Islamic Identity and Discourse: A Sociolinguistic Study in the Pakistani Context

Abstract

This paper employs Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to investigate the interconnectedness of two facets of identity (i.e. Islamic identity and cultural identity) in low-income group of Pakistan. Using semi-structured interviews conducted at a hospital in Multan, this study intends to investigate whether afore-mentioned facets of identity are congruent or in-congruent to socio-cultural milieu of Pakistan. The analysis showed that the two facets of identity are inter-connected. Although cultural factors do make an impact on the interpretation of religion and Islamic practices, ‘religion’ remains the foremost identity marker for the people of Pakistan. The Islamic identity is foregrounded by the Pakistani Muslim through adapting different cultural practices in congruence to the teachings of Islam. In short, the sociocultural traditions have an un­mistakable impact on Pakistani Muslims’ religious identity. Through such conception of selfhood, Pakistani Muslims connect them­selves with Arab and Muslim world on the one hand and with Indo-Pakistani sociocultural traditions on the other.