A Tough Road to Travel (On the Road to Kandahar - Jason Burke)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	On the Road to Kandahar - Jason Burke
Date:	07/07/06 (166 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good insight into Islamic world and the Middle East problem

Disadvantages: Can't think of any worth mentioning

Jason Burke gives an impressive account of his personal voyage of discovery and adventure in the Middle East. He travels there as a 21 year old at the beginning of the first Gulf War conflict in 1991 and what starts out as an attempt to see some action on the war front turns into an enduring journey of self-fulfilment which enables Burke to gain an intimate comprehension of the region and the Muslim way of life. His journey begins in Kurdish Iraq and moves on to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Algeria and as far a field as the Muslim world of South East Asia. It is a journey of human encounters with hundreds of people including interviews with government ministers, refugees and American snipers. Tbe book explores the ideologies and myths that have often determined the interaction of the West and Islam. Burke attempts to suggest political and historical explanations for the rise of Islamic radicalism and why so many have resorted to violence and terrorist activity.

Burke presents a high tempo account of what was to become his ten year passage to greater Middle Eastern wisdom and understanding. One of his main concerns is to transmit to his readers his understanding of the diversity of Islamic culture and to dispel the narrow minded focus of the Muslim world that is often portrayed in Western Media outlets. He points out how a Muslim in one country is different than a Muslim in another country and portrays the religion in all of it's diversity such as the various schools of thought and historical traditions. In Pakistan he meets a Sufi holy man full of wisdom, patience and understanding but later on a visit to an isolated village in the Punjab, he learns of an old lady who has been burnt to death for apparently burning a few pages of the Koran.

Burke presents a harsh critique of Western militarism and imperialism, but he balances this by questioning the extremities of Islamic oppression in North Africa and elsewhere. He suggests however, that Western governments are in the main the purveyors of an overriding 'right wing paradigm' that favours military action above all else and that scuppers any attempts to find alternative solutions to military conflict. This view and some of his other commentaries at times appear a little vague and some of his arguments lack supportive evidence. Although there are certain news channels that could be presented with the charge of anti-Muslim/Arab bias, I would argue that it is not really true to say that all Western journalists and news media merely repeat Western government propaganda. However, Burke does go on to highlight some of his personal involvement with the press and how some his own reportage was mishandled. He describes how one of his photographs, a picture of the home of the Taliban governor of Kandahar, is later published in a London newspaper with the title 'Bin Laden's Secret Base'.

The book is full of interesting insights that I have never come across in any news media such as an account drawn from an interview with the head of an Iraqi insurgency unit. The Iraqi informs him of the racial hatred prevalent amongst many of his men whose main objective is to kill African American troops.

I believe Burke is spot on when he points out the American administration's lack of knowledge of Iraqi history and diversity before the invasion. Here he emphasises an important rule of battle that underlies the failure of the American occupation: know your enemy.

Although it may not seem so by this review, the book is not a heavy read. It's well written, clear and easy to understand. It is also interspersed with Burkes personal problems, relationships and plenty of humorous commentary. Despite the enduringly desperate situation in Iraq, Burke remains hopeful of a peaceful solution to the Iraqi situation. If you're interested or ignorant of the subject matter then I would certainly recommend it.

Jason Burke is also a prize winning Chief Reporter for the Observer. He has covered the Middle East and southwest Asia for a decade. He is also the author of Al - Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam.

I bought the hardback version of the book at Amazon.com for £11.99

Summary: A good insight to Iraq and the Muslim world