The Colonel by Mahmood Dawlatabadi

As a Pakistani, I find the Iranian revolution fascinating. It is a lesson for all Islamist apologists in what can go wrong. Dowlatabadi does a faboulous job in presenting a very dark picture of post revolutionary period where everything is breaking down, chaos; and among this chaos the protagonist a nameless colonel is trying to live an ordinary life, pruning himself, dealing with all issues as normally as possible. It's the portrayal of human nature at its most vulnerable state. This quest for normality surrounded by unimaginable chaos is a very real but never spoken about human trait. This evolutionary ability to strive to be normal represents the spirits quest for survival. The spirit dudes itself, with lies and justifications in order to keep on living. Doalatabad presents it beautifully.
Than there is the immortal Khowaja Khizer, which for me was the most intriguing character of this very dark tale. For me he represented another set of human traits, justification/reason and quest for power. Quest for power justifies reasoning any injustice. This is a difficult and complicated force which has no right or wrong but it is very real palpable and real entity, which we all experience on almost a daily basis.

The only reason I gave 4 stars to this absolute masterpiece was because a lot of context is needed before the book can be fully enjoyed. I have been lucky as I have a few Iranians in my study group who have guided me through its confusing parables and historical contexts.

War at the top of the world by Eric Margolis

Great book, especially if you are a Pakistani apologist. Actually, I think this book should be on the textbook list in Pakistan. This is the second book I have read by a Canadian author and presents an interesting angle for readers of the English language who are looking for a different perspective form the normal stereotyping dominant Anglo-Saxon American-British-Australian nexus narrative. Canadian's seem to challenge the Anglo-saxon narrative and present a much more balanced perspective on the world. Eric has presented a very balanced and concise view on the history of the many conflicts between China, India and Pakistan laced with tales of his many travels across the region.  Starting from the last days of the Afghan jihad to the latest conflict in Siachin and Tibet, Eric has for me done a great job about outlining these conflicts by explaining the context, history and the nature of hatred between people involved. The best chapter was where he explains the hatred between Indians and Pakistanis.

Is the Indian paranoia with Muslims defined by a collective sense of inferiority complex coming out into the open after independence in 1947? Its a very interesting theory which for me explains the continued romance of the Indian media with every Pakistani 'threat', while at the same time choosing to completely gloss over huge liberties taken by China across the border repeatedly. Even as I write, Indian media seems to be fascinated by a story of a dead falcon with a spy cam attached supposedly launched by Pakistani ISI agents dubbing it as a drone while choosing to ignore Chinese Army's forward camps set up in the Ladakh region well inside the Indian territory.

Also why is Pakistan blamed for starting the Kargil escalation while India is left scot free for instigating war in the Siachin region?

Similarly China's psychology is very nicely explained by the notion that a powerful centre is absolutely vital for a peaceful China to develop. A weak centre on the other hand is an open invitation for foreign powers to starts chipping away pushing the country into chaos and dissent.

I loved the read as it read like a specialist travelogue.

The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton

The first Muslim by Lesly

Who is a Sunni?

Someone who believes in every 'suni sunai baat' (emotionally credulous believer of rumors of positive affirmation).

Now there is nothing wrong in being religious, showing a longing for a great tradition is something which I cherish and treasure myself, as long as I am illiterate to the narrative. For a learned person should be at least be able to distinguish the wheat from the chaff. The issue is that it is almost impossible to break the shackles while being in the midst of propaganda protective dome. This is why works by non-Muslim academics is very important to establish incoherencies in the original narrative. These should be valued not castigated as unfortunately very few Muslim academics and so called Alims and Ulemas are brave enough to challenge the stereotypical status quo. Their apologist zeal end up creating myths and myths are unattainable and distant, eventually becoming obfusticated with age. Myths represent super human achievements which no humans can achieve in short. The Ulema in out of zeal or fear have managed to create the myth of Muhammad and stoked it regularly with constant and positive affirmation generation over generation, leading to the current state of Muslim perception as emotionally charged bigots ready to blow and riot at the slightest pretext. Lesley has for me challenged the Muhammad myth with Muhammad the person in flesh and bones, who suddenly becomes very interesting indeed, someone all Muslims can realistically hope to emulate.

What Lesley has done here is to point out the facts as narrated by the great Persian historian Ibn Tabari and Ibn Ishq, about the life of the first Muslim, Muhammad. There is nothing new here as all of the narrative exactly the same. Lesley's value add is the subtle focus on well established facts about Muhammad's life like the doubt which he experienced when first visited by Allah's angle of revelation Gabrail. He was terrified by the first encounter with the other world. Why? Because he was only human and terror was the only sane human response. He even tried to kill himself which seemed too human for some Ulema who tried to downplay the incident, thus lending weight to the Mythical Muhammad inadvertently. maybe such questions are not really relevant in Muslim majority agreeable cultures as opposed to a apologist Muslim cultures of Muslim minority cultures where a much more sustained and solid argument has to be made. For as Lesley points out, 'the purity of perfection denies the complexity of a lived life.'

Other questions worth pondering raised by Lesley are , how instrumental was Mohammad's foster upbringing critical in the concept of a later Ummah? What defines the meteoric rise of a mere trader to the heights of power among the very divisive Arabs? How did Muhammad's new religion rise to the top of the opposition among a number of similar rival movements? What was in his message which irked the Quraysh so much?

What sets Lesely apart is her very addictive story-telling style which is a gift. This art of story telling is highly valued in the East at least, which makes the book a very easy read.

A word of caution if you have read Lesley's earlier book on Shia and Sunni (After the Prophet) book though, as a few chapters have been cut paste into this book which is very cheeky indeed. I nearly had to take away one full star due to this gross misdemeanour, but fortunately not only does Lesley manage to portray Muhammad as a human but also does full justice to his very Arabic era. This is an invaluable book about history of the Arabs as well. A must read for all interested in Islam.

The unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kundera

Milan was a gifted novelist, the two main characters are sketched so well that by the end they felt like my family members. The novel has opened up the history of Czechoslovakia, religious propaganda and animal love for me. I found the prose very moving and never dragging although the story has no real drama or excitement. Milan was certainly an extremely gifted writer. I am a huge fan.

Mutiny by Julian Stockwin

Didn't get into the tale at all as I found the language of the sea too hard to decipher I am afraid. I guess you need to be a certain type of sea living reader in order to enjoy such books. I don't blame the author at all as he could not have written it any other way otherwise the intended effect of 18th century naval lifestyle would have been lost. Unfortunately for me, I am not the seafaring type, therefore could only manage a third of the high sea adventure :(

The Islamist by Ed Husain

Very well written book indeed. Ed has done a very good job in sticking to the plot, as he goes through his very interesting journey across the British Islamic scene, in an Islamic lite version. I must admit, so much focus on Islam in Britain has always been a mystery for a first generation immigrant like me coming from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. His learning of Islamic values was largely done by different types of schools or rather organisations prevalent in the British culture which I enjoyed thoroughly as the narrative style was almost infantile, absolutely right for any non-Muslim audience as well as ignorant Pakistani Muslims like me.

There are inconsistencies though, as Ed has remained pretty divisive throughout the book, first against the West, than after his conversion to 'moderate' version of Islam towards Islamic countries. He has also quoted parallels citing prophetic events from the life of Prophet Mohammad. Trouble is that he has failed to answer why Islamic fundamentalism is still so powerful in the Islamic countries? I think clues are found when we consider prophetic events cited by extremist groups like the Taliban, who for instance, are drawing analogies for every action with the Prophetic Sunnah (life history) and his companions (Salaf). For example they claim cutting necks of their enemies as fair game as the companions did with swords

1400 years ago! So for me the central question is how to change the interpretation of Islam, especially in a Muslim majority culture because without changing these outdated interpretation there seems to be little hope of Muslim delivery.

Ed's opinion on the Syrian culture also seems far from true, as he considered almost all Syrians very fond of Asad, fondness which at least now seems pretty allusive with the Syrian revolution in full swing. Again Ed's conclusions are not very insightful as he chooses to portray a Syria which seems pretty far fetched at this moment but still very palatable in his lite style.

I would rate this book much better than Maajid Nawaz's attempt of self-glorification in his very similar book called Radical. Ed in contrast has done justice to his transition from radicalism to moderation, complimenting his wife and love as the chief reasons which is very believable.

Ed has all the making of a great scholar one day, as he continues on his academic and physical journeys through life, as long as he somehow gets rid of his divisive style first.

Dirty war by Lisa Lieberman

Very short but very revelation-ary book about the infamous french-Algerian conflict in the 1950's. I have fallen in love with the French apologists lately, check some of their narrative justifying continued subjugation of the Algerian people.

The Muslims were not ready to take up superior Western values yet, therefore French presence is essential till they learn proper conduct.

AND

Revolutionaries were fighting for their ancestral rights to poverty.

And

Violence is useful for the colonized people? Why, because it helps them overcome their inferiority complex, master their fear, set aside their despair, and regain their dignity.

Actually, I agree with all the three statements resoundingly, as complex, fear and despair over prolonged periods become habit, which must be broken by violence. Is there any other way?

Digital wars by Charles Arthur

This has been a great experience for me as I have been associated with the Telecom/IT industry for the past 22 years of my life. The great competition between the giants Microsoft, Google and Apple is very elegantly presented in this narrative, with examples from their many wars over the years starting from the time Steve Jobs took the top job in Apple till his death. I found the chapter on the phone wars very interesting indeed with Apple's superior strategy of aligning user experience with their new product as opposed to Microsoft's reliance on their superior reputation. But I guess with Apple there could not have been any other strategy as it was the smallest player among the three. Come to think of it Google and Apple together have managed to fight off the giant Microsoft by chipping away certain businesses like search and mobile phones away from it. A lot of the success of all three companies is also due to the fact that they are based in USA, based relatively close to each other, thus sharing a common pool of resourcing and knowledge. The position of Nokia in the phone wars was also well explained. How Nokia and Sony-Ericsson missed the ride altogether, even when thy were first to patent technologies but their size worked against them by introducing red tape-ism. Size also seems to have played a huge role in Microsoft lukewarm response to Apple and Google's aggressive marketing strategies.

You're not so smart by David McKerny

This is a gem of a book, a published version of the author's blog. I love the way each and every chapter is marked, there is a perceived statement juxtaposed with an actual one. The shortish chapter that follows than starts to detail why a widely believed statement is wrong. The case against the commonly thought perceptions are made from real life examples, studies, and even movies. The book is very current and draws on contemporary events as well in order to underline the anti-perceptions. 

Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak by Lt. Gen. Shahid Aziz

This is a revolutionary book which has been written by an army officer with a lot of candid views of his career spread around forty years in the army and as the head of National Accountability Bureau after his retirement. The author is also related to President Musharraf as Musharraf's son is married to Shahid Aziz's brother's daughter. The first thing to strike me was the choice of language adopted to write his autobiography, which is Urdu rather than the 99.9% other retired generals and civil servants who have chosen English as their medium. The general has also laced his book around the revolutionary poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz which I suspect was one the the major reasons why Urdu has chosen. 
This book gripped me right from the start, as the real strength is the author's descriptions of his own life events, starting from his college days right down to his resignation as the head of NAB, were really well presented and absorbing. I was impressed by the author's justifications for a majority of his decisions with the context well defined. I also found none of the customary egoistical self glorification demonstrated by many generals and high ranked civil servant autobiographies which is very pleasing indeed, but unfortunately the general looses the plot completely in blaming the Free Masons and 'elders of Zion' as the main architects of the current world order. If Israel was a master stroke of the Free Masons and Zionists than how did Pakistan come into being General sahib? 

I am indebted to the general for restoring my pride into the great Pakistan army with his mention of a great number of unsung heroes and their wonderful tales of truth and bravery. Indeed the Pakistan army has a great deal to feel proud of, and the pivotal role played by the junior officers and soldiers on a daily basis has to be highlighted, which this book has managed to portray very favourably. 

The book can do with some serious editing as it is very repetitive with the romantic general long and hyperbolic paragraphs talking about a failed system over and over again. The real material in the book is the depiction of army's culture, steeped in obsequiousness, and suaveness to a great degree. I also did not agree with good general's suggestion for the formation of an elite group of Pakistan elders in order correct the failed system, (akin to the Elders of Zion maybe). Instead, the system will evolve with enough elections where people will eventually learn the power of their vote, in my humble opinion. There was also no point in trying to get behind Shariah which no one has any experience of for at least a thousand years. 

This book together with Musharraf's 'In the line of fire' make a great reading, juxtaposing the a liberal, western view with a conservative Islamic reformist view, as I would not place the general as a fundamentalist. 

I would highly recommend everyone to read this book, instead of watching his interviews on YouTube.

Rock & Roll Jihad by Salman Ahmed

Fantastic book, I read it all in one day. I guess I am prejudiced slightly as I have always been a Januni fan but the level of information and Salman's candidness in divulging details of political events and their impact on his life made the book a very worthwhile read indeed. There are bits in the book in which Salman does get carried away slightly, like the very first chapter where he mentions Taliban smashing his guitar in a five star hotel in Lahore a bit far fetched, but than I would put this tendency down to his exposure to the American culture at an early age. But otherwise the book presents the pain felt by a liberal Muslim trying to make sense of the astronomical religious changes taking around him, fully exploited by populist political leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif taking full advantage left by the power vacuum left by the army receding back to the barracks. The vacuum was filled by the fundamentalist Muslim taking the initiative with the populist political leadership content in only appeasing the very belligerent fundamentalist Mullah parties.
I do think there is at least one glaring contradiction in his assessment of Imran Khan though, as Imran in my opinion is a populist as well but even before taking power has already tied an official knot with the political religious Jammat ul Islami (Salman's Taliban from the very first chapter) which leaves the future a forgone conclusion in my opinion, but that is my opinion.

The best chapter for me was the one where Juniad Jamshed (JJ) takes him to the Tableeghi Ijtimah to get him indoctrinated into a born-again Muslim. The narrative is very absorbing with Salman's personality really coming out. I wish more public figures are brave enough to write about their life as Salman has been.

Agay sumandar hei by Intizar Hussain.

A story about a young man who has just made the trip of his life, giving up his birthplace in India for a dream country, called Pakistan. Starting from scratch in the newly established city of Karachi, which before Partition was relatively unknown, but after the Partition is suddenly boosted by huge number of emotional and spirited Muslims ready to lead from the front. The only issue is that the past still hounds each and everyone of the new patriotic imported Pakistanis which pulls them back, forcing them to question their migration decision. The question becomes even more pronounced with the rapid demise of law and order in Karachi. The author has done a wonderful job in painting a picture of the new culture of Karachi through rich characters from Lucknow, Mirath, Delhi. I loved the interactions between the progenitor and his best friend as they both strive to make sense of the chaos and melee called Karachi. The author is probably the best Urdu novel writer in Urdu at the moment in the world.