradually replaced the traditional Baloch tribal leadership in society. Before the Iranian revolution, the Baloch society made no differences between Sunnis and Shias, and the mosques of Balochistan were interdenominational. Groups like Jundullah later emerged, although Abdolmalek Rigi claimed that the goal of Jundullah was to "merely fight for equal rights for Sunni Muslims". Rigi portrayed himself from an Iranian Sunni perspective rather than a Baloch perspective, and claimed that he solely fought for increased Sunni rights in Iran and nothing else.

References

1. Dashti, Naseer (2012). The Baloch and Balochistan: A Historical Account from the Beginning to the Fall of the Baloch State. Trafford Publishing. pp. 33. ISBN 978-1-4669-5896-8
2. Ahmady, Kameel (2013). From Border to Border Research Study on Identity and Ethnicity in Iran. Avaye Buf. p. 100. ISBN 9788794295314.
3. Korn, Jahani, Titus, Agnes , Carina , Paul Brian (2008). The Baloch and Others Linguistic, Historical and Socio-political Perspectives on Pluralism in Balochistan. Reichert Verlag. p. 12. ISBN 9783895005916.
4. Marginality and Modernity: Ethnicity and Change in Post-colonial Balochistan, 1996, pp. 240
5. Carina, Korn, Jahani, Korn (2003). The Baloch and Their Neighbours. Reichert. pp. 49, 314–317, 248, 260. ISBN 9783895003660.
6. What Is Moderate Islam?, 2017, pp. 180
7. ^ Descent Into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, Ahmed Rashid, 2008, pp. 283
8. The Cultural Context of Health: A Baloch Perspective: an Exploration of the Cultural Context and Consequences of Perceptions of Illness and Health-seeking Behaviour of the Baloch, Naseer Dashti, 2008, pp. 88
9. The Baloch and Others: Linguistic, Historical and Socio-political Perspectives on Pluralism in Balochistan, 2008, pp. 362
10. In Their Own Words Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, C. Christine Fair, 2018, pp. 192
11. "Balochistan: The State Versus the Nation". The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
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16. The Redefined Dimensions of Baloch Nationalist Movement, Malik Siraj Akbar, 2011, pp. 198
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18. The Redefined Dimensions of Baloch Nationalist Movement, Malik Siraj Akbar, 2011, pp. 171
19. The Rise of Militant Islam: An Insider's View of the Failure to Curb Global Jihad, Anthony Tucker-Jones, 2010, pp. 166
20. A Sociopolitical Study of Iranian Baloch Elites (1979-2013), Ahmad Reza Taheri, 2014, pp. 10-11
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