Caste Out: Christian Dalits in Pakistan

Abstract

Caste discrimination is an under-analysed form of global racism both inside and outside its Hindu roots. Caste is not based on skin colour, education or economic prosperity and is a challenging issue to analyse in Pakistan. Caste in Pakistan is integrally connected to Dalit conversions to Protestant Christianity in the mid-1930s. Because of these early Dalit conversions, many people in Pakistan associate Christianity with Dalits. These associations, along with economic factors, contribute to many forms of persecution and exclusion for specific Christian communities in Pakistan. This article considers how ancestral connections to Dalits create social exclusion and ‘othering’ for many Christians in modern Pakistan. The various forms of caste as opposed to religious discrimination that is discernible in the country are also analysed. In conclusion, several ways in which the Pakistani government could address the challenges and alleviate religio-political strife in the country are offered.