Zikrism

Zikrism (also Zikriyya)[1][2] is a Mahdist Shia minority Muslim group or sect found primarily in the Balochistan region of western Pakistan.

Zikris believe Nur Pak walked the earth before Adam and will return at the end of days to restore true Islam which has been perverted by the Sunnis.

[7] Some Zikris believe the founder of their sect to be a certain Mullah Attocki, who came from Attock in Punjab and propagated the faith in Makran, although others dispute it.

[8] According to Stephen Blake, an Afghan named Mulla Muhammad declared himself Mahdi and formed the Zikri movement which faced persecution from the Mughal authorities.

Zikris gather at three times a day at Zikr Khanas and perform a special prayer in a square formation with the leader in the middle.

This prayer consists of formulae in Persian and Balochi, Quranic verses, and the repetition of God's name while standing, sitting, and prostrating.

Zikri worshippers wear white or light-colored clothing, wash before participating, and cover their head with a scarf or handkerchief called a rumal.

[2] On special occasions, Zikris observe Chaugan, songs of praise for Muhammad, the Mahdi, Turbat and Koh-i-Murad, accompanied by ritual dance-like movements.

Zikris faced persecution in the eighteenth century under the rule of Mir Nasir Khan the Great, the Sunni Muslim ruler of the Khanate of Kalat.

[21] Also in that era, "hundreds of other Zikris were killed" in periodic pogroms by "fanatic Sunnis at the instigation" of their religious leaders "in the areas of Farod, Baftan and Kishkaur (in Balochistan), according to Abdul Ghani Baloch.

With the general rise of Islamic extremism and jihadism in the region since the 1980s, Zikris have been discriminated against, targeted, and killed by Sunni militants in Pakistan.

This was accompanied by demonstrations calling for the destruction of the Zikri Baitullah (House of God), and members of the sect were subjected to violence and harassment.

[32] In August 2017, two Zikri pilgrims were killed and two were wounded when a bomb detonated in the Kamp Tal area of Pangjur, Balochistan.

[35] Zikris live primarily in Pakistani Balochistan, concentrated in the southern coast of Makran, the Lasbela District, and Quetta.

[35] Persecution has driven hundreds of Zikri and other minorities from Balochistan to safer cities in Pakistan like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.