ISLAM AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATIONAL IDENTITY AMONG MUSLIM NATIONS

Abstract

Islam did not have a key role in defining national identity in central parts of the Muslim world, despite the fact that Muslim societies have always been essentially religious societies, where Islam was Alfa and Omega in all the social activities. Perhaps as a result of historical heritage or the Islamic teachings itself, that the author analyzes in this article , contemporary Arab nations have not considered the religious identity as a main factor in forming national identity. Contrary to this, in the peripheral parts of the Muslim world the case was often very different, where Islam and the religious identity played the central role in defining and differentiating the national identity , like is the case in the process of formation of the nation of Pakistan, to what the author here brings detailed references.