Religion and State-Building: Similarities between Pakistan and Israel in Post-Colonial Contexts

Abstract

The paper discusses the parallels between Pakistan and Israel on their post-colonial state-building experiences, and the key role of religion in the stages of the establishment of the two states. Regardless of the variation in political stability, governance, and socio-economic systems, ideological premises that exist between Pakistan and Israel are founded on religious identity and self-determination. Both states were formed in the situation when the corresponding population was a minority in the bigger regional structures, which required the adoption of the strategies focusing on the establishment of equality and the safeguarding of the religious and national interests. The Pakistan formation was facilitated by the attempt of the All India Muslim league to have its own homeland and Israel was formed due to the efforts of the Zionist movements backed by the international guarantees like the Balfour Declaration. In either scenario religion became the means of cohesion, as political policies and the attitudes in society were molded. The response of the majority people to demands of the minority people was however very different as India was willing to accept partition as the only solution whereas, Arab countries were not willing to allow Israel to set up shop leading to a long conflict. This comparative study contains the insights into how religion, demographic facts, and political bargains influenced the premises.

Keywords: Pakistan, Israel, state-building, religion, self-determination, post-colonialism and the beginnings of state-building in Pakistan and Israel.