Religious Fanaticism Prevails Over Pakistan’s Court by By FARAHNAZ ISPAHANI & NINA SHEA

The country’s Supreme Court dodges a decision by adjourning a high-profile blasphemy case. The fate of an illiterate berry picker on death row for blasphemy has gripped Pakistan in a furor of religious fanaticism. Few examples better illustrate the misplaced priorities of the Pakistani government and the country’s Islamist ideologues. Asia Bibi was scheduled to appear before Pakistan’s Supreme Court …

Book Review: Purifying the Land of the Pure ByHurmat Ali Shah

When Muhammad Ali Jinnah stood before the Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947, he had no idea that his words as to the future of political identities informed by religion in the new state of Pakistan would come true, albeit in reverse. Hindus have ceased to be, and Muslims have also ceased to be, except the Sunnis. Jinnah in his …

‘The Pakistani State Should Not Define People’s Religion for Them’ Farahnaz Ispahani

Raza Rumi: Your book shows how the total size of Pakistan’s minorities declined from 1947 to the present levels of 3.4%. Was it a deliberate cleansing or an out-migration? Farahnaz Ispahani: The Pakistani state has failed to protect religious minorities from its earliest days. The violence that attended partition resulted in a massive movement of population and virtual ethnic cleansing, especially …

WOMEN AND ISLAMIST EXTREMISM: GENDER RIGHTS UNDER THE SHADOW OF JIHAD BY FARAHNAZ ISPAHNI.

By 2050 there will be 2.8 billion Muslims in the world, of whom almost half will be women. If women are integrated in efforts to confront violent extremist ideology, through equal opportunities and participation in social, political, and economic life, this demographic could positively alter the future of the Muslim world. Currently, traditional, conservative, and patriarchal societies in most Muslim-majority …

The business of the state; A Review of Ms. Farahnaz Ispahani’s new book.

A new book “Purifying the Land of the Pure; Pakistan’s Religious Minorities”by Former Member of Pakistani Parliament & Presidential Adviser Ms Farahnaz Ispahani, documents the story of Pakistan’s religious minorities Pakistan today is a minefield: it is littered with the volatile matter created by decades of religious prejudice and hatred. One needs to tread carefully. But what happens when you …

Farahnaz Ispahani’s Interview to “The Diplomat” on Her Book

   What do you mean by “Purifying the Land of the Pure?” Farahnaz Ispahani: Pakistan was originally conceived of as a homeland for South Asia’s Muslims. Pakistan’s purpose was to protect the subcontinent’s largest religious minority. Over time, however, religious and political leaders declared the objective of Pakistan’s creation to be the setting up of an Islamic state. Much of …

Purifying the pure; Farahnaz Ispahani’ book review by Muhammad Taqi

Pakistan may have been created in the name of Islam but roughly one-fourth of its population on the eve of Partition from India was non-Muslim. That number stands at an alarmingly paltry 3% now. Pakistan has come perilously close to becoming a confessional state with the tetrad – Sunni, Muslim, Punjabi and male- increasingly becoming the defining characteristics of its …

“Purifying the Land of the Pure” Author Farahnaz Ispahani interview to NewsX

Pakistani journalist Farahnaz Ispahani spoke to NewsX ahead of the launch of her book,  “Purifying the Land of the Pure”. The book tells the story of the atrocities against minorities in Pakistan.  Farahnaz Ispahani, a former advisor to president Asif Ali Zardari, former member of Pakistan Parliament and an active Human Rights advocate, has detailed how minorities are being persecuted …