Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West

Benazir Bhutto who chaired twice as Prime Minister of Pakistan was asssinated on Dec 27, 2007. She returned to Pakistan after eight years of exiled on Oct 18, 2007. When her plane landed at Karachi, there was a mammoth crowd to receive her at the airport. The same day she survived a suicide-bomb attack while she was leading a public rally. But she was prepared in advance for such tipe of attack on her life and she continued to forge ahead without any fear and with more conviction, as she felt that time was running out not only for herself but for her nation too.

Only few days before her comeback to Pakistan, she wrote down another book in addition to her previous publications,Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West

In her remarkable publication, she offers a bold agenda for how to tide down the waves of radicalism and to rediscover the values of brotherhood, tolerance, justice and equality that lie in the heart of Islam. She addressed the many reasons which forced some Muslims to left the peaceful and pluralistic message of Islam and led them to engage themselves in the war with west. She pointed out again and again that America and Britain are fueling the sentiment of radicalism by supporting groups that serve only short term interests. By her own experience of having a large exposure of living both in the West and in the Muslim countries she was well versed of the complexities of the conflict between the two sides.

The book is deeply insightful where she has tried to explore the disputable and complicated history between Islamic Countries mainly lies in the Middle East and the West. In search of the roots of international terrorism she pointed out the American support for dictatorship in her own country. These dictator tried their best to destroy the political parties and other organization including judiciary and human rights movements. Apart from speaking out to the West she also appealed to the Muslims to understand the difference between education and ignorance, between modern and radical elements of religion and between dictatorship and democracy. Her book describe itself that she was a great leader. She was an asset of not only Pakistan but the whole world. She was an ambassador of peace. May God keep her soul in the greatest of comfort.

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"It is impossible to understand today’s world without knowing Pakistan; and impossible to understand Pakistan without reading this book. A courageous woman—tragically killed—speaks to us of reconciliation. We owe it to her—and to ourselves—to listen, comprehend, and act." ------------------------(MADELEINE ALBRIGHT)

"Benazir Bhutto’s book is a powerful and insightful analysis of the formidable challenges that confronted an extraordinary woman who paid the ultimate price for daring to attempt to bring democracy to Pakistan. President Kennedy would have called her a Profile in Courage."

-------------(Ted Kennedy)