Thursday, July 12, 2007

Inescapable Questions

Most people don't know who Alija Izetbegovic is.

When you meet one, please let me know and I will tell them.

I bought this book in a haze of pre-vacation euphoria in the basement of a Mosque, where it was languishing, unloved, unread, and water-damaged to boot, with a lot of other historical, religious and religio-tainment materials to do with Islam and Muslims, all of highly varying quality. One of the best purchases I have ever made.

Anyways, the eternal arbiter of Internet Truth (wikipedia) has a decent article on him.

For anyone who wants to understand and learn from the history of the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the genocidal war in Bosnia, this book is a must-read. For anyone who wants to see a way forward in relations between Muslims and non-Muslim societies, this book is essential.

This man forged a democratic, multi-religious society in the midst of a genocide, against almost all odds, using sheer persistence to facilitate the Muslim world's outpouring of aid, and to cajole and embarrass the West to do something about the rise of fascism in its midst.

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