Frontier of Faith: Islam in the Indo-Afghan Borderland

by Sana Haroon

Frontier of Faith examines the history of Islam-especially that of local mullahs , or Muslim clerics-in the North-West Frontier. A largely autonomous zone straddling the boundary of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Tribal Areas was established as a strategic buffer zone for British India, and the resulting autonomy allowed local mullahs to assume roles of tremendous power. After Partition in 1947, the Tribal Areas maintained its status as an autonomous region, and for the next fifty years the mullahs supported armed mobilizations in exchange for protection of their vested interests in regional freedom. Consequently the Frontier has become the hinterland of successive, contradictory jihads in support of Pashtun ethnicism, anti-colonial nationalism, Pakistani territorialism, religious revivalism, Afghan anti-Soviet resistance, and anti-Americanism. Considering this territory is said to be the current hiding place of Osama bin Laden, there couldn't be a better time for a sourcebook detailing the intricacies of the Pakistan-Afghanistan borderlands today and the function of the mullahs and their allies.

Genres: Pakistan, Islam, History, Nonfiction, Religion

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 22, 2008

Reviews

[Muhammad Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immensely valuable study of the history of resistance to colonial and state power along the semi-autonomous tribal zones of the Pak-Afghan border. Haroon shows that the much-touted autonomy of the region emerges out of a specific historic context and there is nothing inevitable or permanent about it. It was after the Anglo-Afghan war that the British colonial authorities decided that instead of occupying Afghanistan it was less costly to maintain a buffer; and instead of deploying troops along the frontier, it was more convenient to pay the tribes to enforce security. As in other colonial zones, the effect was to administratively delimit tribes, creating sharp separations, and empowering undemocratic maliks to maintain authority. But the political authority in most cases resided in the mulla, most of them disciples of Akhund Ghaffur of Swat, who combined temporal and religious authority. Ghaffur, who was steeped in the Sufi piri-muridi tradition, also began introducing the revivalist concepts of Shah Waliullah, an influence which grew more pronounced under his disciple, the mulla of Hadda. The Hadda mulla, and his disciple the Haji of Turangzai were ubiquitous to many of the subsequent anti-colonial risings. They would raise lashkars and confront the British. Many of these risings were successful, until the Brits introduced airpower and a modus vivendi had to be worked out. But the tribes remained restive, and confrontations continued on into the post-colonial era.

This book is indispensable for understand much of what is happening in FATA today. It is also a wonderful read combing good history writing with rigorous scholarship. Highly recommended!

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting study of Islam from roughly the mid 19th century to contemporary in the Tribal Areas and NWFP.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, thorough history of the role of religious figures throughout modern Pashtun history.