Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey
Encyclopedia
Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey is a book by the Nobel
laureate V. S. Naipaul
.
Published in 1981, the book was based on a six month journey across the Asian continent. V.S. Naipaul explores the culture and the explosive situation in countries where Islamic fundamentalism
was growing. His travels (and travails) start with Iran
, on to Pakistan, Malaysia and end in Indonesia
, with a short stop in Pakistan and Iran on the return to the UK.
by a communist, Behzad. Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali
is interviewed.
Pakistan: is a country based on Islam, at the same time with strong Indian-English tradition. Being of Indian origin, Naipaul has strong views on Pakistan, and gives a controversial portrait of the country.
Malaysia: Naipaul meets with the famous Anwar Ibrahim
, when he is a rising star. Anwar had been to Iran and met Ayatollah Khomeini, and he wanted to awake Malaysian people.
Indonesia: He describes the Indonesian history, how the Japanese "liberated" them and how they later fought the Dutch until free. Islam in Indonesia is mixed with former beliefs and there are forces that want to make Islam more pure. He meet poets in Jakarta and he make a trip to visit the Koranic schools, called pesantren
. All in all he does a very deep portrait of Indonesia.
It was translated into German.
In 1998 Naipaul published a sequel Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples
.
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
laureate V. S. Naipaul
V. S. Naipaul
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad "V. S." Naipaul, TC is a Nobel prize-winning Indo-Trinidadian-British writer who is known for his novels focusing on the legacy of the British Empire's colonialism...
.
Published in 1981, the book was based on a six month journey across the Asian continent. V.S. Naipaul explores the culture and the explosive situation in countries where Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
was growing. His travels (and travails) start with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, on to Pakistan, Malaysia and end in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, with a short stop in Pakistan and Iran on the return to the UK.
Purpose
The proposed aim of the author was to study cultures which have a long pre-Islamic history and their modern attempts to establish a religious state. Naipaul does not include Arab countries as he is interested in "converted peoples".Travels
Iran: he went to Iran just after the revolution and could listen to all the mixed voices, guided around the holy places like QomQom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
by a communist, Behzad. Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali
Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali
Hujjat al-Islam Sadeq Givi aka Sadegh Khalkhali was a hardline Twelver Shi'a cleric of the Islamic Republic of Iran who is said to have "brought to his job as Chief Justice of the revolutionary courts a relish for summary execution" that earned him a reputation as Iran's "hanging judge"...
is interviewed.
Pakistan: is a country based on Islam, at the same time with strong Indian-English tradition. Being of Indian origin, Naipaul has strong views on Pakistan, and gives a controversial portrait of the country.
Malaysia: Naipaul meets with the famous Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
, when he is a rising star. Anwar had been to Iran and met Ayatollah Khomeini, and he wanted to awake Malaysian people.
Indonesia: He describes the Indonesian history, how the Japanese "liberated" them and how they later fought the Dutch until free. Islam in Indonesia is mixed with former beliefs and there are forces that want to make Islam more pure. He meet poets in Jakarta and he make a trip to visit the Koranic schools, called pesantren
Pesantren
Pesantren or Pondok Pesantren are Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. According to one popular tradition, the pesantren education system originated from traditional Javanese pondokan; dormitories; ashram for Hindu or viharas for Buddhists to learn religious philosophies, martial arts and...
. All in all he does a very deep portrait of Indonesia.
Reception
A controversial work, this has been one of Naipaul's better-selling publications.It was translated into German.
In 1998 Naipaul published a sequel Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples is a non-fiction book by V. S. Naipaul published by Vintage Books in 1998. It was written as a sequel to Naipaul's Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey ....
.