Muslims, Islam, West and the rest III on August 27, 2013Given the current environment, it is hardly surprising that even a very erudite atheist like Sam Harris gets his facts wrong when castigating Islam. For example, he writes in praise of Sufism and then asserts: “Sufism is reviled as heresy throughout much of the Muslim world.” In fact, Sufism thrives in all Muslim countries from […]
Muslims, Islam, West and the rest II on August 20, 2013Why are some young Muslim men — many of them smart, educated, raised in or living in the West — now prepared to kill and be killed apparently in the name of their faith? We will get nowhere unless we clearly recognise that their behaviour and actions, however irrational or despicable, are directly linked to […]
Muslims, Islam, west and the rest I on August 13, 2013A false spectre is haunting the west, the spectre of ‘Global Jihad’. The total number of westerners killed so far from this so-called ‘Jihad’ has not reached five thousand, a majority of them in one incident only, namely, 9/11. On the other hand, the total number of Muslims directly killed in the anti-Jihad campaign — […]
From Lake Titicaca to La Paz II on August 6, 2013Border formalities completed at the small outpost of Yunguyo on the Peruvian-Bolivian border, we resumed our journey on the bus for the Bolivian town of Copacabana, less than an hour’s drive away. The road to Cobacabana is pretty bad, though it gets better from there to La Paz. No matter the quality of the road, […]
My enemys enemy, my friend on July 30, 2013A political development in a land far removed, but full of significance for the Arab and Muslim world, merits my comments for whatever they are worth. My travelogue can wait. I am referring to the military coup in Egypt, which the Obama administration is still refusing to call a coup. It may be a coup […]
From Lake Titicaca to La Paz I on July 23, 2013Juliaca is the first town after crossing the La Raya Pass on the road to Bolivia. And a rather unusual place it is, a sprawling ‘new’ Peruvian town with a rather bizarre and sinister look. Most, if not all, buildings appear unfinished even though occupied. There are no petrol pumps, only mobile vendors. Our guide […]
An American in Cuzco and Pakistanis in Tacna on July 16, 2013If Machu Picchu is a reminder of a bygone era, a city of the dead, as it were, then Cuzco is a thriving old town alive with history. What with its narrow lanes, cobblestone streets, flourishing markets, teeming squares and crowded churches, Cuzco belongs to the past but lives in the present. The main road […]
Andean empire of the Incas on July 9, 2013Waiting to receive us at Peru’s Lima airport was Juan, my friend from the 1970s. We first met in Moscow through his wife, Pierina, who was in the same Russian language class as me. The youngest of their three sons, Rafael, a toddler at the time, now a big man, considerably bigger than his father, […]
Land of Amazon, Samba and Carnival l on June 25, 2013Two of the largest Brazilian cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, are both situated in the southeastern corner of this vast country. Rio is a former capital and Sao Paulo the commercial centre. The capital is at Brasilia, over 1,000 kilometres northwest of Rio, a city built from scratch, designed on the drawing board […]
Wondrous South America on June 18, 2013South America is simply amazing. Although predominantly Catholic and Spanish-speaking, it is full of cultural and natural diversity. Some of the world’s most awesome man-made and natural wonders are found here, from Machu Picchu in Peru to Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. South America has the world’s largest (Iguazu) and highest (Angels) waterfalls, highest capital […]