Secularization of Islamists? Provides an in-depth analysis of two Islamist parties in Pakistan, the influential Jamaat al-Islam, and the more radical Dawa Party, widely blamed for the terrorist attack in November in Mumbai, India. Based on the findings of thirteen months of ethnographic work with both parties in Lahore, Hamira Ektadar suggests that these Islamists facilitate secularism in Muslim societies, even as they strongly oppose secularism.

This book provides an accurate account of the work of both parties, which challenges the ideas of the relationship between the ideology of secularism and the processes of secularization. She sheds light on the influence of women on Pakistani Islamism, while arguing that these Islamist groups are unwittingly supporting secularism by forcing them to deal critically with the place of religion in public and private life.

It highlights the role played by competition among Islamists and focuses on the state as a center for their activity in helping secularization. The result is a significant contribution to our understanding of emerging trends in Islamic politics..