Religious Extremism: Background of Sectarianism in Pakistan and Teachings of Islam By Abdul Rahman Cheema

Any human and Islamic society is like a family, whose members are connected to each other on the basis of mutual cooperation, tolerance, and brotherhood. When class divisions begin in a society, economic inequality becomes common, religious extremism begins to flourish and national interests are undermined for the sake of personal interests, the result is an epidemic of extremism. Religious extremism among Muslims, like in any religion, involves interpretations and practices that deviate from mainstream beliefs and promote radical ideologies. Beliefs and actions that go beyond the mainstream understanding of Islam, often advocating for violence, strict enforcement of religious law, or rejection of modern values are refered as religious extremism.

I went to a conference last week. There were about a thousand people present. Molvi Sahib was speaking on the pulpit. “We are Sunni and )ٹن ٹنا )Sunni” he repeated again and again in his address, to which the crowd responded with applause. Similarly the slogans in the conferences ofWahhabis are “We are Wahhabi and )ٹن ٹنا )Wahhabi”. After all, what is it? Isn’t that extreme? This is an extreme thought which shows religiuos extremism aming Muslims. Extremist thinking is inflexible, refusing to accept any other idea. It does not have the strength to tolerate contradictory thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. People with such thoughts want to celebrate their own images in any case. This is why violent societies tend to disintegrate quickly.

Sectarianism had emerged with the creation of Pakistan. Although sectarian differences existed at the time of Pakistan’s creation but they were not as intense. During that era, the founders of Pakistan envisioned a state where all schools of thought would have freedom. However, after the establishment of Pakistan, various religious groups began demanding recognition and status.

The Ahmadiyya community (often targeted with demands to be declared non-Muslim), held a prominent position in both state and social spheres. Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan, who was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, was under pressure to be removed from his position because he was a Qadyani.

Figure 1: A religious gathering of the Ahmadiyya in Rabwa in the 1960s

As a result, some sectarian riots did occur notably in 1950 and in 1953, especially the anti-Ahmadiyya movement, but these did not escalate into full-fledged terrorism. The 1953 unrest in Lahore, particularly targeting Ahmadis, was a significant manifestation of such sectarian conflict.

The Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Movement emerged as a public and religious campaign with the primary demand that Ahmadis (Qadianis) be officially declared non-Muslims, and that all Ahmadis, including Zafarullah Khan, be removed from government positions. The movement was supported by various religious groups, including Ahrar-e-Islam, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and Jamaat-e-Islami. As a result, in February 1953, violent protests broke out in Lahore and then spread across Punjab. Properties were set ablaze, Ahmadis were attacked, and several people were killed. When the situation spiraled out of control, the government imposed martial law in Lahore.
The government rejected the protesters’ demands and arrested several religious leaders, including Maulana Maududi, Maulana Abdul Sattar Niazi, and others. Maulana Maududi was sentenced to death, but the sentence was later revoked due to public pressure.

In response to these events, the government formed an inquiry commission, which published a report known as the Munir Report in 1954. One of the report’s most significant observations was: “There is not even a single definition of a Muslim on which two ulema agree.” This clearly highlighted the emergence of sectarianism in the country.

Then later in 1973–74, the protests began once again under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Noorani. As a result, the second amendment was made to the Constitution, declaring Qadianis a minority and officially recognizing them as non-Muslims. While signing the amendment, Bhutto said, “I am signing my own death warrant.”

Figure 2: JI’s Mian Tufail and the party’s founder, Abul Ala Maududi, holding a press conference in June 1974.

Zia’s rule can be described as the period when sectarianism in Pakistan began in an organized and intense manner. During this time, religion was formally incorporated into politics and law at the state level, which paved the way for religious hatred, sectarian divisions, and the rise of armed groups.

Religious matters were implemented in a sectarian manner specifically, the Hanafi school of thought was given preference. This led to unrest among other sects, especially the Shia community. In 1980, Zia’s government issued the Zakat deduction ordinance, under which Zakat began to be forcibly deducted from bank accounts. According to Shia jurisprudence, the method of paying Zakat is different, and they prefer to handle it independently. In protest against this policy, Shia scholars, especially under the leadership of Allama Arif Hussain al-Hussaini, organized the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafariya (Movement for the Implementation of Jafari
Jurisprudence). A bloody sit-in was held in Islamabad, after which the government was forced to exempt the Shia community from the Zakat ordinance. This marked the beginning of Shia-Sunnisectarian conflict in the country.

After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan became the central hub for the Afghan Jihad. The United States, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf countries provided billions of dollars in funds and weapons to Pakistan. These funds were directed toward jihadi groups, and with their help, thousands of mujahideen were trained, some of whom later went on to establishsectarian organizations, including groups like Sipah-e-Sahaba and Sipah-e-Muhammad.

In 1985, Haq Nawaz Jhangvi founded Sipah-e-Sahaba from Jhang. Its main objective was to oppose the Shia school of thought and launch a movement to remove them from state institutions. Later, this organization gave birth to a terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. On the other hand, the leadership of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafariya (Movement for the Implementation of Jafari Jurisprudence) was under Allama Arif Hussain al-Hussaini. By thispoint, two clear opposing sectarian groups had emerged, one being Sipah-e-Sahaba and the other representing the Shia community.

Figure 3: Sipah-e-Sahaba Party Flag

In 1993, in response to Sipah-e-Sahaba, another group named Sipah-e-Muhammad was formed, led by Shia scholars. According to some critics, the Zia regime covertly supported certain sectarian groups. Instead of stopping hate speeches from mosques and pulpits, they were ignored, which allowed sectarian hatred to escalate into armed conflict.

Figure 4: Sipah-e-Muhammad Party Flag

In 1990, Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa also came into existence, which remained involved in anti-India activities. It was a jihadi organization committed to the cause of jihad in Kashmir. General Zia had earlier declared the activities in Afghanistan as jihad, which helped gain the support of a certain segment of the population.

Figure 5: Hafiz Saeed Delivering Speech to his Followers

Later, after 9/11, groups like Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban also became active, emerging as terrorist organizations. Military operations such as Rah-e-Rast, Rah-e-Nijat, Zarb-e-Azb, and Radd-ul-Fasaad were launched, which, according to the Government of Pakistan, weakened the networks of extremists. However, these operations provided only a temporary solution.

• In 2023, a suicide attack occurred on a Milad-un-Nabi procession in the Mastung area, for which ISIS claimed responsibility.
• Another tragic incident took place in Sialkot, where a Sri Lankan manager was lynched by a mob over blasphemy allegations.

• On August 16, 2023, in Jaranwala, Punjab, a mob set fire to 26 churches and numerous homes belonging to Christian families following the allegations of Quran desecration by a Christian man. The attacks were reportedly carried out by supporters of the religious parties.
• In November 2024, gunmen opened fire on convoys of Shia pilgrims in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least 42 people, including women and children. The attacks occurred amid escalating sectarian tensions between Shia and Sunni tribes.

These incidents reflect that religious extremism has now deeply penetrated the public mindset — and has become one of the biggest obstacles to national unity.

In the present era, the biggest cause of sectarianism and religious extremism and terrorism is social
media. A news breaks that the Qur’an has been desecrated, and a mob comes together and kills him
(religious terrorism). Another news spreads that blasphemy has occurred, and the mob sets
someone on fire or lynches them.

But the reality is that there are proper legal procedures for dealing with such matters. One should file an FIR and inform the authorities. It is then the court’s responsibility to decide whether punishment is warranted or not. There have been many incidents where it was later discovered that the accused didn’t even know it was the Qur’an. Therefore, institutions should be allowed to do their job. But where the rule of law does not exist, such i ncidents become a norm.

In Islam, the Khitab is “O! You who believe”. It is not to the those who are wahabiis or Sunnis or Shias. Quran addresses to all the believers. Believers in what? Those who believe in the Qur’an, those who believe in Islam, those who believe in the Last Holy Prophet. In the Holy Quran, it is said that “And hold firmly together to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves”(3:103). Firstly, the addressee has been declared to be all believers. No specific group of believers, any Sunni, Wahhabi, Shia or Deobandi is addressed. Secondly, a clear command has been given here: do not create divisions among yourselves. In other words, do not split into sects,
but rather make unity and brotherhood a part of your life.

In another verse, when it is said that “And if two groups among the believers fight, make peace between them” (49:09). Again, all believers are addressed, not a specific group. Through these fundamental actions, Islam permanently ends the religious prejudice and conflicts that plagues all of humanity.

About one year ago, when the news of the killing of Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrullah came, Sunnis in Pakistan and Syria celebrated because he was a Rafizi. After this, Muslims who belong to the Sunnism, expressed grief over the martyrdom of Ismail Haniya, but the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia celebrated. After some days, Yahya al-Sunwar was martyred; the Islamic world was in mourning, but Saudi newspapers celebrated regularly because Saudi belongs to Wahhabism sect.
Where do we stand????

Figure 6:

1. Hassan Nasrallah: Martyred in an Israeli airstrike on the Hezbollah-controlled Southern suburbs of Beirut: Sep
   27, 2024
2. Ismael Haniya: Assassinated during a visit to Tehran, reportedly by a short range projectile: July 31, 2024
3. Yahya Sinwar: Martyred in a shootout with Israeli forces in Rafah, Gaza strip: Oct 16, 2024

Fear Allah Almighty. Don’t violate the sanctity of Islam like this. This is called religious bigotry that has become so hard in the Maslak that we have left Islam! It will be written in history that there was a press conference in which the doctors were holding a conference outside the hospital and the bodies of Palestinians were lying on the ground around. Even if a dog in the street of America dies, let them mourn and our brothers and sisters are being martyred in Palestine and we are busy in (ٹنا ٹن) Wahhabi, Sunni, Salafi Deobandi, Braelvi and Shia slogans. The poet of East was also expressing the same pain.
“It would have been truly great, if Muslims had been united” (Bang e Dara)

Before 1947, we were victims of Indo-Muslim riots and today we are victims of Sunni, Wahhabi, Shia riots. Let’s get out of this mess. “A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe”. It’s needed today. We have to unite, to meet, to become a Muslim Ummah with unity. Unity is a fundamental principle in Islam. From the Supreme Personality of Allah Almighty, who is the basis and the true manifestation of unity and oneness, to all the signs of this unity, you see that the attention of the entire universe is focused on this great center.
)کل الینا راجعون(
All are returning to Us.