Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Religion & Culture / Religious Studies

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Dr. Ali Hassan Zaidi

Advisor Role

Doctoral Research Supervisor

Second Advisor

Dr. Meena Sharify-Funk

Advisor Role

Doctoral Research Committee Member

Third Advisor

Dr. Jason Neelis

Advisor Role

Doctoral Research Committee Member

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Lorne Dawson

Advisor Role

Doctoral Research Committee Member

Abstract

This dissertation explores the historical and conceptual evolution of blasphemy in Sunni Hanafi Islam from its medieval theological articulations to its transformations under early modern, colonial, and postcolonial regimes in South Asia and the diaspora. By situating blasphemy within these shifting moral and political landscapes, the study demonstrates how a once-fluid religious notion became entangled with questions of sovereignty, law, and identity. Building on this broad historical trajectory, the dissertation examines how Pakistani Muslim diasporic communities in Canada negotiate the moral, legal, and ideological tensions surrounding blasphemy within the framework of Canadian multiculturalism. Drawing on Arjun Appadurai’s theory of global cultural flows, ethnoscapes, mediascapes, technoscapes, financescapes, and ideoscapes, this research traces how anti-blasphemy discourses circulate and acquire new meanings across transnational settings. Employing qualitative methods, including 30 semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and content analysis, the study reveals that many respondents advocate for blasphemy laws or restrictions on expression, highlighting the friction between liberal-secular and religious moral orders. The findings suggest that diasporic religiosity is a dynamic rearticulation shaped by migration, digital media, and economic precarity. At its core, the dissertation argues that Canadian multiculturalism functions as a contested space where competing ideoscapes of sacrality and secular freedom intersect, compelling a re-examination of the moral foundations of pluralism and the limits of liberal citizenship in a globalized world. In addition, the research generates findings directly relevant to public policy, particularly in multicultural governance, freedom of expression, and social cohesion, offering insights into how states might navigate tensions between religious sensitivities and liberal-democratic principles in increasingly diverse societies.

Convocation Year

2026

Convocation Season

Spring

Download

Available for download on Monday, April 23, 2029

Share

COinS