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On the Road to Kandahar: Travels Through Conflict in the Islamic World
by
Jason Burke
From one of the world's leading experts in modern Islamic militancy comes an intellectual and personal voyage through the Islamic world, the Muslim faith, and its perception throughout the world.
A brilliant, fearless journalist who knows huge areas of the Islamic world intimately, Jason Burke now turns to the wider question of how we are to get to grips with radical Islam...more
A brilliant, fearless journalist who knows huge areas of the Islamic world intimately, Jason Burke now turns to the wider question of how we are to get to grips with radical Islam...more
Paperback
Published
October 1st 2008
by Penguin Books
(first published 2006)
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Burke's second book is an anecdotal account of his, at the time, decade and a half of work in the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, and other war ravaged parts of the world. Burke's incredible drive to expose the reality of these conflicts is a constant as he retells stories of being pursued by armed men through the streets of Zakho in the Kurdish North of Iraq, ducking from tank fire on the Taliban's front lines outside of Kabul, or escaping from Pakistani border security in a taxi race up...more
Mar 13, 2010
Juha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
persons wanting to better understand Islamic militancy.
Jason Burke is Chief Reporter for the Observer in London. He has written a superb book about conflict and violence in the Islamic world, an area he is thoroughly familiar with having worked and travelled in the region since 1991. Burke’s analysis of the causes and consequences of violence and militancy is nuanced, thoughtful and based on years of interviews, field work and reflection. Yet he never writes as an apologist for the militant Islamists or terrorists. Unlike many journalists, Burke has...more
Clear, lucid, and very fair book on conflict in the Islamic world. Written by a British journalist, this book circumvents the entrenched and politicized views prevalent in America, including those surrounding Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and 9/11 itself.
My only real complaint about this book is the arbitrary use of commas (or failure to use commas) throughout most of the first half of the book. Presumably he's employing some kind of journalistic rule for comma use, but whatever it is, it results...more
My only real complaint about this book is the arbitrary use of commas (or failure to use commas) throughout most of the first half of the book. Presumably he's employing some kind of journalistic rule for comma use, but whatever it is, it results...more
Towards the end of the 1991 Gulf War, Jason Burke and a friend arrived in Iraq to fight for the Kurds. They were all of 21 – ah, the headiness of youth. Surviving skirmishes and a kidnap attempt, Burke went on to become a respected foreign correspondent and in this book, he tells tales of his experiences and encounters in the Islamic world, from Kabul to Islamabad to Baghdad to Basra and more. This is leavened by Burke’s attempts to show that Islamic fundamentalism has complex causes and comes i...more
I enjoyed Burke's accounts of his travels as well as his apt conclusions about the ideas Western people project on "The Islamic World." At times his arrogance annoyed me, but I think Burke is well aware of that arrogance and for the most part counterbalanced it with stories of how he was wrong, insensitive or embarrassed. I wish this book would have included accounts of women in the areas he traveled to, there were very few women mentioned in this book.
Aug 08, 2011
Ginnybean
added it
Quite interesting and factual to see a real human face and diversity behind the label of "Islam" through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir etc...however, perhaps due to the jornalistic view, it seemed a bit detached and lacking bit of an emotional touch to the book..
Burke's experiences and observations on Pakistan and Afghanistan are an enjoyable and informative read. He adds a lot of details and colour to the content of his book on Al Qaeda, so while some sections may seem similar, it's still worth checking out both. The second half of the book, on Iraq, seemed a bit too emotive and less considered overall, but it's worth sticking with it if only to read about his interview with an Iraqi militant. I don't think we'd agree too much politically, and many of...more
From the guy who wrote Al-Qaeda, and who has lived and travelled extensively in the "Islamic World", a perspective from inside of this world. A very interesting book in my opinion, very much about what is/has been going on in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Great book. Makes you realise when reading it just how lazy and sensationalist newspaper and television journalists are.
this is journalism at it's finest. it makes you relize how little you know about the middle east. their tradditions, their history and their faith. a great book without the american propaganda in so many journalst can't stay away from.
quite refreshing - a book which tells of a hands-on experience of worlds, ideologies and themes which are broadly debated but very few persons know directly. Personal and impartial and at the same time. Lots of food for thought.
I'm amazed this naive reporter actually survived.
A good book to introduce readers to the different practices of Muslims. Also thought provoking because of US policy towards Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.
Stark. And engaging.
Apr 28, 2013
Anne
marked it as to-read
Apr 14, 2013
Christina maki
marked it as to-read
Apr 01, 2013
Charles
added it
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