In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi’ism between Pakistan and the Middle East by Simon Wolfgang Fuchs (review)

Ruqaiyya binte Husayn and Sukayna binte Husayn are the two daughters of the third Shi‘a Imam and grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Husayn ibn Ali, who were present during the Karbala massacre in the seventh century. However, based on the Shi‘a storytelling in Lucknow and Pakistan, there was only one daughter, i.e. Sukayna (better known as Sakina in the subcontinent), present in Karbala whose miseries are well-recorded in Urdu literature. However, Arab Shi‘a scholars find this assertion contradictory to the history recorded by Arab historians. Regardless of the authenticity of Sukayna’s account, what is notable here is the hierarchical knowledge flow from Shi‘a learning centres (based in Iraq and Iran) to the subcontinent periphery that requires corroboration from the centre of any claim made by the periphery(ies). Simon Wolfgang Fuchs’ new book, In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi’ism between Pakistan and the Middle East, explores the nature of centre-periphery dynamics and the unique position of Shi‘as of Pakistan where they protect their mediating authority by carefully negotiating with the centre and maintaining their influence over the local Shi‘a population.

The book is divided into five chapters. The first chapter highlights the emergence of internal contestation among Shi‘as in pre-partitioned India between the well-grounded ulema of Lucknow and the emerging middle-class ‘reformed’-leaning leadership in the shape of the All India Shi‘a Conference (AISC) who were challenging Lucknow power. In the second chapter, the author explains the continuation of tussle between ‘traditionalist’ ulema of Uttar Pradesh (UP) who migrated to newly-formed Pakistan and ‘reformed’-favouring ulema in Punjab and the subsequent victory of traditionalists over reformists. In the third chapter, Fuchs argues that Shi‘a transitional authority did not affect the authority of local ulema especially Lucknow-based ulema due to the presence of established structures such as the hawza. They managed to assert their authority without challenging the authority of the grand ayatollahs residing in Iraq and Iran. In the fourth chapter, the author highlights the reception of the Iranian revolution among Pakistani Shi‘as and how local ulema interpreted the revolution according to the local context. The fifth chapter provides an in-depth study on the anti-Shi‘a literature produced by Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) in Urdu.

This book provides a fresh perspective on the unique position of Shi‘as in Pakistan. One of the core arguments Fuchs has advanced is the formulation of an exclusive authority built by local Shi‘a ulema. This authority is based on the group’s self-realisation that understands its dependency on the ‘core’ but at the same time is also aware of its bargaining and manipulating position (5–6). In other words, Shi‘a clerics might seek legitimacy from the core, but they interpret (text) and exercise power on their own terms. This does not only challenge the general perception about Shi‘as, i.e. proxy or periphery, but also accentuates the nuances and intricacies of local Shi‘a authority.

In a Pure Muslim Land also provides an important examination of the Iranian revolution and its effect on the Shi‘as of Pakistan. A plethora of literature on the revolution highlights how it influenced Shi‘as in Pakistan but have covered insufficiently the complex reception of the revolution among the Shi‘as of Pakistan where even staunch supporters of the revolution had their concerns with Iran. For example, Sayyid Arif Husayn Al-Husayni, ayatollah Khomeini’s close comrade and a staunch supporter of the exporting the ‘Islamic revolution’, even distanced himself from Iran over its relationship with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s extremist Sunni military dictator Zia-ul-Haq (146). Fuchs’ challenge to the linear position on the impact of the Iranian revolution unearths the complex position local Shi‘as held and also highlights...