Islam, Secularism and Idea of Pakistan

Abstract

Concept of Islam, as a complete and comprehensive code of life has played the role of theoretical foundation and primary motivating force in the movement for Pakistan. Muslims of Indian subcontinent demanded a separate state for themselves to fashion all of the individual and collective spheres of life in accordance with teachings and commandments of Islam. They believed that Islam is more than western concept of religion, according to which religion is merely a set of beliefs and rituals. Islam has its own social, political, economic, legal, moral, judicial, educational and cultural systems and for implementation of these systems, they required an independent state. This concept has challenged and negated the dominant ideology of that time i.e.  Secularism, which declares the religion; private affair of a person and negates any role of region in social, political and all of the collective spheres of life. This paper attempts to investigate Islamic nature of the idea of Pakistan and compares it with its antagonistic ideology of secularism.