New Delhi: At a time when South Asia is witnessing a rise in Hindu supremacist sentiment in India, Buddhist supremacism in Sri Lanka, and surge in attacks on minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh, a collection of essays explores the relationship between media and politics in contributing to the spread of religious extremism.
Published by HarperCollins, ‘Politics of Hate: Religious Majoritarianism in South Asia’ has been edited by Farahnaz Ispahani and will be released on 21 February on Softcover, ThePrint’s online venue to launch non-fiction books.
Through the book notable experts on media and political influence in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka share their research that delve into media incitement, orchestrated attacks on mosques, churches and temples. They also look at identity politics, which is allegedly used by political leaders to their advantage.
Through a collection of 11 essays by various scholars such as Husain Haqqani, Neil Devotta, Maya Mirchandani, the book examines a range of issues such as religious majoritarianism, Islamophobia, fear and radicalism, among others.
The editor, Farahnaz Ispahani, dedicates the book “to all those who have lost their lives fighting for the right to peacefully practise their faith and those battling religious persecution and majoritarianism across South Asia today”.
Ispahani has been a leading voice for women and religious minorities in Pakistan for the past twenty-five years. Currently, she is a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and serves on the Anti-Defamation League Task Force on Middle East Minorities. She has also served as a spokesperson and international media coordinator for the Pakistan People’s Party, working alongside the late Benazir Bhutto.
During her tenure in Parliament (2008–2012), she was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Committees and of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus as well as served as media advisor to the President of Pakistan. She has authored Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan’s Religious Minorities (2017).
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