Appreciating “Journey into Europe”
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC
Journeys provide us opportunities to see things that we have not seen before. Sometimes, journeys enable us to see the same things but from newer angles and refreshing perspectives.
“Journey into Europe” by Professor Akbar Ahmed is an excellent book that is both illuminating as well as vast in the landscapes and time horizons. Once you pick up the book, it is very hard to put it down until you read the next paragraph and the ones after until you get to the end. And, then you as the reader might feel the urge to take the journey again.
Interestingly, my first encounter with the esteemed author actually happened at the Corner Bakery in the Union Station in Washington, DC when we were both on a journey to New York. He was going to attend a dinner for the then Irani President Khatemi and I was going to attend a dinner for the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
It didn’t take long to become friends because we found a common friend whom we both admired.
In his latest book, Professor Akbar Ahmed first takes you to Greece and highlights the challenges of the immigrants, especially from Pakistan, who are not only facing economic hardships but sometimes also mistreatment. He notes the condition of the mosque where they pray.
Traveling through different countries, the author provides historical as well as contemporary information. He describes a lot of philosophical and cultural issues informing the reader about what transpired and why some things are the way we find them happening or reported in the news.
Navigating through the pages, the reader learns about the team effort that went into this project. One observes the team effort through the narration of the stories and some very interesting pictures with the people whom the team met in their travels.
From the three different parts of the book, the reader will understand the European identity based on European history and culture. Then one will learn about ethnography and the three different types of Muslim societies: immigrants, native or indigenous and converts - existing in different parts of Europe. In the final chapter, the author “examines the predatory rhetoric of ethnic hate that is now sweeping across Europe.” The author, however, does not dwell on the past but instead suggests “how Europe can forge a new identity” with a “vision of a New Andalusia that could be a beacon of moral and intellectual leadership to inspire the world.”
From this remarkable book, the reader will visit different mosques – from Spain to the British Isles then Scandinavia and Germany, for example - across Europe and get to know people who represent the hopes and future for the Muslims living in Europe.
I appreciate the author’s commentary on the “Ahmadi Experience in Germany” because I belong to this community and I have visited Germany several times and met many of the people mentioned in the book.
There are some interesting quotes that are applicable to all Muslim communities in Europe and support the hopeful vision espoused by the author. The read will find on Page 235, “when asked to define German identity, Imam Arif replied ‘we consider ourselves German Ahmadi Muslims. We speak the language, we have grown up here ... our second generation is not closer to any other nation than Germany. There is a saying of the Holy Prophet, the love for your country is part of your faith and we live that.’”
One of the most touching stories is about BashyQuraishy – a minority rights activist in Denmark and author of “From Punjab to Copenhagen.” Quraishy was estranged from his family and to reach him, his mother wrote to the Queen of Denmark. So apparently in response, the Queen sent the Chief of Police with a pad and a golden pen to find him and make him write a letter to his mother. His letter was then sent from the Queen’s palace to Quraishy’s mom.
The reader will find many more interesting stories in this beautiful book that will be educating as well as informative. The education journey across Europe through the eyes and the pen of Professor Akbar Ahmed will be unforgettable just like my first journey with the author on the train to New York shortly after 9/11.
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