Kashmir Pen Editorial Desk
Some writings transcend the moment in which they are written. Like enduring books, certain newspaper columns retain their relevance long after publication, continuing to illuminate contemporary debates and inspire thoughtful discussion.
Veteran columnist and writer Z. G. Muhammad recently revisited one of his own book reviews, originally published on 2 July 2018, on the acclaimed work of internationally renowned scholar Professor Akbar S. Ahmed. Reflecting on its continued significance in today’s global climate, he lightly revised the piece and expressed his wish to share it once again with readers interested in books, Islamic studies, migration, identity, and contemporary Muslim affairs.
At a time when questions surrounding Islam, immigration, multiculturalism, and identity remain central to public discourse across the world, the review retains remarkable relevance. It not only introduces readers to Professor Akbar Ahmed’s landmark work Journey into Europe: Islam, Immigration, and Identity, but also reflects on his broader scholarly contribution towards fostering dialogue between civilizations and challenging misconceptions about Islam.
With the author’s permission and in the interest of encouraging meaningful literary and intellectual engagement, Kashmir Pen is pleased to republish this thoughtful review.
Journey into Europe: Another Magnum Opus by Akbar Ahmed on Muslim Identity
Book Review
By Z. G. Muhammad
(Originally published on 2 July 2018; lightly revised by the author.)
I join Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, authors of The Untold History of the United States, in saying that “Ambassador Akbar S. Ahmed is a treasure. His insight, wisdom, and experience are desperately needed right now when so much US and European policy towards the Muslim world is guided by fear, ignorance, and greed.”
Those who have been reading him—one of the foremost anthropologists of modern times—will appreciate that for many years he has been doing a commendable job, not only in clearing the cobwebs of misconception about Islam from the minds of people in the West and elsewhere, but also in striving hard to create harmony in society.
In a dominant global discourse of “Islamophobia”—or, to use the Scandinavian term Muslimhat, literally meaning “hatred of Muslims”—the task undertaken by Professor Akbar Ahmed of portraying Islam in its right perspective before the global community is stupendous and highly challenging.
In the mid-nineties, a journalist friend, Sajad Ansari, then working for an Iranian news agency, presented me with a dubbed video cassette of Living Islam, a BBC documentary series presented by Akbar S. Ahmed. It was my first introduction to this internationally acclaimed Islamic scholar. The documentary offered a rare insight into the history of Islam and opened a new window for me to explore both Islamic history and Professor Ahmed’s writings.
Akbar Salahuddin Ahmed, popularly known in academia as Akbar Ahmed, is Professor of International Relations at the American University in Washington, D.C., where he holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies. Formerly Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, he is simultaneously a poet, playwright, filmmaker, academic, author, and anthropologist. To many in the subcontinent, he is also remembered for his epic feature film Jinnah, starring Christopher Lee, which continues to attract audiences years after its release.
In the past, I reviewed three of his books in this column.
Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization (2007) represented a refreshing departure from much of the literature on contemporary Islam, seeking to bridge the widening gulf between the Islamic world and the West.
In Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam (2010), Professor Ahmed and his research team offered perhaps the most comprehensive account of the arrival and development of Islam in America. As he writes, “In America, the Muslim community represents the entire spectrum of the world…”
His The Thistle and the Drone: How America’s War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam (2013) remains one of the pioneering studies of tribal societies. The book argues persuasively that America has often fought the wrong war with the wrong methods against the wrong people. It also briefly but significantly touches upon the historic relationship between Kashmir and the tribes of Waziristan, while examining attempts to associate the Kashmir resistance with global terrorism after 9/11.
I also had the opportunity to review his remarkable poetry collection Suspended Somewhere Between (2011).
Journey into Europe: Islam, Immigration, and Identity, published in early 2018 by the Brookings Institution Press, Washington, D.C., is yet another magnum opus by Professor Ahmed. Running over 570 pages, the book is divided into three major sections: European Dialectic, Islam in Europe, and Lessons from Europe. Each deserves independent discussion and analysis.
As Noam Chomsky observes, the book enriches “our understanding of Islam” and is “sure to be yet another influential contribution, one greatly needed in a world riven by conflicts and misunderstanding.”
The narrative begins in Athens, where the author joins Friday prayers—not in a mosque, but in a dark parking garage serving as an improvised place of worship because the Greek capital then lacked an official mosque despite having hundreds of thousands of Muslim residents. Through vivid first-hand observations, Ahmed documents the discrimination, insecurity, and identity struggles confronting Muslim communities across Europe.
At the same time, he does not hesitate to offer constructive criticism of Muslim societies themselves, observing that many refugees carried with them old sectarian and ethnic divisions instead of leaving them behind.
What distinguishes the book is its methodology. Rather than relying solely on academic theory, Professor Ahmed and his young research team travelled extensively across Europe, meeting Muslims in cities and remote communities alike. They also interviewed priests, rabbis, politicians, scholars, academics, and community leaders from diverse backgrounds, creating a rich and balanced portrait of Europe’s evolving multicultural landscape.
The result is a unique blend of travel writing, anthropology, sociology, political analysis, and field research.
In my view, Journey into Europe ranks among the finest scholarly works on the contemporary Muslim world. It deserves to be read not only by academics and students, but also by policymakers, community leaders, and Muslim leadership across the globe.
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Z. G. Muhammad
Columnist and Writer
Srinagar, Kashmir
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Kashmir Pen Note: We are pleased to republish this review in recognition of its enduring relevance. We invite readers to share their thoughts and engage in a meaningful discussion on the themes explored by Professor Akbar S. Ahmed and reflected upon by Z. G. Muhammad.
