Customer Reviews

Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim

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Sardar is a deeply religious, indeed a passionate Muslim. He repeatedly excoriates secularism, of which he gives a highly subjective and partisan definition, and his account of its history (pp.249 to 251) is deeply flawed. He accepts the Qur'an as a revealed text (p.341), albeit one that has to be understood metaphorically rather than literally. He reveres Muhammad, and describes how emotionally shattered he was by Salman Rushdie's treatment of the Prophet in The Satanic Verses: "I felt that every word, every jibe, every obscenity [in it] was directed at me - personally" (p.281). Yet, as a liberal, he was equally horrified by the Ayatollah's fatwa calling for Rushdie's death.

Our media do not often tell us that there are religious Muslims who also espouse modern knowledge, pluralism, and the principles of western democracies; so it is good to see in the book of this prominent Muslim journalist that such Muslims do exist, and we need to hear a lot more from and about them than we do. But it must be said that the picture which Sardar paints of most of the contemporary Muslim organizations, whether they are sects or the states he has visited, will provide ample evidence of how widespread is the rejection of modernity, pluralism and democracy in the Muslim world. Sardar sees all these as a perversion of Islam, as cases of rigidity and of arrested development and as a betrayal of the spirit of its golden age under the early Abbasids (roughly from the 9th to the 12th century) and from which the West learnt so much.

In the course of his Search for Paradise Sardar engaged with one Muslim sect after another and visited one Islamic country after another. He paints a devastating picture of almost all of them. Even modern Sufism, to which he felt most attracted, has strayed from its original nature and tends to go in for the unquestioning cult of the local Sufi sheikh. Here, as elsewhere, he found a disturbing authoritarianism at work. Besides, he was troubled by the mystics' belief that a state of grace could be found only by withdrawing from the modern world, whereas for him the challenge was to bring a state of grace into the modern world.


The Iranian Revolution obviously failed to provide the paradise Sardar was looking for; and the atmosphere in Ba'athist Iraq and Syria was equally oppressive, though in a different way.

Sardar's devotion to Islam can be deduced from the fact that he had five times made the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Each time he was more distressed at what was happening to Mecca: sacred old buildings were being torn down to make way for six- or eight-lane roads and new concrete buildings, out of the construction of which the Bin Laden family made huge amounts of money. These physical changes and the mass-tourism technology which was applied to these sacred areas, Sardar thought, increasingly destroyed the centuries-old rhythm of the hajj. "The Saudis," he writes, "approached technology as though it was theology. And in both, complexity and plurality was shunned", for of course the Wahhabi brand of Islam that dominates Saudi Arabia is as narrow, intolerant and antiquated as the fanatical brand of Shi'ism which dominated Iran.

Disillusioned with all these experiences, Sardar was involved in setting up an institution and a journal devoted to working out an approach to a more liberal but still essentially Islamic approach to the intellectual disciplines of the modern world. They could make no headway against "Islamization", the name given to the attempt to force these intellectual disciplines into an Islamic straitjacket, and which Sardar describes as "an uncontrollable forest fire that consumed everything in its path." (p.213)

What depresses Sardar is the realization that in so many parts of the world the rigidities and cruelties of the Sharia cannot be said to be imposed on the unwilling masses by the mullahs. Even in countries like China, which do not have Islamic governments, it appears that the desire of most Muslims is to be governed by the Sharia: they see it as defining their identities as Muslims.

Only in post-Kemalist Turley and in Malaysia does Sardar find Islamic governments that accept pluralism, though he implies that in Malaysia it is under threat after its leading exponent, Anwar Ibrahim was forced out of office on trumped-up charges, imprisoned and tortured.

Sardar is frequently depressed by the current state of the umma of which he cannot help but feel a member, and his book must be equally depressing for those readers who would like the efforts of the like of him to succeed. His book unfortunately confirms the impression of today's Islam which is presented to us by the media and which many of us would so much like to dismiss as illegitimate stereotyping. He presents himself and the little group of intellectuals around him as a gallant minority struggling against overwhelming odds (p.331) to shape a gentler, more tolerant, more pluralistic and above all a more intelligent Islam. If he is right, the outlook for convivencia, for a peaceful coexistence between Islam and the West, is bleak indeed. But perhaps he over-dramatizes: perhaps there are millions of devout but tolerant Muslims like himself. Perhaps especially in the West, many devout Muslims, just like devout Jews and devout Christians, have absorbed its respect for pluralism and a democratic society. But they would need to speak out, to assert themselves vigorously and openly against those who preach narrowness and intolerance. And if and when they do so, our media must report it, if only to give the lie to the vicious idea floated on p.311, that the West has a vested interest in demonizing Islam.

Ziauddin Sardar is a British Muslim and knows it. His writing is very English, full of dry humour and is very subtle. This is his autobiography, but written in a way to educate the reader about contemporary Islam as well. He writes for a number of newspapers in the UK, including the Guardian.

The first movement he experiences growing up - the bane of many a Desi Muslim - is the Tablighi Jama'at. He documents his experiences with them and from my own dealings with them, it seems that everyone must share a similar experience so it is worth reading!

In his student years he experiences a number of different groups, including Sufism and the Muslim Brotherhood as well as being educated in traditional Islamic subjects. Not content with that he gets mixed up in the Iranian Revolution, insults a Pakistani prime minister and meets Osama bin Laden, amongst other things.

The best part of the book is later in his life, when he and a group of other 'misfit' Muslims come together to begin writing and developing their understanding of modern Islam. He meets (and argues with) such noteable figures as Ismail al-Faruqi and Anwar Ibrahim, recounting many memorable moments.

It is a great read... sometimes incredibly sad, sometimes shocking, but a fascinating account of one man's life and the state of contemporary Islam. With people like him at the helm, I feel very that Islam will be safe from the hands of the extremists.

At long last, a book that presents the Islam of the optimistic, socially compassionate critical thinker! I'd always known that Islam was not the malicious, vengeful, monolithic bloc that it is often seen to be in the West, but I now know much more about what it IS like, at least through Sardar's eyes -- he illustrates its rich diversity of thought and practice, past and present, and teases out its complexities with elegance and deftness of touch, peppering it liberally with hilarious anecdotes from his many 'journeys'. As such, despite the gravity of the issues he and his friends wrestle with in such heartfelt fashion, the whole thing is both enlightening and eminently readable.

The book presents Ziauddin Sardar's autobiographical survey of contemporary Islam in all of its diverse forms, antecedents and components; truly a whirlwind tour. In sequence the reader enounters the Tablighi Jemaat, the Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat-e-Islami, the Qur'an, classical Islamic studies, Sufism, al-Ghazali, the Shia (Jafaris), the Ismailis, Baathism, the Hajj, Wahhabism, the Iranian Revolution, Islamization, the role of Shariah, Mutazilla, Secularism, the Rushdie affair, and Multiculturalism. All the while Sardar makes references to key individuals, organizations, and places that help the casual student of contemporary Islam to piece everything together. Sardar frames all of this information in his own personal search for an expression of Islam that responds to the present and addresses his spiritual needs. He relays this journey in a humorous and ironic style that makes the book a delight to read. I highly recommend this work for those who seek insight into Islam's adaptation to the contemporary world and for Muslims who grew up in the West.

As a student who is constantly searching for answers on the things around, i find this that not only does solves most of the questions but also inspires me a lot. When i came upon this book, i was having my "darkest moment". i was inspired by the likes of Ibn Rusyd, Imam Bukhari and Sardar himself on their quest for knowledge. As we know, knowledge is power and i felt really powerful physically, mentally and spiritually after reading this book

Another thing brought forward in this book is don't be afraid to question things as that is how Islam works. You have got to question things so that we can understand it fully and don't except things as black and white. We are to engrossed categorizing things as good and bad that we overlook that nothing is perfect; everything has its good and bad. Sure, we always SAY nothing is perfect but do we really acknowledge it?

the issue Sardar brought forward such as the iranian revolution, afghanistan and so on is such an eye opener for me. there's so much to take into, so much lessons to be learned and so much to be understand

this book really inspired me a lot and the questions brought forward made me really ponder hard... if anything that can make a difference, i believe this book really does

I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased one for all my friends and family. Zia does a good job taking jabs at Muslim intransigence and the challenges facing the Ummah to tackle its problems. Very entertaining.

What a read!! Made me change my facebook status!! What truly amazed me was that Muslim Intellectualism is still a viable career!! Mr Sardar writes about his earnest attempts to reconcile Islam to his worldview and nudge it's course to a more rational (and defensible) trajectory. Since his viewpoint fit nicely onto my personal views, I enjoyed the book even more. My reaction to the Disconnect described in the book, is to ensure that I do what is mandated - and postpone the questions, as I am fully convinced that there is nobody with the intellect to have a cogent response. In other words - stick to the script, you are a mere stagehand.

For Mr. Sardar a very simple query - How is a successful religious enterprise measured? On a pure rational, non spritual plane it would probably be by, One, by amassing a large number of believers. Two, by giving the masses a feeling of having achieved something. Three, like basic hygiene, promoting practices which enable the user to "stay out of trouble". Look at Avatar, the movie. A one line script. And a play on the inherent guilt of society..denuding natural resources...greedy...fallible ...Cameron does not even need to explain the rest!!!! He can spend his time decorating with tech details. Audiences world over somehow feel enriched and smarter seeing this insipid cinema. Western society at large has succeeded not by the heights of its intellect; it has by ensuring efficient and accurate execution of its rather simplistic construct. (When I first moved to the US, ten years ago, I had a hard time comprehending that "cashback" was the same thing as a % discount!!). Perhaps the Wahhabis are aiming for that edge. Simplistic tasks. And the more your adherence to them, the better you are as a person , the better you feel about yourself. So the real question that arises out of the situation is whether a world without this version of Islam would be preferable to a world with it? Or put simply - We messed this one. Do we get to start over? The book also misses exploring the reaction to strident Islam in urban muslims who can see through the charade and boomerang to the other extreme.
Coming to Mr. Sardar, maybe the religion he wishes Islam to become, is not the most "efficient" religion. Maybe toning down on requirements of refinement of Thought and Abstraction is actually a Darwinian response to ensure Islam survives (and grows). There exists a Frontier of Efficient Simplicity where one barters complexity of Thought with allure of Popularity. My point is, this efficient frontier needs to enter the equation if we are going to get in the "Islam Rennaisance" mode.
To round off my thoughts, passages of biryani enhanced Aligarh style "bakaiti" which appear in the book made me nostalgic of a past less sceptic and more believing... and Ghalib, the original sceptic, comes to mind...fikr e duniya mein sar khapata hoon ...main kahan yeh wabaal kahan...

very thought provoking book. Mr. Sardar takes you on a long religious, political and spiritual journey which starts in the 60's and continues to current times. This world and Islam could be in a much better shape if we had more thinkers like him. loved the book.

What did this Sardar's book "Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim" speak to me?

It told me that the problem Sardar is facing in his live as a religious man, and the problem is his own religion itself.

But, the problem with every religion is that they are nothing but faith mostly inherited down from parents to their children or society to their members. Their believe is the product of the brain-washed kind of cultural education. Sardar's experience is no difference, he is the victim of this kind of old way of educating, and at the same time he is exposed to the new or modern humanistic non-religious ideas. Clearly he is in a heavy conflicting minds. His journey in his book of biography as an intellectual was to find a panacea of apologetic kind for opposing to the right-wing Muslim Brotherhood or Ben Laden or Komeini or Taliban kond of Islamic ideas. Some how this apologetic way of accepting religion is reminding me to Erasmus's religious humanism.

Therefore in his book he also facing this question: how can Muslims keep the faith but also fit into the modern world? To the right-wing Muslem groups the answer is clear that they are desparately seeking for modern weaponry produced by the West in order to attact the West. But Sardar in this case is different -- I hope so!

The author relates interesting stories about his experiences with Islam and in the process he educates the reader. At the end of the book you will learn why Ziauddin Sardar is not satisfied with Islam anywhere as it is here on earth now (No, not in Malaysia and not even Turkey). But he does not give up. At the end of the story Mr. Sardar continues to work on reforming Islam for the modern world.
I subtract one star, because the author did not cover the Muslim aversion to charging or earning interest on a loan. I was looking for information about economic details like that, so important for modern society (for example the Saudis gave the author five million pounds to support his efforts on behalf of Islam -- did he put some of that money in the bank and if he did, was it alright for him as a Muslim to keep the interest he gained?) Is he seeking reform also in this area?