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Secularism in Balochistan

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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 people 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. Baloch nationalism and secularism were known for the inclusion of women and fighting against issues of women in Balochistan.

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.

Baloch secularists opposed the All-India Muslim League and its Pakistan Movement, as they did not want to be part of Pakistan.

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 effects of Islamization in Balochistan were seen in 2017.

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 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
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  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.
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  13. Taheri, Ahmad Reza (2014). A Sociopolitical Study of Iranian Baloch Elites. Lulu Press, Incorporated. p. 11,45. ISBN 978-1312349681.
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  22. The Rise of Militant Islam: An Insider's View of the Failure to Curb Global Jihad, Anthony Tucker-Jones, 2010, pp. 166
  23. Fair, C. Christine and Hamza, Ali (2017) "Rethinking Baloch Secularism: What the Data Say," Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 24 : No. 1, Article 1, see Table 2 & Table 4. Archived on 19 December 2024.
  24. A Sociopolitical Study of Iranian Baloch Elites (1979-2013), Ahmad Reza Taheri, 2014, pp. 10-11
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