My Friend the Fanatic
Encyclopedia
My Friend the Fanatic is a travel narrative by the Indian-American author Sadanand Dhume
about his exploration of radical Islam in Indonesia
, the world’s most populous Muslim country. Dhume’s travel companion is a young Javanese, an Osama bin Laden admirer who edits the country’s foremost fundamentalist magazine.
The travels described in the book begin at the site of the 2002 bombing of the Sari Club in Bali and end nearly two years later in Ambon, the scene of a civil war between Muslims and Christians. Some of the famous personalities Dhume encounters include Abu Bakar Bashir
, the head of Jemaah Islamiyah
, the Southeast Asian branch of Al Qaeda, Inul Daratista, a popular singer and inventor of a risque dance called drilling, and the televangelist A. A. Gym. The places he visits include Bandung, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi and Balikpapan on the island of Borneo
As a self-described atheist, Dhume views the rise of both radical Islamic politics and orthodox Islamic practice in Indonesia with concern. He challenges the belief that Indonesia’s syncretic form of Islam makes it immune to inroads by radical Islam.
My Friend the Fanatic was first published by Text Publishing in Melbourne, Australia in 2008 (ISBN 9781921351402), and will be reprinted by Skyhorse Publishing in New York in 2009 (ISBN 1602396434).
The Australian edition of the book has drawn both praise and criticism. Writing in the Far Eastern Economic Review, Robert W. Hefner of Boston University, a noted scholar of Indonesian Islam, called it “[a] fine book [that] tells us much about Indonesia and about Islamism, one of the most important political phenomena of our age.” The Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal said that Dhume “Guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool these [radical Islamist] currents have created.” The Sydney Morning Herald
called My Friend the Fanatic “an eye-opening piece of reportage.” However, The Jakarta Post
criticized Dhume for pointing out the ideological affinity between the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah
and the powerful Islamist political party PKS (Prosperous Justice Party). The reviewer called Dhume’s observation “clearly very dangerous and misleading.”
Skyhorse Publishing website: http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/details.php?TitleID=357
Author website: www.sadananddhume.com
REVIEWS:
Sadanand Dhume
Sadanand Dhume is an Indian writer and journalist based in Washington, D.C. who writes on Asian affairs. He is the author of My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist, a travel narrative about the rise of fundamentalism in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country.Between...
about his exploration of radical Islam 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...
, the world’s most populous Muslim country. Dhume’s travel companion is a young Javanese, an Osama bin Laden admirer who edits the country’s foremost fundamentalist magazine.
The travels described in the book begin at the site of the 2002 bombing of the Sari Club in Bali and end nearly two years later in Ambon, the scene of a civil war between Muslims and Christians. Some of the famous personalities Dhume encounters include Abu Bakar Bashir
Abu Bakar Bashir
Abu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu"), born 17 August 1938, is an Indonesian Muslim cleric and leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council (MMI)....
, the head of Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
, the Southeast Asian branch of Al Qaeda, Inul Daratista, a popular singer and inventor of a risque dance called drilling, and the televangelist A. A. Gym. The places he visits include Bandung, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi and Balikpapan on the island of Borneo
As a self-described atheist, Dhume views the rise of both radical Islamic politics and orthodox Islamic practice in Indonesia with concern. He challenges the belief that Indonesia’s syncretic form of Islam makes it immune to inroads by radical Islam.
My Friend the Fanatic was first published by Text Publishing in Melbourne, Australia in 2008 (ISBN 9781921351402), and will be reprinted by Skyhorse Publishing in New York in 2009 (ISBN 1602396434).
The Australian edition of the book has drawn both praise and criticism. Writing in the Far Eastern Economic Review, Robert W. Hefner of Boston University, a noted scholar of Indonesian Islam, called it “[a] fine book [that] tells us much about Indonesia and about Islamism, one of the most important political phenomena of our age.” The Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal said that Dhume “Guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool these [radical Islamist] currents have created.” The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
called My Friend the Fanatic “an eye-opening piece of reportage.” However, The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post is a daily English language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara, and the head office is in the nation's capital, Jakarta....
criticized Dhume for pointing out the ideological affinity between the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
and the powerful Islamist political party PKS (Prosperous Justice Party). The reviewer called Dhume’s observation “clearly very dangerous and misleading.”
External links
Text Publishing website: http://www.textpublishing.com.au/books-and-authors/book/my-friend-the-fanaticSkyhorse Publishing website: http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/details.php?TitleID=357
Author website: www.sadananddhume.com
REVIEWS:
- http://www.feer.com/reviews/2008/september/My-Friend-the-Fanatic
- http://www.indonesiamatters.com/1794/fanatic/