Our World - The Reluctant Fundamentalist torrent

This week, our program is about how the new era of fear is dividing East and West. We feature UK-based writer Mohsim Hamid's critically acclaimed book, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, about the impact of Sept 11th on Muslims living abroad. It's a tale of mixed loyalties and one man's journey into the heart of the conflict.

The terrorist attacks of September 11th affected the world in so many different ways and we're still sifting through the psychological and political damage. Discussion of this event, though, has already found its way into film and literature. Much of this, naturally, has been centred on US in the West. We haven't heard, or maybe haven't been ready to hear, as much from Muslim voices. Enter Mohsin Hamid, a young Pakistan born writer living in London, with a life that straddles both East and West. He worked in New York as a management consultant, and attended Princeton and Harvard Universities. Hamid achieved the American dream, but he also has deep loyalties and love for his home country,Pakistan.

Hamid has just published a novel about the aftermath of September 11th. It's based on a character whose life mirrors his own accomplishments, but whose subsequent journey and fate is very different. The book is entitled "The Reluctant Fundamentalist".

The main character, Chengez, is living in New York at the time of the attacks. The new western hostility towards his country, to his people, and to an ancient and complex civilization shocks Chengez, to the core. He feels as though he has to take sides. Then, quite simply, he has a crackup, followed by a mysterious journey back to Pakistan that may or may not lead to the embrace of fundamentalism. The story is structured as a monologue as Chengez recounts his life story to an American in a market café. His fate remains ambiguous. The author says that readers will interpret the story's end differently, depending on their own perspectives or world view. The book is getting rave reviews. Brian interviewed the UK-based author in Toronto


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