A Study Into Causes Of Religious Violence In Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is to examine the roots of religious violence in Muslim tradition with special reference to Pakistan. It aims to describe and dissect its central terms, assumptions, labels, narratives, and genealogical roots, and to reflect on the political and normative consequences of the dominant language and knowledge. In addition, the understanding of the causes of violence can be useful for leaders so that they can try to prevent the emergence of conditions that are likely to result in violent collective action. This paper argues that three variables are important for understanding when certain religious groups engage in violence: the relationship between religious and governmental authorities, the role of threat perception, and the number of resources available to the religious community. Furthermore, this paper argues that religious violence- violence with saliently religious goals- are largely defensive and include three broad pursuits: the defence of religious nations, the defence of sacred sites and the instillation of an Islamic State through revolution.