Sociology

Assignment
The significance of religiosity in
Pakistan's domestic market?




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Submitted to:
Date: 25
th
April 25, 2014

What is th significance of religiosity in Pakistan's domestic market?

Definition:
Religiosity, in its broadest sense, is a term used to refer to the numerous aspects of
religious activity, dedication, and belief. Another term that can be used for this is
religiousness. Religiosity can also be defined as "the exaggerated embodiment of
certain aspects of religious activity." It means excessive involvement in religious
activities and usually entails extreme zeal and affection outside and beyond the
norms of ones faith or beliefs.

Durkheim defines religion as a social institution composed of a unified system of
beliefs and practices about sacred things. According to him, religion serves four
major social functions namely social solidarity, social control, providing meaning
and purpose to life and providing psychological or emotional support. Therefore,
religious beliefs and rituals reinforce group identity and promote morality.
Religiosity is a difficult think to measure and several researchers and sociologist
have presented different models. According to Mokherjee (1993) religiosity can be
Public or participatory (Going to Church and frequency of such visits etc.)
Private or devotional (frequency of prayer and Holy book reading)
Renzetti and Curran (1998) propose five different dimensions of religiosity:
Ritualistic religiosity which considers church attendance
Experiential religiosity which measures how strongly a person feels attached
to their religion
Ideological religiosity which assesses how committed a person is to
religious teachings
Consequential religiosity which looks at the extent to which religion affects
the was a person conducts his or her daily life, and
Intellectual religiosity which focuses on a persons knowledgeably of the
history and teachings of a religion


Religiosity in Pakistan:
Religion affects the way people behave and decide about lifes important matters
in most of the Muslim world. One of the basic elements of Islam is AKHLAQ
which means morals and values, and it provides a framework that shapes the moral
and ethical behavior of Muslims in the conduct of all aspects of their lives
Pakistan is an ideological state that was founded on the principal that Muslims
should lead their lives according to Islam. Our constitution has Islamic provisions
and Islamic laws are largely implemented in the country. However, Islam has been
a tool for politicians and external forces to manipulate the Pakistani people, and
lack of education has added to this exploitation. Islam has also become a mere
symbol of piety and a means to fool the people you are dealing with. Just because a
person seems to be religious, people tend to consider him more trustworthy and
honest.
Religiosity, or extreme religious zeal and piety is very common in Pakistan.
Religion and its practice is not a private matter of an individual in our society; it is
something to be displayed and showed off all the time and in all the fields of life.
We live in a country of many paradoxes, where religiosity is very much visible
everywhere but that has not made us more honest and just in our dealings with
others.
One reason behind extreme religiosity of Pakistani nation may be explained by
DEPRIVATION theory of religiosity. It states that deprivation in its many forms
can lead to religiosity. When peoples basic needs are not met, when the state is not
a welfare state and life quality is low, people tend to move towards extremism and
passionate religiosity. Religions can help by
(a) referring to myths and thus provide meaning to deprivations,
(b) embedding suffering into ritual actions and strict rules of conduct like prayer
and sacrifice
(c) making suffering bearable by thinking that we are the chosen few.
d) promising hope and good outcomes for the future



Some examples:
1. There are so many milads and other religious ceremonies held by almost
all organizations, educational institutions and big businesses. The markets
are decorated profusely on such occasions but under those very decorations
and during those very religious days, corruption is carried out in all its
forms. Nobody thinks or talks about the need to follow the guidance of
Muhammad (PBUH) and the injunctions of Islam about honest business
practices. The main emphasis is on outward display of religiosity with very
little or nonexistent internal resolve to practice Islamic business rules.

2. Almost all the shops, big or small, have some Quranic verse, Hadith, or
other Islamic saying framed and hung on their walls. Usually, this is a way
of telling the customers that the owner of this business follows the business
ethics of Islam in its true spirit. But often this is not the case.
3. Moreover, shopkeepers make extensive use of qasams of Quran and the
Prophet while talking about the quality of their product or when justifying
the price they are asking most of the time, such qasams are habitual and
do not contain any meaning for these shopkeepers or salesmen. Knowing the
religious beliefs of the buyers, they take advantage of religiosity to increase
their profits.
4. Quran is considered to be a very strong trusting factor in business
transactions, meaning that if parties have some conflict and cannot decide
who is wrong and who is right, both are asked to put their hands on Quran
and tell the truth. But again, Quran is not used as guidance for doing honest
dealings; it is only used as a symbol or as a means to avoid blame and to
appear truthful.
5. Although, Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and all the rich muslims
appreciate it openly, but they are not willing to pay Zakat on their bank
accounts and when the month of Ramazan comes near and the banks are
about to deduct Zakat on the amount in bank accounts, most of the people
take their money out for some period or f=give an affidavit that they have
already paid the Zakat elsewhere.
6. There is an over emphasis on offering namaz during work hours and many
small businesses and shops close down for namaz. But sadly, after coming
from namaz, they have no positive effect on them in terms of being honest or
polite to the cutomers an din their business dealings.
7. The month of Ramazan has become a golden business opportunity for many
companies related to food, clothing, fashion and beauty and so on. Although,
it is supposed to be a holy month dedicated to fasting and prayer, Pakistanis
use it as an excuse to eat more and eat lavishly. Companies make special ad
campaigns for Ramazan and try to cash the sentiments of Muslims by
various means so that they can sell their products.
8. Eid is another story. This religious celebration is more of a commercial
drama than a family holiday in Pakistan. The media encourages you to buy
more and more for Eid, and peoples religious association with this day is
exploited by fashion industry that convinces them that the best way to show
their religious zeal is to buy new and expensive clothes and shoes and what
not.
9. All the natural disasters or human errors are associated with Gods will, thus
decreasing accountability of people involved. Whenever something goes
wrong, it is attributed to qismat and Allah ki marzi. Thus, if your TV is
not working just three days after you bought it, you are likely to hear the
remarks that buss ji Allah ki marzi ho gi. And then you are rendered
speechless as of course you cannot argue that it is not Allahs doing.
10. Beard has become another tool for many dishonest people to look honest
and trustworthy. The innocent and uneducated masses believe that if a
person has a beard , he must be a better muslim and thus they tend to trust
him. But in fact, a beard has just a symbolic value in Pakistan , and has
nothing to do with a persons piety and just behavior.

CONCLUSION
As a nation, we are Muslims by birth and not by choice so we are still far from
practicing Islam in its true spirit. We follow the rituals and customs of pre-Islamic
Arabs and we think that we are pious. We respect and admire those people who
have collected wealth through unfair means
Moreover, extreme religiosity has led people to believe that Muslims are perfect
and need no self-assessment or improvement. This, in turn, leads to no desire on
our part to practice ethics and moral in conducting businesses. When you believe
that you are the best religious group in the world and you will definitely go to
Heaven, then why would you feel a particular desire to be honest and ethical?