Exploration of Pragmatic and Critical Discourse Strategies in the Religious Speeches of Contemporary Islamic Scholars

This study features an analysis of the pragmatic and critical discourse strategies employed in the selected religious speeches of Dr. Tahir ul Qadri, Mufti Taqi Usmani and Dr. Mufti Ismail Menk. By using Pragmatics and CDA, the analysis of the selected speeches is to be done in this study. Pragmatics deals with speech acts, implicatures, presuppositions, and politeness strategies, while CDA is concerned with power relations, ideology, and discursive structures in religious discourse. Using qualitative research design, this study identifies certain linguistic and rhetorical strategies employed to attract the audience in ways that appeal for religious persuasion. The results indicate that religious scholars employ pragmatic and discourse strategies to establish their credibility, ideological hegemony, and emotional investment in their audience.