University of North Carolina Press In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi'ism Between Pakistan and the Middle East (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks)

Review Fuchs makes an important contribution to the study of South Asian Shiism. He argues against typical views of Pakistan as a mere Shia backwater by highlighting the community's political agency and theological innovations.--Journal of Asian Security and International AffairsThe highlight of the book is the fascinating theological and religious spectrum of Shi'a thought and its diverse responsive-ness to the evolving sociopolitical realities. . . . Fuchs provides the essential background to the key ideas and debates. The untapped archival research is, in itself, a remarkable achievement. In sum, this study is a major contribution to our understanding of the complexity of South Asian Shi'a Islam.--Religious Studies ReviewIn a Pure Muslim Land is a ground-breaking addition to the growing field of Shi'i studies. By centering Pakistan in the story of Shi'i Islam, Simon Wolfgang Fuchs' work broadens a dialogue that is typically restricted to the Middle East. . . . Fuchs highlights transnational relationships and religious concepts that travel across borders and are thereby transformed in the process.--South Asia: Journal of South Asian StudiesSimon Fuchs's In a Pure Muslim Land displays a wealthy and important contribution to our understanding of Shi'is in Pakistan, the indigenous 'ulama' and their transnational ties with other centres of Shi'ism in the Middle East.--Journal of the Contemporary Study of IslamThis excellent account of the development of Shi'i thought in Pakistan, written in lucid language. . . . Makes a major contribution to the study of Islam in South Asia and will prove highly instructive to anyone interested in Islamic thought, religious authority, and the transnational history of ideas.--The Book ReviewWhile escorting the readers through five well-researched and well-written chapters, the author examines a pertinent question -- whether South Asia could be treated as a Shi'i periphery if compared to the Middle East. . . . The multi-disciplinary approach, a painstaking consultation of original and secondary sources gathered from different countries, the author's lucid style of argumentation and the attractive cover enhance the academic value of the book across disciplines.--The TelegraphIn a Pure Muslim Land makes a major contribution to the study of Pakistani Shi'ism. . . . This book adds to a growing body of scholarship on different trajectories of Pakistani Shi'ism . . . contributing a much-needed perspective of post-Partition Shi'ism in which 'ulama are complex individuals whose stances on tradition, authority, and the Subcontinent's relationship to Iran and Iraq are worthy of our attention and understanding.--Bloomsbury PakistanChallenges common assumptions about Shi'i Muslims, focusing less on Iran and more on Pakistan. . . . Those who wade into the depth of Fuchs's impeccable scholarship will find a nuanced picture of the debate in Pakistan about the ideal Muslim state in the modern world.--Publishers WeeklyThis stimulating and vibrant study of Shi'i Islam in Pakistan will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Islam and its diverse and international history. --CHOICEAs for Simon Wolfgang Fuchs's In a Pure Muslim Land, its lucid prose and thought-provoking analytical engagement with transnational Islam makes it highly recommendable to those interested in the journey of religious ideas between the Middle East and South Asia.--Middle East Journal Product Description Centering Pakistan in a story of transnational Islam stretching from South Asia to the Middle East, Simon Wolfgang Fuchs offers the first in-depth ethnographic history of the intellectual production of Shi'is and their religious competitors in this "Land of the Pure." The notion of Pakistan as the pinnacle of modern global Muslim aspiration forms a crucial component of this story. It has empowered Shi'is, who form about twenty percent of the country's population, to advance alternative conceptions of their religious hie