Pragmatic Muslim Politics

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Andreas Johansson

   Pages 1-34

3. Official Documents

   • Andreas Johansson

   Pages 35-59

4. Narratives of the Party

   • Andreas Johansson

   Pages 61-83

5. Ashraff in Parliament 1989–1992

   • Andreas Johansson

   Pages 85-119

6. Hakeem in Parliament 2006–2011

   • Andreas Johansson

   Pages 121-136

7. Concluding Remarks – Pragmatic Muslim Politics

   • Andreas Johansson

   Pages 137-144

8. Back Matter

   Pages 145-153

   PDF

This book analyses and discusses the use of Islamic terms and symbols in the political party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). It is based on interviews with the leading members of the party and on analyses of the party’s official documents. It describes the history of Muslims in Sri Lanka, presents the analytical framework used, and discusses the official documents and narratives of party members, as well as the details of the Ashraff and Hakeem terms in Parliament. The book provides knowledge about the state of religion and politics in Sri Lanka, and provides insight into how a religious political Muslim party functions as a pragmatic rather than fundamentalist movement. Representing a recent study on the complex relationship between religion and politics, this book greatly advances our understanding of the power of religion and its effect on both individual lives and society.

• Islamic Terminology and Symbols
• Islam in Sri Lanka
• Muslim ethnicity
• Muslim Politics
• Nationalism and religion
• Objectification of the Muslim Consciousness
• Pragmatic Politics
• Sacred Authority
• Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
• State and religion

• Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET), Lund University, Lund, Sweden

  Andreas Johansson

Andreas Johansson is the current Director of Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET), Lund University. He holds a PhD in history of religion. In his research he examines how different organizations use religious terms and symbols. He studies a wide range of sources and has conducted fieldwork in Sri Lanka and Japan. Andreas has published his research results in peer review articles and in specialist journals and news outlets, such as openDemocracy and The Conversation. He is one of the editors of the Nordic journal of South Asian studies. He is also the author of the book Yakuza tattoo (Dokument Press, April 2017)

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