Migrants and Militants

Being part of a violent community in revolt can be addictive--it can be fun. This book offers a fascinating inside look at present-day political violence in Pakistan through a historical ethnography of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), one of the most remarkable and successful religious nationalist movements in postcolonial South Asia. The MQM has mobilized much of the "migrant" (Muhajir) population in Karachi and other urban centers in southern Pakistan and has fomented large-scale ethnic-religious violence. Oskar Verkaaik argues that urban youth see it as an irresistible opportunity for "fun." Drawing on both anthropological fieldwork, including participatory observation among political militants, and historical analyses of state formation, nation-building, and the ethnicization of Islam since 1947, he provides an absorbing and important contribution to theoretical debates about political--religious and nationalist--violence.Migrants and Militants brings together two perspectives on political violence. Recent studies on ethnic cleansing, genocide, terrorism, and religious violence have emphasized processes of identification and purification. Verkaaik combines these insights with a focus on urban youth culture, in which masculinity, physicality, and the performance of violence are key values. He shows that only through fun and absurdity can a nascent movement transgress the dominant discourse to come of its own. Using these observations, he considers violence as a ludic practice, violence as "martyrdom" and sacrifice, and violence as "terrorism" and resistance.

Offers a contribution to theoretical debates about political - religious and nationalist - violence. This book brings together two perspectives on political violence - identification and purification. It combines these insights with a focus on urban youth culture, in which masculinity, physicality, and the performance of violence are key values.

List of Maps and Illustrations vii Foreword ix Preface xiii List of Abbreviations xv IINTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER ONE Ethnicizing Islam 20 CHAPTER TWO The Muhajir Qaumi Movement 56 CHAPTER THREE Pakka Qila 88 CHAPTER FOUR Fun and Violence 111 CHAPTER FIVE Making Martyrs 137 CHAPTER SIX Terrorism and the State 163 EPILOGUE 183 Calendar of Events 189 Glossary 191 Notes 195 Bibliography 199 Index 211