Review by Md. Abdullah-Al-Mamun
The book provides an in-depth exploration of how religion and politics intersect in six South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In this book, Professor Riaz showed and linked how religious ideologies have become central to political mobilization, governance, and national identity in South Asia, with a nuanced understanding of the region’s historical, cultural, and political realities. He argues, religion and religio-political forces have become potent influences in the domestic politics of many countries. He has underscored how faith has moved from the private to the public sphere; which, therefore, is influencing policy-making, identity construction, and power dynamics, by larger extend in some cases.
In India, the rise of “Hindutva” (Hindu nationalism) as a political force has emerged through BJP, a political part that is ruling the current government. This nationalism, though questionable in numerous cases, has reshaped India’s secular foundations. In terms of Bangladesh, on the other hand, the Islamization of politics is visible. The Islamization process has its roots in the legitimacy crisis of the military rulers who usurped power.
In this book, professor Riaz meticulously presented the reasons behind the failure of secular liberal ideologies across South Asia. Due to the failure of it, a vacuum appears that religious ideologies have filled.
In Pakistan where the struggle to define itself as either an Islamic state or a state for the Muslims has persisted since its inception. The text notes, “Since Pakistan’s inception, the elites had difficulties in answering the question of whether it was a state for the Muslims or an Islamic state”. Which means, the identity crisis is outright visible. And that has shaped its politics.
In Sri Lanka, the politicization of Buddhism by Sinhala politicians is described as a strategy to consolidate power. The assertion that “The politicization of Buddhism by Sinhala politicians, with the aim of gaining and consolidating power in the past half-century, has reshaped the entire political landscape forever, which actually highlights how religious ideologies have been leveraged for political gains at the expense of inclusivity.
Professor Riaz through this scholarly book delves into the historical roots of religion-politics interplay, noting, “The interplay of religion and politics in South Asia has long historical antecedents”. That means it is tracing it back to colonial policies that categorized populations by religion; thereby, it was sowing the seeds of modern-day identity politics. The book showed how these divisions were institutionalized, and later on, was exploited by political elites in postcolonial states. The role of globalization in enhancing the appeal of religious identities has also been explored. The book asserting, “The appeal of religious identity is a result of ontological insecurity and existential uncertainty engendered by globalization, is evidence. This observation is particularly relevant to Afghanistan. This is the very country where Islam became a rallying point during the Soviet invasion.
The normalization of religion in politics is another central theme. It is apparently clear that there many mainstream political parties across the region those increasingly use religious rhetoric and symbols to gain electoral support. The very quote which has been used is: “Religious rhetoric and symbols have become dominant features in the political scenes in all six countries in South Asia.” Thorough this line, the author has blurred the lines between secular governance and religious influence. What is more, the book highlights how religious institutions (such as mosques for Muslims, temples for Hinduism, and madrasas for the Muslim children and students) have become spaces for political mobilization.
In Nepal, for instance, the monarchy utilized Hinduism to legitimize its rule, with the claim, “Monarchs have presented themselves as the custodians of Hindu cultural identity since the inception of the modern Nepali state in 1769,” reflecting the use of religion as a political tool.
While the book offers a comprehensive analysis on how major three religions like Hinduism (India), Islam (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Maldives), and Buddhism (Sri Lanka and Bhutan) have become a catalyst in reshaping politics in South Asia, it tends to overgeneralize these traditions, portraying them as monolithic. The following weak point is the reliance on English-language sources that limits its scope, as the author acknowledges. As a result, automatically, it may overlook critical perspectives in regional languages. Additionally, the book’s focus on majority religions often sidelines the experiences of minority religious groups. Consequently, it is leaving a visible gap in understanding how these groups navigate majoritarian politics. The lack of ethnographic detail and underrepresentation of grassroots religious and political movements.
Despite these limitations, the book’s interdisciplinary approach—bridging political science, sociology, and international relations—adds depth to its analysis. It effectively illustrates how religious nationalism has been used to construct homogeneous national identities in diverse societies. The text notes, “These numbers are used to create an epistemic insecurity (i.e., the survival of the community is at stake),” highlighting how demographic narratives are manipulated to foster majoritarianism. Transnational religious networks and diaspora communities have also been discussed (albeit briefly) as influential factors shaping domestic religious politics.
The book’s discussion of the Afghan war’s impact on Islamist forces across South Asia is particularly compelling. It describes how the conflict against Soviet occupation not only mobilized religious sentiments within Afghanistan but also strengthened Islamist movements in neighboring countries. Similarly, constitutional provisions regarding religion have been analyzed for their role in delineating the boundaries of religious influence in politics in this particular region, South Asia. The book’s note is: “Constitutional provisions regarding religion have shaped the parameters of religious politics in each country.” Through this line, Professor Riaz is showing the formal mechanisms through which religion is integrated into state structures.
*The writer is an author.
November 26, 2024
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily express the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
