In Episode 5 of Pakistan: A Hard Country, we turn our attention to one of the most complex and contested forces shaping Pakistani society—religion. Drawing from Chapter 4 of Anatol Lieven’s insightful work, we explore how faith operates not only as a source of personal belief but also as a powerful instrument of politics, identity, and social cohesion.

We examine the internal divisions among Muslim scholars in Feuding Theologians, the societal boundaries to extremism in The Limits to Radicalism, and the enduring influence of religious figures in Saintly Politicians. We also delve into popular practices and spiritual traditions in Shrines and Superstition, and trace the ideological evolution of political Islam in Puritans, Fundamentalists, Reformists: The Jamaat-e-Islami. Finally, we unpack the rise of Militants, and the critical yet often misunderstood links between religion, radicalization, and the state.

Through these themes, this episode sheds light on how religion in Pakistan is far from monolithic—shaped as much by tradition and local custom as by ideology and geopolitics