ONLINE DISCUSSION PLATFORMS AND THE SYNTHESIS OF MODERN ISLAMIC THOUGHT: A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Digital discussion forums have emerged as powerful mediums of determining religious discourses and sense among Pakistani Muslims. These platforms are becoming the mediators of discussions on contemporary Islamic thought and interpretive authority as the digital engagement grows. This study explores the ways in which online discussion forums support or reject the synthesis of contemporary Islamic thought and how they shape the formation of beliefs and identities amongst Pakistani Muslims. The study uses the thematic analysis method coupled with the Critical Discourses Analysis developed by Fairclough with a qualitative design. The sources of data were the public social media threads, the religious forums, and the digital discussion groups, and data were analyzed in textual, discursive and sociocultural aspects. The results show that, online spaces democratize the process of religious interpretation but also polarize ideologically which is reflected in the formation of the changing identity representations and in the renegotiation of power relations within Pakistani Muslims. Digital platforms have a great impact on the Islamic discourse in Pakistan, making it more pluralistic and enforcing the divisions in the modern religious thinking.