The “Ideal” Islamic Polity: History-Making and the Modern Nation-State in Khoja-Moolji’s Sovereign Attachments

Abstract

Shenila Khoja-Moolji ’ s Sovereign Attachments: Masculinity, Muslimness and A ff ective Politics in Pakistan resonated deeply with me, stirring up memories of impassioned arguments with family members about Islam ’ s place in Pakistan. The role of religion in politics and in the public sphere is a rather common topic amongst Pakistanis, both within the country and as part of the diaspora. My most recent di ff erence of opinion was with an uncle, who furiously condemned the fact that shar ī ʿ a governed the domain of personal status law in Pakistan. To demonstrate the decadence and moral corruption of those who interpreted and practiced shar ī ʿ a , my uncle recounted a story: