Islamic nationalism, also known asMuslim nationalism, is a form ofreligious nationalism that seeks to advanceMuslim interests by combiningnationalism withIslamism. It holds the view that all Muslims constitute a singlenation, known as theUmmah, by virtue of their adherence to theIslamic religion and should unite under a single universalIslamic state. As such, it is often equated withpan-Islamism. Critics argue thatnationalism is inherently incompatible with Islam, as Islamist ideology rejects theWestern notion ofnation-states, which usually appeal to unity based on linguistic, cultural, ethnic, and territorial factors.[1][2]
Unlike thesecular form of nationalism which is espoused in most other countries,Pakistani nationalism is religious in nature, consisting of Islamic nationalism. Muslim nationalism is an essential part of the creation of Pakistan. Before India's independence, theAll India Muslim League first espoused the interests of India's Muslim minority and in the face of the impending independence of India, switched its position to demand freedom from India's Hindu majority in the form of the creation of Pakistan.
While religion was the basis of the Pakistani nationalist narrative[3] the country's creation can easily be seen as the one form of the culmination of Muslim nationalism in South Asia, especially of the kind of Muslim nationalism lead byMuhammad Ali Jinnah'sAll India Muslim League. Pakistani nationalism is closely associated with Muslim heritage, the religion of Islam, and it is also associated with pan-Islamism, as it is described in theTwo-nation theory. It also refers to the consciousness and the expression of religious and ethnic influences that help mould the national consciousness.Pakistan has been called a "global center forpolitical Islam."[4]
InBosnia and Herzegovina, Islam plays a significant role inBosniaks' national identity.Alija Izetbegović, who later became Bosnia and Herzegovina's first independent leader, issued theIslamic Declaration during theYugoslav era, emphasizing the differences betweenMuslims and the surroundingSouth Slavs, who adhered to various Christian denominations.[5][6]
Hamas viewsPalestine as a holy land and considers it a primary front forjihad, framing its resistance as an Islamic way of fightingIsraeli occupation. The group has sought to fuse Islamism withPalestinian nationalism, presenting itself as a nationalist movement with an Islamic nationalist agenda, distinct fromsecular nationalist movements. Article 12 of the1988 Hamas charter asserts that "Nationalism from the point of view of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part and parcel of religious ideology."[7][8]
TheTurkestan Islamic Party is anAl-Qaeda-inspiredUyghur nationalist,pan-Turkist, andjihadist organization seeking to create anIslamic state based aroundSharia law called "East Turkestan" which would immediately include all of theChinese province ofXinjiang, with the gradual goal of including parts ofTurkey andPakistan and all ofKazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Uzbekistan, andAfghanistan.[9] They have been in contact with otherSalafi jihadist movements for decades, with direct financing fromOsama bin Laden and connections with theTaliban,Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, andPakistani government.[10] However, after theTaliban victory in 2021, the TIP was expelled by thenew government in hopes of receivingdevelopment aid fromChina.[11] TIP also has abranch in Syria which has been aligned with theFree Syrian Army, and more recently with the newSyrian transitional government.[12][13] The Syrian branch has been known for various human rights abuses, including the use ofchild soldiers and participating in theAlawite genocide of 2025.[14][15][16]
Zia ul-Haq is often identified as the person most responsible for turning Pakistan into a global center for political Islam. ...
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