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Street Power: Friday Prayers, Islamist Protests, and Islamization in Pakistan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Ahsan I. Butt
Ahsan I. Butt*
Affiliation:
George Mason University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Ahsan I. Butt, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F4, Fairfax, VA 22030. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This article addresses Pakistani Islamists' street power — their ability to organize rallies, protests, and demonstrations. Building on research on religion and collective action, I first demonstrate how Friday prayers aid Islamist mobilization. Mosques on Friday serve as a filtering and coordination tool, as tactical “choke” points in urban neighborhoods, and as incitement through the imam's sermon. I then show how Islamist street power affects Islamization in Pakistan. I argue that Pakistan's foundational religious nationalism acts as an “opportunity structure,” and affords Islamists agenda-setting and veto power. The success of Islamist agitation depends on the issue contested, the type of regime targeted, and the era in which it is practiced. I use interviews, participant observation at Islamist rallies, an original dataset of all rallies and protests in Pakistan from 2005 to 2010 (n = 4123); and government and local newspaper reports from the 1940s onward to buttress my claims.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , March 2016 , pp. 1 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2016 

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