Islamic Fascism Hamed Abdel-Samad

First thing, not all the things in this book can be agreed upon.

This is a good book when it comes to the references and the citations it has used but this doesn't provide a  solution, not even in directional terms. But the plus point is that some of the points made here can be the starting point.

Religion is a sensitive matter irrespective of which one we are talking about. It gets more complicated where this is less about religion but more about the power equations. The complications involved are very difficult to understand for a well trained mind (academically or otherwise) forget about the people who have surrendered their critical faculty and open to take orders from others. These orders are well crafted in terms of promising something which goes beyond this life. A bait for the people who are in a vulnerable situation in their lives.

Afterlife is an absurd thought to analyse rationally. It is beyond comprehension which makes it more abstract and lucrative for the people who are dependent only on trust/faith. But this is where the the shortcoming lies.

Education is the only way forward which can enable people to look at things from an independent point of view and debate about it. Till then, keep the hopes high.

Peace

Two Billion Caliphs: A Vision of a Muslim Future Haroon Moghul

It lost me at Starwars and Jedi for such an important topic.

It is such an incoherent text which is written backwards. The conclusion was made first and rest of the text was put together to make it look worth it. And, the title is just a rhetoric.

There are better books around this topic as this falls into is a page filler with no substantial line of thought to offer.

Peace

We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China's Surveillance State by Kai Strittmatter, Ruth Martin

    

Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment by Francis Fukuyama

What exactly does an identity mean? Is this is a common trait found among different people or is this is an idea that brings the like minded people together?

Identity has always been an abstract thought which has generally been defined as a post event analysis. It is very frequently the case that after an incident the analysts go after a trait and end up zeroing on one characteristics which fits the bill. This is more of a generalisation of uniqueness.

Race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, political views, nationality, religion and a hundred other factors can be used to label people in a single cohort. But apart from the physical traits everything else is a choice. A choice that you are not born with but prefer against everything else. And the sad part of these identities are the push for the approval of it.

The moment you start contemplating on the influence of an identity it is seen as a sign of opposition to it. So, does it matter what other recognise as long as you are comfortable with your choices? No. But is it going to be easy to live your choices? Depends, but you don't make these choices on the basis of level of comfort.

It is a bit complex to put your thoughts around it here but this one was a good read.

Peace

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

This is not a full size book but a collection of two letters from the author. The first one is more personal which is addressed to his nephew and the second one is more of an essay or commentary on the current state and future.

This is small but with a big impact. I have not read any of his works earlier but I am sure this was a good start. It does talk about the past but this is more future facing. Love comes as a solution in emotional accounts but in this book which carries a lot of burden from past, it was really good to hear. The problem with emotional solution is that it takes time, and really long time to show any results but this is the only solution. You speed the things up and it will be a mess again.

Forgiveness is not a virtue all the time but sometimes it is something which helps you unload the bad in your life and make room for some good. It is not easy. It is far easier to fall for a passion specially the one which promises the quick solution. The solutions which resonate with your own temporary thoughts but don't stand the test of the time.

Worth a read irrespective of your interests.

Peace

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

Sometimes the books has that shock quotient, and this was really high on it. I did pick it up for the strange title but I was also wanted to read some recent writers from Japan.

This one covers some topics from a difficult life which are always there but never discussed openly. From breast augmentation to teen existential crisis to parental choices. And the best part was that it was all conversational rather than preaching.

This is rather long which I believe is due to been written in sequence at different points. But it does shows sad state of being poor irrespective of which country you are in. A country with $5T GDP and high PPP doesn't translate to a good life for everyone.

Every theme in the novel can be discussed in details independently but that is not the aim here. But even it was a real long one, it does leave you with new line of thoughts. You can argue against them but can't write them off.

Life sometimes come with difficult choices which doesn't make the life unlivable. The idea of life needs to be taken with resilience and positivity. Its difficult to always look at the bright side of the things but its always the light which carries you forward. Nobody led by darkness reached anywhere.

Peace