Celebrating the prophet: religious nationalism and the politics of M ilad‐un‐ N abi festivals in I ndia

The traditional honoring of the birth of the P rophet M ohammed ( M ilad‐un‐ N abi) has shifted in numerous Indian cities from private prayer and ritual meals in the home to grand public festivals that bear resemblances to H indu religious processions. In 2010 in the southern I ndian city of H yderabad, large‐scale M ilad‐un‐ N abi festivals became implicated in H indu– M uslim nationalist riots that erupted weeks later at the commencement of a H indu festival for H anuman J ayanthi. This paper explores the political production of M uslim ethno‐nationalism and the intra‐community debates over the legitimacy and piety of M ilad‐un‐ N abi celebrations. It argues that M ilad‐un‐ N abi as a public performance is a (re)invented tradition that is part of the struggle for material, political and symbolic goods of the nation‐state. It is shaped by local party politics and history of anti‐ M uslim discrimination. However, as the festivals highlight community divisions and religious ambiguities, they ultimately reveal the fragility of ethnic groups.