Holiday Reading

A 24 hour flight back to the Mother Country looms.

To while (is that how you spell it?) away the hours, I shall be picking up a copy of 'The Islamist' by Ed Husain at the airport, an autobiographical account of the author's journey from radical Islamist to subsequent rejection of Islam.

The indefatigable Melanie Philipps has this to say,

“‘The Islamist’ should be sent to every politician at Westminster, put on the desk of every counter-intelligence officer and thrust under the supercilious nose of every journalist who maunders on about ‘Islamophobia’.”

More interestingly, the leading left-wing Asian ('we have an Asian tinge to our stories') blog in the UK, Pickled Politics, has this to say,

Whilst it should be remembered that this is a personal account of the author’s experiences and as such treated with a degree of caution, it is a book worth reading. My own view having read this book is that ignorance coupled with well-intentioned multiculturalism have brought about a situation where some pretty unpleasant groups are allowed to flourish unchecked in ways that would be unthinkable if it were far-right organisations as opposed to Islamist groups.

The unofficial segregation of communities has helped create at atmosphere of mutual suspicion which is bound to lead to violence in some individuals, whether in the form of gang fights or terrorism. That Tony Blair can advocate more faith schools in the current climate beggars belief.

Any other holiday reading suggestions?