Daily Times

Dirili?: Ertu?rul, the Turkish drama revolving around the father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, has become hugely popular – especially in Pakistan. Although it was already gaining traction internationally but since Imran Khan – the Pakistani Prime Minister – mentioned it as recommended viewing, its graph has skyrocketed! Historically very little is known about the 13th century Muslim Turk leader Ertu?rul. The drama itself is fictional albeit with a sprinkling of fact. As such, possibly a dangerous combination which blurs the line between reel and reality! And makes the content readily believable! This is true for the whole world but then why such an uptake in Pakistan at-least? The answer perhaps lies in the incomplete substantiation of a national identity for Pakistan. Consider the following hypothesis.

Since the independence of Pakistan in 1947, there have been different spheres of society peddling different interpretations of what it means to be a Pakistani. However, in the absence of a generally agreed – and most importantly, widely accepted – definition of Pakistani national identity, there have been two strong contenders. For what it’s worth, both rely heavily on religious sentiment. This is mostly and naturally because the creation of Pakistan itself is steeped in religion.

Formerly – in the early 1980s, under the tutelage of General Zia, came the first concerted effort to tout a Pakistani national identity which was generally Arab and Islamic in nature. Zia considered Pakistan a purely ideological state and famously said, “take Islam out of Pakistan and make it a secular state, it would collapse”. He was infatuated with Muslim rules and conquerors from the Middle East and Sub Saharan Africa. Therefore, he transformed the education curriculum in the same mould and tasked writers to glorify Islamic warriors. Consequently, many of Pakistan’s national heroes were foreign Muslim figures; i.e. Arab rulers, Afghan kings and Persian emperors. A decade of continual indoctrination resulted in an informally accepted national identity where Pakistanis thought of themselves as more Arab than South Asian. Social norms – built on Arab values – started to take hold in place of local cultural traditions. New-borns were given Arabic names, Arabic language became mandatory in schools, roads and streets were named after Arab figureheads and overt Islamism became the norm.

It is now being widely described as the Muslim version of Game of Thrones! Despite this popularity, the going notion in Pakistan is that Imran Khan is promoting this fictional saga more because of political reasons than religious ones

Recently – Ertu?rul, a relatively obscure character from Turkish history has been made part of the national discourse in yet another attempt to forge a national identity around a new Islamic warrior. This time Turkish not Arab! Dirili?: Ertu?rul’s production value notwithstanding – which is extremely laudable – its popularity in Pakistan is owed much to Imran Khan championing the series and urging the Pakistani youth to watch it. Now that it has been dubbed in Urdu, the show’s popularity has soared further. So much so, that it is now being widely described as the Muslim version of Game Of Thrones! Despite this popularity, the going notion in Pakistan is that Imran Khan is promoting this fictional saga more because of political reasons than religious ones. One more reason is because of his great admiration of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an – another Muslim leader who is trying to mould a narrower Islamic identity in his country leveraging shows such as Dirili?: Ertu?rul. In Pakistan, the Prime Minister’s initiative is also in line with the Pakistani state which defines nationalism very narrowly and in terms of Islam alone. That is why, Ertu?rul is resonating so well with the general population! In April 2020, Imran Khan told reporters, “I want our children and youth to know what the difference is about our culture”. Just like Zia who believed Arab as ‘our culture’, Imran Khan now believes the same thing about Turkish culture! Maybe he sees this as his long-lasting legacy – good or bad, that time will tell.

Not only the similarity between Zia’s Arab national identity and Imran’s Turkish national identity is eerie, it also brings home a sobering reminder: a national identity vacuum, which is generally underpinned by local culture, will automatically be filled by characters alien to the land. This will keep on happening unless and until people – and successive leaders – look inward and forge a national identity based on their own history and culture. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon! For now, it is old wine in a new bottle! In the 80s, novelists such as Nasim Hijazi were used to promote an Arab-Islamist identity for the Pakistani youths of the time. Today, the escapades of Ertu?rul are being used to construct a Turkish-Islamist national identity for the same demographic specifically and Pakistanis generally.

Such is the following of Dirilis: Ertu?rul in Pakistan that in Lahore, residents of a private housing society have put up a fibre-and-iron statue of Ertu?rul showing a sword wielding man on horseback! Imran Khan is not done yet. Rumours are that next he wants the nation to watch a Turkish serial based on the life of Yunus Emre, a 13th century Ottoman poet and mystic who was wholly dedicated to God. Then, coming soon to you: a bronze-and-iron statue of Yunus Emre!

The writer is Director Programmes for an international ICT organization based in the UK and writes on corporate strategy, socio-economic and geopolitical issues