Notes from the Fortune-Telling Parrot

Islam and the Struggle for Religious Pluralism in Pakistan

by David Pinault

Book cover: Notes from the Fortune-Telling Parrot

Extent: 256 pages

Publisher: Equinox Publishing

Subjects: Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies

Series: Comparative Islamic Studies

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(December 2008)

ISBN: 9781845533465

Price: $34.95

In stock

Hardback (Published)

(December 2008)

ISBN: 9781845533458

Price: $34.95

In stock

This book explores the richness of Pakistan’s religious landscape, giving attention to a number of topics: Shia flagellation processions, Urdu-language pulp fiction, streetside rituals involving animals (pariah-kites and fortune-telling parrots), and the use of sorcery to contend with the jinns that are believed to infest cities such as Lahore. Uniting these topics is an investigation of how Islamist politicians seek to eradicate sectarian diversity and repress localized forms of Muslim folk practices in the name of a standardized, uniform, and globalized version of Islam. The book looks at forms of resistance to this Islamist globalization, such as collaborative efforts by Christian, Hindu, and Muslim human-rights activists to repeal Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy law and assert the worth of religious pluralism.

  • By (author) David Pinault