Islamic Revival in Nepal

This book provides a thorough, in-depth and balanced perspective on the contemporary situation of Muslims in Nepal. The author has based her work largely on her field research, particularly that conducted between 2005 and 2010, but she has also been able to access various historical accounts of the Muslims’ presence in the country and the Muslim social landscape of Nepal today. Sijapati’s research was conducted during Nepal’s most turbulent period, which has left a lasting and irreversible impact on the country. The massacre of the Royal family and the triumph of the Maoists ended the only declared ‘Hindu Kingdom’ and this aligned the country decisively with the secular camp of the nation state. As far as Muslims in Nepal were concerned, this period was also one of great tests and tribulations. On the one hand, they were under constant scrutiny from their compatriots to see whether their “loyalty” was to the Nepali nation, and on the other, they were under pressure – both from the political authorities and the Nepali Hindu nationalists – to demonstrate that their faith was not a “violent” one and that they respected the “Nepaliness” of Nepal.