Religion in Pakistan

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The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, was built during the Mughal Empire

The state religion in Pakistan is Islam, which is practiced by about 95-98% of the 187,343,000[1][2] people of the nation.[3][4][5] The remaining 2-5% practice Christianity, Hinduism and other religions.[5][6] Muslims are divided into two major sects: the majority of them practice Sunni Islam, while the Shias are a minority who make up an estimated 5-20%, depending on the source.[3][5][6][7][8][9] Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Islamic law school.[5] The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Ithnā‘Ashariyyah Islamic law school, with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.

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Constitutional provisions[edit]

The constitution of Pakistan establishes Islam as the state religion,[10] and provides all its citizens the right to profess, practice and propagate their religion subject to law, public order, and morality.[11] The constitution limits the political rights of Pakistan's non-Muslims, and only Muslims are allowed to become the President[12] or the Prime Minister.[13] Moreover, only Muslims are allowed to serve as judges in the Federal Shariat Court, which has the power to strike down any law deemed un-Islamic.[14]

Demographics of religion in Pakistan[edit]

Based on information collected from the Library of Congress, Pew Research Center, CIA World Factbook, Oxford University, University of Pennsylvania, U.S. State Department and others, the following is a list of estimations about the percentage of people professing different faiths in the country. These estimations vary considerably from source to source, depending on methods of research and databases that were used.

As of 2012, around 2,900,000 Pakistanis of non-Muslim faiths were holding the CNIC card, which can only be attained by citizens over 18 years of age. It is estimated that some 96% adult Pakistanis currently hold CNIC cards, and therefore the total adult population of non-Muslim religions seems to be over 3 million. Of the minority CNIC holders, 1,414,527 were Hindu, 1,270,051 were Christian, 125,681 were Qadiani, 33,734 were Bahais, 6,146 were Sikhs, 4,020 were Parsis, 1,492 were Buddhists and 66,898 were others (such as Kalasha Animists).[20]

Islam[edit]

Main article: Islam in Pakistan
The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, which is the largest mosque of Pakistan and is also one of the largest in the world, was built by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.

Islam is the state religion of Pakistan, and about 95-98% of Pakistanis are Muslims.[5]

Sunni[edit]

The majority of the Muslims practice Sunni Islam.[3][6][7][8][9] There are a number of Islamic law schools called Madhab (schools of jurisprudence), which are called fiqh or 'Maktab-e-Fikr' in Urdu. Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Islamic school of thought while small number belong to the Hanbali school.

Shia[edit]

The Shia Islam in Pakistan is practiced by 5-20%[3][5][6][7][8][9] of which a majority belong to the Twelver (Ithna Asharia) branch, with significant minority who adhere to Ismailism branch that is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.

Sufi[edit]

Islam to some extent syncretized with pre-Islamic influences, resulting in a religion with some traditions distinct from those of the Arab world. Two Sufis whose shrines receive much national attention are Ali Hajweri in Lahore (ca. 11th century) and Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan, Sindh (ca. 12th century).[citation needed] Sufism, a mystical Islamic tradition, has a long history and a large popular following in Pakistan. Popular Sufi culture is centered on Thursday night gatherings at shrines and annual festivals which feature Sufi music and dance. Contemporary Islamic fundamentalists criticize its popular character, which in their view, does not accurately reflect the teachings and practice of the Prophet and his companions. There have been terrorist attacks directed at Sufi shrines and festivals, 5 in 2010 that killed 64 people.[21][22]

Ahmadiyya[edit]

Although members of Ahmadiyya[23] consider themselves to be Muslims, the government of Pakistan does not consider this group followers of Islam.[3][17] The Pakistani parliament has declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. In 1974, the government of Pakistan amended its constitution to define a Muslim "as a person who believes in finality of Prophet Muhammad".[24] Ahmadis believe in Muhammad as the best and the last law bearing prophet[discuss] and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Christ of Muslims who was prophesized to come in the latter days and unite the Muslims. Consequently[clarification needed] they were declared non-Muslims by a tribunal, the records of which have not been released to date.[citation needed] In 1984, Ordinance XX was enacted, which made it a crime for Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims or adherents of Islam, to "pose as Muslims", to call their places of worship Masjid, or to proselytize, punishable by a prison term. According to the last Pakistan census, Ahmadis made up 0.25% of the population, which is highly disputed due to the already existing state treatment of Ahmadis in Pakistan.[18] The website adherents.com[25] cited a report according to which the Ahmadiyya Muslim community was represented by 2,000,000 (1.42%) adherents in 1995. Several other news report however claim adherents amounting to about 4 million,[17][18][19] which is difficult to verify.

Quraniyoon[edit]

There are two main Quranist (Quraniyoon) movements in Pakistan, namely Ahle Quran, founded by Abdullah Chakralawi, and Tolu-e-Islam, founded by Ghulam Ahmed Pervez. Chakralawi described the Quran as "ahsan hadith", meaning most perfect hadith and consequently claimed it does not need any addition.[26]

Christianity[edit]

Main article: Christianity in Pakistan
Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi.

Christians (Urdu: مسيحى‎) make up 1.6% of Pakistan's population, about 2.8 million people out of a total population.[3] They are the second-largest religious minority community in Pakistan. The majority of the Pakistani Christian communities is constituted by converts from the low caste Hindus from Punjab region, from the British colonial era. The community is geographically spread throughout the Punjab province, whilst its presence in the rest of the provinces is mostly confined to the urban centers. There is a Roman Catholic community in Karachi which was established by Goan and Tamil migrants when Karachi's infrastructure was being developed by the British during colonial administration between World War I and World War II.

Meanwhile there are few Protestant groups conducting missions in Pakistan. The Day by Day Christian Ministries which is based in the Philippines is operating a school in Karachi, though most of its members there converted outside the country due to restrictions at home.

Hinduism[edit]

Main article: Hinduism in Pakistan
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi

There are also followers of Hinduism in Pakistan. The Rig Veda, an ancient Hindu text was believed to have been composed in the Punjab region several thousand years ago and spread from there to much of South Asia slowly developing and evolving into the various forms of the faith we see today.[citation needed] Hindus today number around 3 million or about 1.6%.[3] Caste-based discrimination is present in Pakistan.[27][28] Dalits regularly fall victim to caste-based discrimination. According to a study , 87% of Dalit women and 63.5% of men in Pakistan are illiterate which is higher than the national average.[29] According to the last census 93% of Hindus live in eastern Sindh, 5% in Punjab and nearly 2% in Balochistan.[citation needed]

Bahá'í[edit]

Main article: Bahá'í Faith in Pakistan

The Bahá'í Faith in Pakistan begins previous to its independence when it was still under British colonial rule. The roots of the religion in the region go back to the first days of the Bábí religion in 1844,[30] with Shaykh Sa'id Hindi who was from Multan.[31] During Bahá'u'lláh's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to the area that is current-day Pakistan.[32]

In 1921 the Bahá'ís of Karachi elected their first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly.[31] By 1956 Bahá'í local assemblies spread across many cities,[33] and in 1957, East and West Pakistan elected a separate National Bahá'í Assembly from India and later East Pakistan became Bangladesh with its own national assembly.[34] Waves of refugees arrived in 1979 due to the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian Revolution in Iran.[35][36]

The Bahá'ís in Pakistan have the right to hold public meetings, establish academic centers, teach their faith, and elect their administrative councils.[37] However, the government prohibits Bahá'ís from travelling to Israel for Bahá'í pilgrimage.[38] Recent estimates are over 79,000[15] though Bahá'ís claimed less than half that number.[39]

Sikhism[edit]

Main article: Sikhism in Pakistan
Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Punjab, Pakistan

In the 17th century the reformist Sikh movement originated in Pakistan's Panjab region where Sikhism's founder as well as most of the faiths disciples originated from. There are a number of Sikhs living throughout Pakistan today; estimates vary, but the number is thought to be on the order of 20,000. In recent years, there numbers have increased with many Sikhs migrating from neighboring Afghanistan who have joined their co-religionists in Pakistan.[9] The shrine of Guru Nanak Dev is located in Nankana Sahib near the city of Lahore where many Sikhs from all over the world make pilgrimage to this and other shrines.

Zoroastrianism[edit]

Further information: Parsi people

Zorastrianism is believed to have been a major religion in the region of Pakistan from the time it was part of the Persian Achemenid empire. There are at least 4,000 Pakistani citizen practicing the Zoroastrian religion.[40] Numerous Zorastrian fire temples still exist in Balochistan, Sindh and parts of Panjab. More recently, from the 15th century onwards, Zorastrians came to settle the coast of Sindh and have established thriving communities and commercial entreprises. These newer migrants where to be called Parsi. At the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947, Karachi and Lahore were home to a thriving Parsi business community. Karachi had the most prominent population of Parsis in Pakistan. After independence, many migrated abroad but a large number remained. Parsis have entered Pakistani public life as social workers, business folk, journalists and diplomats. The most prominent Parsis of Pakistan today include Ardeshir Cowasjee, Byram Dinshawji Avari, Jamsheed Marker, as well as the late Minocher Bhandara. The founding father of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, married Ratti Bai who belonged to a Parsi family, after her conversion to Islam.[41]

Kalash[edit]

Main article: Kalash people

This is pagan religion of the Kalash people living in a remote part of Chitral. Adherents of the Kalash religion number around 3,000 and inhabit three remote valleys in Chitral; Bumboret, Rumbur and Birir. Their religion is unique but shares some common ground with Greek, Macedonian Pagan, Vedic and Pre-Zoroastrian religions.

Jainism[edit]

Main article: Jainism in Pakistan

Jainism existed in Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi. There is no evidence of any Jains living in Pakistan today, although it is claimed that a few still live in Sindh and Punjab provinces. They are number of disused Jain Temples found in different parts of Pakistan. Gulu Lalvani, a famous Jain, was originally from Pakistan but he, like other Jains, emigrated from Pakistan. Baba Dharam Das Tomb is also found in Pakistan. Digambar Temple is one of the famous Jain temples in Pakistan.

Buddhism[edit]

Main article: Buddhism in Pakistan

Buddhism has an ancient history in Pakistan, currently there is a small community of at least 1500 Pakistani Buddhist in the country.[40] The country is dotted with numerous ancient and disused Buddhist stupas along the entire breath of the Indus River that courses through the heart of the country. Many Buddhist empires and city states existed, notably in Gandhara but also elsewhere in Taxila, Punjab and Sindh. It is believed that Tantric Buddhism was developed in Pakistan's Swat valley. Pakistan and much of Afghanistan were one of the first regions to adopt Buddhism and which saw a large number of adherents to the faith. It is believed that through the Silk Road of northern Pakistan, that Buddhism spread later to Central Asia, China and beyond.

Judaism[edit]

Main article: Jews and Judaism in Pakistan

There is no evidence that there are any Jews (Urdu: یہودی‎) in Pakistan today, nor has any claim been made by any practitioner of the faith in recent decades. Various estimates suggest that there were about 1,500 Jews living in Pakistan at the time of its independence on 14 August 1947, with the majority living in Karachi and a few living in Peshawar. However, almost all emigrated to Israel after 1948. There are a few disused synagogues in both cities; while one Karachi synagogue was torn down for the construction of a shopping mall. The one in Peshawar still exists, although the building is not being used for any religious purpose. There is a small Jewish community of Pakistani origin settled in Ramla, Israel.

Atheism and agnosticism[edit]

There are people who do not profess any faith (such as atheists and agnostics) in Pakistan but their numbers is not known.[42] They are particularly in the affluent areas of the larger cities. Some were born in secular families while others in religious ones. According to the 1998 census, people who did not state their religion accounted for 0.5% of the population, but social pressures against claiming no religion was strong.[9] A 2012 study by Gallup Pakistan found that people not adhering to any religion account for 1% of the population.[43]

In September 2010 a Facebook group surfaced for Pakistani Atheists and Agnostics (PAA).[44] On August 2011, they launched their website www.e-paa.org which received more than 17,000 hits in just 48 hours after its launch from 95 countries.[42] The PAA wants a non-theist box to be added on the passport and to be easier for Pakistanis to change their religion legally if they want.[42]

See also[edit]

Portal icon Pakistan portal
Portal icon Religion portal


References[edit]

 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2011)
  1. ^ http://www.spdc.org.pk/pubs/rr/rr73.pdf[dead link]
  2. ^ Information on other countries: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf[page needed]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Country Profile: Pakistan". Library of Congress Country Studies on Pakistan. Library of Congress. February 2005. Retrieved 2010-09-01. "Religion: The overwhelming majority of the population (96.3 percent) is Muslim, of whom approximately 95 percent are Sunni and 5 percent Shia." 
  4. ^ "Population: 174,578,558 (July 2010 est.)". Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook on Pakistan. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Pakistan, Islam in". Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2010-08-29. "Approximately 97 percent of Pakistanis are Muslim. The majority are Sunnis following the Hanafi school of Islamic law. Between 10 and 15 percent are Shiis, mostly Twelvers." 
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Religions: Muslim 95% (Sunni 75%, Shia 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 5%". CIA. The World Factbook on Pakistan. 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
  7. ^ a b c d e "Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. October 7, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
  8. ^ a b c d e Miller, Tracy, ed. (October 2009). Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Pakistan - International Religious Freedom Report 2008". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
  10. ^ "The Constitution of Pakistan, Part I: Introductory". Pakistani.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  11. ^ "The Constitution of Pakistan, Part II: Chapter 1: Fundamental Rights". Pakistani.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  12. ^ "The Constitution of Pakistan, Part III: Chapter 1: The President". Pakistani.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  13. ^ The Constitution of Pakistan, Notes for Part III, Chapter 3[dead link]
  14. ^ "The Constitution of Pakistan, Part VII: Chapter 3A: Federal Shariat Court". Pakistani.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  15. ^ a b "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Retrieved 2009-07-04. 
  16. ^ "Being Cyrus in Karachi | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  17. ^ a b c "Ahmadi massacre silence is dispiriting". Declan Walsh. guardian.co.uk. June 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
  18. ^ a b c "Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan". Harvard Human Rights Journal. Retrieved 30 August 2010. 
  19. ^ a b "Fear and silence". Retrieved 5 September 2010. 
  20. ^ Ghauri, Irfan. "Over 35,000 Buddhists, Baha’is call Pakistan home – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  21. ^ Produced by Charlotte Buchen. "Sufism Under Attack in Pakistan" (video). The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 
  22. ^ Huma Imtiaz; Charlotte Buchen (January 6, 2011). "The Islam That Hard-Liners Hate" (blog). The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 
  23. ^ "Hardliners call for deaths of Surrey Muslims". The Independent. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010. 
  24. ^ "The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw)". Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Retrieved 2009-07-29. 
  25. ^ Adherents.com: Ahmadiyya
  26. ^ Islamic modernism in India and Pakistan, 1857-1964 - Page 120, Azīz Aḥmad, ʻAzīz Aḥmad, Royal Institute of International Affairs - 1967
  27. ^ Beaumont, edited by Christophe Jaffrelot ; translated by Gillian (2004). A history of Pakistan and its origins (New ed. ed.). London: Anthem. pp. 6, 155, 191 – 219, 238. ISBN 1843311496. 
  28. ^ Mehmood, Rabia. "Pakistan’s caste system: The untouchable’s struggle – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  29. ^ Caste-based discrimination in Pakistan IDSN. Briefing Note · 2012. International Dalit Solidarity Network.
  30. ^ "The Bahá'í Faith -Brief History". Official Website of the National Spiritual Assembly of India. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India. 2003. Retrieved 2009-04-04. 
  31. ^ a b "History of the Bahá’í Faith in Pakistan". Official Webpage of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Pakistan. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Pakistan. 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
  32. ^ Momen, Moojan; Smith, Peter. "Bahá'í History". Draft A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith. Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved 2009-04-04. 
  33. ^ Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land. "The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963". pp. 47, 51, 107. 
  34. ^ Hassall, Graham. "Notes on Research on National Spiritual Assemblies". Research notes. Asia Pacific Bahá'í Studies. Retrieved 2008-12-21. 
  35. ^ "Bahá'í Faith in Afghanistan". Unofficial Website of the Bahá'ís of Afghanistan. Afghan Bahá'ís. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
  36. ^ Chun, Lisa (2008-07-16). "Message of Persecution - Fairfax doctor recalls Iranian persecution of father, members of Bahá’í faith.". Arlington Connection 
  37. ^ Wardany, Youssef (2009). "The Right of Belief in Egypt: Case study of Baha’i minority". Al Waref Institute. Retrieved 2009-04-04. 
  38. ^ "Top 20 Largest National Baha'i Populations". Adherents.com. Adherents.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
  39. ^ compiled by Wagner, Ralph D. "Pakistan". Synopsis of References to the Bahá'í Faith, in the US State Department's Reports on Human Rights 1991-2000. Bahá'í Academics Resource Library. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
  40. ^ a b Ghauri, Irfan. "Over 35,000 Buddhists, Baha’is call Pakistan home, By Irfan Ghauri Published: September 2, 2012, Dawn". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  41. ^ "Quaid i Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah: Early days". Government of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. 
  42. ^ a b c "Being Pakistani and atheist a dangerous combo, but some ready to brave it | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia". Pakistan Today. 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
  43. ^ http://www.gallup.com.pk/Polls/240712.pdf
  44. ^ "Pakistani Muslim youths turning into atheists". Ibnlive.in.com. 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2013-06-19. 
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