Islamic Minorities of South Asia

Islamicate South Asia has generated interest since 9/11 as never before. However, Islamic Minorities, specifically, is still a relatively neglected area of study in South Asian Islam, particullarly due to the tendency to look at Islam as a monolithic faith and Muslims as a monolithic population to the western world.

Nadeem Hasnain is a social scientist with a broad range of interests. He is a former Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Lucknow, India, Fulbright "Scholar in Residence," and Visiting Professor in the U.S. and Senior Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

Introduction: Islam in South Asia and the Idea of "Lived Islam" 1 Contemporary Shades of Islam in South Asia 2 A Brief Socio-religious History of the Shias 3 Development of Shiaism in Indian Subcontinent 4 Mourning (Azadaari) and Martyrdom: The Defining Feature of Shia Identity 5 Network of Social Relationships: Caste, Family, Kinship, and Marriage 6 Economic and Political Life 7 Shia Women: Role Models and Changing Social Status 8 Impact of Ayatollah Khomeini's Revolution on the Shias of South Asia 9 Shia Festivals 10 Shias of Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Jammu and Kashmir 11 Fratricidal War: Islam's Existential Crisis 12 From Ijtihad to Ismah: Some Concepts in "Shia Islam" 13 Shia Communities in Pakistan 14 Ahmadi Community in Pakistan and its Persecution Ismailism and Ismaili Communities 15 The Bohra 16 The Khoja