Lollywood, blasphemy, and Lynching: An Analysis of Pakistani Media

Abstract

Public lynching or murdering anybody accused of blasphemy in Pakistan has been occurring for the last about twenty years. However, of late, these
incidents have occurred more frequently. The critics have justifiably attributed these extra-judicial killings, in a country where blasphemy can send one to the
gallows, to a growing radicalization of the society. This radicalization, in turn, has been explored in a number of ways. Top-down Islamization, Afghan Jihad,
textbooks and other such factors have been highlighted to explain the hegemonic hold fundamentalist ideas have gained in Pakistan. However, no
attention has been paid to the role of cultural apparatus in promoting fundamentalist ideas in general and death-to-blasphemer discourse in
particular. By offering a discourse analysis of three feature films on the blasphemy theme, this paper foregrounds the importance of Pakistani film
industry, Lollywood, in popularizing, legitimizing and reinforcing a discourse that unapologetically promotes death-to-blasphemer discourse.