RELIGIOUS INTERPELLATION AND IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL IN OMAR SHAHID HAMID'S THE PRISONER (2013)

Abstract

Omer Shahid Hamid’s The Prisoner (2013) presents religious belief as a significant ideological force that shapes authority, identity, and social behaviour. Through its portrayal of religious authority, madrassahs, extremist groups, and militant violence, the novel explores how particular interpretations of faith influence individual beliefs and actions. Drawing on Louis Althusser’s concepts of Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) and interpellation, this article examines how religious institutions and groups transmit and reproduce religious ideology. Using qualitative textual analysis, it explores how religious discourse shapes individuals’ understanding of faith, duty, and obedience, encouraging them to identify with particular ideological positions. It also considers how individuals who claim religious authority can exploit religious beliefs to recruit and manipulate followers, advance their own interests, and justify militant violence. The article highlights how ideology operates through beliefs that individuals internalize and reproduce, rather than through direct coercion. By connecting religious ideology with subject formation and institutional power, the analysis shows how religious authority can influence individual behaviour and reinforce existing power relations in contemporary Pakistani society.