It ranks among the best travelogue-type studies of Muslim societies in recent years
Dhume바카라™s My Friend the Fanatic runs along parallel tracks바카라”segments on the history and socio-politics of Indonesia (and Islamic fundamentalism in Indonesia), and segments based on Dhume바카라™s travels in the country with Herry Nurdi, the title바카라™s fanatic friend. Herry comes across as a complex, contradictory character바카라”opinionated and open, prejudiced and justice-loving, an editor from the lower middle classes who is fascinated and repulsed by the upper classes, a fundamentalist who justifies militancy because he is convinced Muslims are under attack, a subscriber to the Arab cultural imperialist version of Islamism who nevertheless gives his daughters names from the Hindu epics.     Â
It is Dhume바카라™s encounters with Herry that add impetus to the book. Dhume takes us across a fascinating country in the throes of change, and introduces us to artistes, sex writers, sorcerers, politicians, Muslim fundamentalists and a plethora of other characters. No matter how despicable the character, with tolerance and humour, Dhume manages to reveal a glimpse of his essential humanity: this is no mean achievement.