Book Review: On The Road to Kandahar

Title: On The Road To Kandahar
Author: Jason Burke
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 281
ISBN: 978-0-141-02435-6

Radical Islam (so-called) has been on the news since 9/11. That incident promptly pushed a hitherto little known group that styled itself as Al Qaeda into prominence. A lot of words were written and spoken which sought to explain the agenda of the Islamists and their popularity amongst the Muslim populations. Mr. Burke's book is a personal journey through Muslim lands over the course of more than a decade. Through the medium of a personal account of journeys in Islamic lands, the author traces the recent history of Western interaction with the Muslim world.

If you seek to understand Islam as a religion or Muslim beliefs and practices, then this is not the book. While the author does highlight wrong notions prevalent specially among so-called experts in the West regarding Muslims and he does give his own explanations, ultimately this book leaves the reader unsatisfied. If someone has lent you this book and you have some afternoons free, then pick this book up; otherwise there are plenty of better books to read.