My Friend the Fanatic : Travels with a Radical Islamist

A reporter recounts his journey through Indonesia and "guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool" of fundamentalism and extremism ( The Wall Street Journal ). A journalist who has contributed to the Washington Post , Foreign Policy , and other prominent publications, Sadanand Dhume sets out to explore the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, where in recent years radicalism has been on the rise. In a nation once synonymous with tolerance, the author, an Indian educated at Princeton, wants to understand the roots of this shift, and begins his memoir at the site of the notorious Bali bombing of 2002. His traveling companion is a young Islamist who hero-worships the late Osama bin Laden and sympathizes with the Taliban. Their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins. Over time, they forge an uneasy friendship that offers a firsthand look into the crucible of radical Islam's future. With a new preface by the author detailing what has happened in Indonesia since the book's initial publication, My Friend the Fanatic is the story of an alternately disturbing, amusing, and poignant journey that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. "A vividly engaging portrait of the jarring contradictions at play as two diametrically opposed forces—globalisation and Islamisation—vie for Indonesia's soul . . . A striking social and political travelogue . . . A fine writer and lively storyteller with an eye for lurid detail." — The Australian **A reporter recounts his journey through Indonesia and "guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool" of fundamentalism and extremism (__The Wall Street Journal__).** A journalist who has contributed to the , , and other prominent publications, Sadanand Dhume sets out to explore the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, where in recent years radicalism has been on the rise. In a nation once synonymous with tolerance, the author, an Indian educated at Princeton, wants to understand the roots of this shift, and begins his memoir at the site of the notorious Bali bombing of 2002. His traveling companion is a young Islamist who hero-worships the late Osama bin Laden and sympathizes with the Taliban. Their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins. Over time, they forge an uneasy friendship that offers a firsthand look into the crucible of radical Islam's future. With a new preface by the author detailing what has happened in Indonesia since the book's initial publication, is the story of an alternately disturbing, amusing, and poignant journey that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. "A vividly engaging portrait of the jarring contradictions at play as two diametrically opposed forces—globalisation and Islamisation—vie for Indonesia's soul . . . A striking social and political travelogue . . . A fine writer and lively storyteller with an eye for lurid detail." — A nation once synonymous with tolerance, Indonesia, the fourth-most populated country in the world and its most populous Muslim country, now finds itself in the midst of a profound shift toward radical Islam. Sadanand Dhume, a Princeton-educated Indian atheist with a fondness for literary fiction and an interest in economic development, travels across Indonesia to find out how a society goes from broad inclusiveness to outspoken intolerance in the space of a generation. His traveling companion is Harry Nurdi, a young Islamist who hero-worships the late Osama bin Laden and sympathizes with the Taliban. Their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins. Over time, they forge an uneasy friendship that offers a firsthand look into the crucible of radical Islam's future. With a new preface by the author detailing what has happened in Indonesia since the book's initial publication, My Friend the Fanatic is the story of an alternately disturbing, amusing, and poignant journey that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. A nation once synonymous with tolerance, Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, and the world's most populous Muslim country, now finds itself in the midst of a profound shift toward radical Islam. Sadanand Dhume, a Princeton-educated Indian atheist with a fondness for literary fiction and an interest in economic development, travels to Indonesia to find out how a society goes from broad inclusiveness to shrill intolerance in the space of a generation. His traveling companion is Herry Nurdi, a young Islamist who hero-worships Osama bin Laden. Together, their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins, forging an uneasy friendship that offers a first-hand look into the crucible of radical Islam's future. With Indonesia's first presidential election in five years scheduled for April 2009, My Friend the Fanatic is a disturbing and poignant journey through the battleground for Islam's future A portrait of the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, and the fourth most populous nation in the World. A nation once synonymous with tolerance that now finds itself in the midst of a profound shift toward radical Islam. The portrait is painted through the travels of a pair of unlikely protagonists. Sadanand Dhume, the author, is a foreign correspondent a Princeton-educated Indian atheist with a fondness for literary fiction and an interest in economic development. His companion, Herry Nurdi, is a young Islamist who hero worships Osama bin Laden. Their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins, an alternatively disturbing, amusing, and poignant journey that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. -- from publisher My Friend the Fanatic is a portrait of the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, and the fourth most populous nation in the World. A nation once synonymous with tolerance that now finds itself in the midst of a profound shift toward radical Islam. The portrait is painted through the travels of a pair of unlikely protagonists. Sadanand Dhume, the author, is a foreign correspondent—a Princeton-educated Indian atheist with a fondness for literary fiction and an interest in economic development. His companion, Herry Nurdi, is a young Islamist who hero worships Osama bin Laden. Their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins.