My Friend the Fanatic by Sadanand Dhume Reviewed by Ioannis Gatsiounis It can be counted on. First, Islamists in Indonesia leave their mark, through, say, a bombing of a foreign hotel, or by successfully pressing a province to introduce public canings. Then the international media report the incident, before a handful of Indonesia observers bristle that the media have distorted Islam's threat. They point to opinion polls and election results and a long history of moderation. But, then, the cycle repeats itself and the discomforting fact of the matter becomes impossible to ignore: that Indonesia has undergone an up-tick in religious consciousness over the past few decades - and pronouncedly so since September 11, 2001. The travelogue My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist thus could not be more timely. Author... [read full story]
