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Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Unpredictability, 9/11

The story goes:

Random House pulled out from publishing The Jewel of Medina

but it was picked up by a British publishing house.

It was written by a Sherry Jones, not a Muslim (so what? Karen Armstrong is not a Muslim either), about Aishah, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad.

Random House pulled out because of ‘possible’ Muslim outrage.

I think I am going to be ‘outraged’ too. I am terribly outraged. Perhaps I want to pillage, maim, burn effigies and bomb buildings… if I am not too lazy this month of Ramadhan. Oh, wait. I have to fast in the day, read the Quran, pray, help the poor and needy, help my Mom prepare for Eidul Fitr, etc. I think I’ll just let the protests pass.

But I am not outraged because a book about the Prophet is written by a non-Muslim. I haven’t read it yet so I wouldn’t know how it is.

I am outraged because the publisher decided to pull out just because of some perceived Muslim outrage (because of the book). Perceived. Not actual. Possible. Come on.

As if the only things a Muslim knows how to do is riot, pillage, maim, burn, bomb and shout slogans.

The Jewel of Medina, Sherry Jones, Karen Armstrong, Aishah, Muhammad, Ramadhan, Quran, Eidul Fitr

One day I’m going to co-author a book with Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein or William Blum (or all of them together) titled, “Democracy: Kapitalocratic Fascism in Disguise”.

Kapitalocratic Fascism is a term I coined to describe the unmentioned but overarching ideology that inspires United States foreign policy for the past few decades.

What is Kapitalocracy?

It comes from the words Capital and -cracy combined.

It means a form of rule dominated only by those with capital, acting in their interests of yielding increasing profits to said capital of theirs, with no regard or consideration for social justice, human rights, political freedom, ecological sustainability or democracy (as democracy should be, not the farce that the kapitalocrats have been staging for almost a century).

Recommended Reading That Might Give You The Idea That There Is Such A Thing As Kapitalocratic Fascism:

• Rogue State
• The Shock Doctrine
• Hegemony or Survival

Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, William Blum, Kapitalocratic, Fascism, United States, foreign policy

Rogue State - A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower by William Blum will not be an easy read for fans of Clinton, Bush & Co. But if you’re someone who admires Noam Chomsky but can’t understand his level of scholarly language, then Rogue State might be a good fit for you.

Usually I announce a book on my blog right after borrowing or purchasing it, but this time I am announcing it as I am reading it halfway through.

If only this book attains the viral word of mouth success that has been enjoyed by the likes of The Da Vinci Code or The Kite Runner. Perhaps we would have a massive mutiny of conscientious soldiers from the American Imperial Military Machine and a 2nd Boston Tea Party.

Here I’d like to quote, paraphrased and without permission, what the author said he would do if he were to become President:-

“I could stop terrorist attacks against the US in a few days - I would first apologise sincerely and publicly to all widows, orphans, the impoverished and tortured, and the millions of victims of American Imperialism. I would announce that America’s global military interventions have come to an end. I would inform Israel that it is no longer the 51st state of the union but a foreign country. I would reduce military spending by 90% at least and use the savings to pay reparations to the victims and repair the damage from many American bombings, invasions and sanctions. That’s what I’d do on the first 3 days in the White House. On the 4th day, I’d be assassinated”.

Rogue State, William Blum, Noam Chomsky, The Da Vinci Code, The Kite Runner, Boston Tea Party

The collapse of the Berlin Wall. The Ayatollah Khomeini. Michael Jackson. George Bush (senior, not the low-IQ junior).

These were the 20th century icons given a mention in Tony Robbins’ book Awaken the Giant Within.

Written and published 17 years ago, I first read it when I was 17 years old, which was 8 years ago, the dawn of the new millennium.

It may sound corny, but it had changed my life.

And now I am reliving the experience of reading it and starting on the process of changing my life all over again.

As I look at the pencilled goals, hopes, frustrations and beliefs I had written in the book at the request of the author, I am reminded how naive and idealistic I was. I still am. Tempered with a little realism. But cynicism is one trait that I will fight to the death to kill.

Anyway, Awaken the Giant Within is an international self help bestseller. Everybody can rattle off The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People better than the 10 Commandments, although the former book has sold over 10 million copies while the latter Torah is not sold so much but owned by billions.  I don’t know how many people have read Awaken the Giant Within, but judging from the iconic position Tony Robbins has enjoyed, I can expect it to go into the millions.

Yet I still do not see a better world filled with better, more empowered people who take charge of their destinies.

Here is a book that contains so many insights and packed with such powerful technologies (not of the silicon kind, but of the mind) that can liberate humankind from all imaginable forms of lack, destructive patterns and prisons (among others, his trademarked Neuro-Associative Conditioning).

Maybe it can be blamed on the “get rich quick”, “become an instant success” and “ask whatever you want and it is given to you” fads that are consuming the self help industry.

Or perhaps it’s in the nature of humanity to never really want change but to just like the idea of change.

Berlin Wall, Ayatollah Khomeini, Michael Jackson, George Bush, Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 10 Commandments

I first got to know about Imam Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini from the PBS documentary film, Muhammad the Legacy of the Prophet.

Today, as I was bored, and since I had not visited the MPH bookstore for weeks since my jihad with the varicella zoster virus, I decided to browse the ‘Religion’ section of the bookstore. I find that MPH shows more variety in the titles they display in their ‘Religion’ section, especially for the category of books pertaining to Islam.

I miss the big old MPH bookstore that used to be across the Substation. That was where I first got my early education in the fields of personal development. I used to spend hours there standing and just reading the self improvement titles available. I occasionally buy a book (usually once in 3 to 6 months) there, but this was in the years 2000 to 2001, so my book money was actually saved up from the pocket money I receive from my parents.

Anyway, nostalgia aside, I came upon Sayed Hassan’s latest book, American Crescent: A Muslim Cleric on the Power of His Faith, the Struggle Against Prejudice, and the Future of Islam and America. I relived my old tradition of standing and reading, and speed read the book for about one and a half hours.

And I thought I already knew all the myths and prejudices I should be aware of, what with my involvement in interfaith activities (modestly and truthfully speaking, it was only a stint. I am no Karen Armstrong, but my personal concerns - all in the name of rational self-interest - currently trump all my idealistic altruistic yearnings), but my reading of his latest book opens up - not a can of worms - but an honest reflection on my own prejudices and preconceived notions.

I admit I am biased - I say the Shia school of Islam is the most open, tolerant and advanced of all. And I selfishly say more attention should be paid to the teachings of Shia Islam by the Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Not for the sake of conversion, but for understanding and also for the intellectual, spiritual and social benefit of everyone. Even a devout atheist like Professor Richard Dawkins can find something to benefit from learning a little about Shia Islam without him having to compromise on his personal stance, with all due secular humanistic respect to him.

I count American Crescent to be a member of those must-read lists especially for people who don’t care or have a shallow, government-approved understanding of Islam simply as “a peaceful religion with a violent fringe who are not the majority”.

I don’t know if people like Pat Robertson or Franklin Graham (which Sayed Hassan describes quite tactfully as American Bin Ladens) would do so, maybe they’d be better off making more money ranting on TV than learning about Islam (hey, it’s their right to make money and not want to know anything they don’t want to know more of).

But there is one thing I’d especially like to applaud about Sayed Hassan, and that is his diplomatic, cultured, gentlemanly and essentially Islamic behaviour towards some of the most hated people in and out of the Muslim world (i.e. Bush & Co. and that Evil Witch Madeleine Albright who calls the Holocaust of Iraqi children ‘worth it’).

I admit, I extremely dislike and abhor Mr George W Bush, the same way Ann Coulter might dislike Mr Ahmadinejad or the way the vegetable dislikes the corpse (vegetable = Ariel Sharon; corpse = the late Yasser Arafat).

I don’t know if Sayed Hassan keeps his disapproval of Bush’s quixotic foreign exploits in his home country of Iraq skilfully at bay, or if the good Imam is simply living the true Islamic teaching of hating the sin and not the sinner. One thing is for sure, and that is, Sayed Hassan is not one who is silent in the face of injustice, oppression and tyranny, his illustrious lineage demonstrates a family tradition of standing up to tyranny and persecution (especially that of Saddam), but he does so (in the case of the Bush regime) with tact and true Islamic etiquette.

Qazwini, Muhammad the Legacy of the Prophet, American Crescent, Karen Armstrong, Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham

One of my wacky titles again, I know.

I borrowed 2 more books from the library -

1. The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan.

2. The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs.

The Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan, The End of Poverty, Jeffrey Sachs

Noteworthy News! I have borrowed 3 new books from the library:-

1. The Dawkins Delusion by Alister McGrath. The God Delusion is in my must-read list for those of us who are religious, godless or simply clueless. But to temper or cure the PDE (Post-Dawkins Effect), I highly recommend a dosage of Alister McGrath’s The Dawkins Delusion. Although written from the perspective of an atheist turned Christian, the religious (of whatsoever theistic creed) and godless (those not infected with Dawkins’ Religiocide Virus) alike can find a rational and truly open-minded discussion of theological (or its lack thereof) issues generally and Dawkins’ personal crusade against religion in particular. Warning: Can be highly disconcerting to those people whom Dawkins had just ‘converted’ from faith to his Religion of Reason through the process of reading The God Delusion. Can also be confusing to those who have yet to read said atheist manifesto.

2. Fences and Windows - Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate by Naomi Klein. I have yet to complete The Shock Doctrine, also by her, but no worries, I purchased this, so I have ‘unlimited’ borrowing time. Browsing through this book (F&W), I felt I should read it first and gain a clearer understanding of where she’s coming from before delving further into Doctrine (although I have thoroughly enjoyed and been immensely informed from my reading of Doctrine so far).

3. Happiness - Lessons From A New Science by Richard Layard. This is not a self-help book. I don’t think I’ll buy, borrow or read any more self-help books for now, unless I find one that particularly appeals to me as inspiration (i.e. material for me to ‘copy’) for a new book or product I want to create (I wrote 2 self-help e-books myself, remember?). This work examines the issue of happiness, why we have it, why we don’t have it, or why we choose to delude ourselves because of it or for it, and how economics, neuroscience, et al, relates to it.

The Dawkins Delusion, Alister McGrath, The God Delusion, Fences and Windows, Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine, Happiness - Lessons From A New Science

The Shock Doctrine yells out to me shockingly when I first saw it a couple of weeks ago on the newcomers’ section of book stores. This is the first book I bought in months. I usually prefer to borrow them from the library (or from friends and forget to read - let alone return - them). It’s written by a Naomi Klein who also wrote No Logo, a maiden book that criticised Nike so much that it prompted a response from the company.

People say you can’t change City Hall. No one person can effect any kind of change - be it for the better or worse - without being challenged usually by narrower-minded peers, ridicule, bureaucracy or other factors which can be summed up as ‘the tyranny of the status quo bred by an addiction to (sometimes harmful) comfort zones’.

When I said that the book yelled out to me shockingly, I meant visually and aesthetically, referring to its cover, which is yellow with the title in bold, black text. In comparison, The God Delusion was uglier (white title against crimson background with what appeared to be emanating lines supposedly suggesting ‘revelation’ or ‘epiphany’) and more expensive.

And the reason I had been talking about anything but the actual content of the book in the last 3 paragraphs is that I am not an instantaneous speed reader (although I can read and absorb fast if necessary), hence, having only bought it today, I have yet to complete all 500+ pages of it. Rest assured, upon completion, there will be ample ammunition for future blog posts.

Anyway, just to give you an idea of what the book is about, I present you (yet another) video - a short movie, actually, made by Alfonso Cuaron (who made the beautiful Children of Men), who made it as his ‘blurb’ for the book. Enjoy:-

To end this post, I’d like to insert what Naomi quoted from the words of Gandhi in “Non-Violence - The Greatest Force” (1926): “An armed conflict between nations horrifies us. But the economic war is no better than an armed conflict. This is like a surgical operation. An economic war is prolonged torture. And its ravages are no less terrible than those depicted in the literature on war properly so called. We think nothing of the other because we are used to its deadly effects… The movement against war is sound. I pray for its success. But I cannot help the gnawing fear that the movement will fail if it does not touch the root of all evil - human greed”.

The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein, No Logo, Nike, The God Delusion, Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men, Gandhi, Non-Violence - The Greatest Force, root of all evil, human greed