State, Nationalism, and Islamization ─ Historical Analysis of Turkey and Pakistan

This book argues that Islam’s role in state nationalism is the best predictor of the Islamization of government using two most different cases: Turkey, which was an aggressively secular country until recently, and Pakistan, a country that is synonymous with Islamization. It establishes a causal link between Islam’s role in state nationalism and Islamization of government during various periods of the history of both countries. The indicators used to establish the causal link between Islam’s role in state nationalism and Islamization are the presence of Islamic provisions in the constitution, Islam-inspired national symbols, Islamic images on the national currency, Islamic basis of family law, a Department of Religious Affairs, and governmental support for religious education. The book concludes by identifying three causal mechanisms—legitimacy, mobilization, and authenticity—that link Islam’s role in state nationalism and the Islamization of government.

Raja M. Ali Saleem received his PhD from the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, USA. He is also a graduate of the University of Manchester and the University of Calgary. Previously, he was a National Project Manager in Pakistan for the United Nations Development Program, an Adviser in the Pakistan's Ministry of Industries, and a consultant to the Asian Development Bank. He has contributed chapters to Religion & Nationalism in the Islamic World (2015) and Human Development Report on South Asia (2003), and been published in journals such as Party Politics, Journal of Church and State, SAGE Open, and the Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy.