by Benazir Bhutto
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Product Description
Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October 2007, after eight years of exile, hopeful that she could be a catalyst for change. Upon a tumultuous reception, she survived a suicide-bomb attack that killed nearly two hundred of her countrymen. But she continued to forge ahead, with more courage and conviction than ever, since she knew that time was running out—for the future of her nation, and for her life. In Reconciliation, Bhutto recounts in gripping detail her final months in Pakistan and offers a bold new agenda for how to stem the tide of Islamic radicalism and to rediscover the values of tolerance and justice that lie at the heart of her religion. With extremist Islam on the rise throughout the world, the peaceful, pluralistic message of Islam has been exploited and manipulated by fanatics. Bhutto persuasively argues that America and Britain are fueling this turn toward radicalization by supporting groups that serve only short-term interests. She believed that by enabling dictators, the West was actually contributing to the frustration and extremism that lead to terrorism. With her experience governing Pakistan and living and studying in the West, Benazir Bhutto was versed in the complexities of the conflict from both sides. She was a renaissance woman who offered a way out. In this riveting and deeply insightful book, Bhutto explores the complicated history between the Middle East and the West. She traces the roots of international terrorism across the world, including American support for Pakistani general Zia-ul-Haq, who destroyed political parties, eliminated an independent judiciary, marginalized NGOs, suspended the protection of human rights, and aligned Pakistani intelligence agencies with the most radical elements of the Afghan mujahideen. She speaks out not just to the West, but to the Muslims across the globe who are at a crossroads between the past and the future, between education and ignorance, between peace and terrorism, and between dictatorship and democracy. Democracy and Islam are not incompatible, and the clash between Islam and the West is not inevitable. Bhutto presents an image of modern Islam that defies the negative caricatures often seen in the West. After reading this book, it will become even clearer what the world has lost by her assassination.
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 Very Dishonest Portrayal, 2008-07-14
Absolute Total Garbage. I was sent this book from a former foreign office colleague and he added a quick witted remark about how these "ruling families" take the populous as completely dumb and out of touch. The book is written in a post script voice.
You will feel as though you are listening to some uninformed news reporter on CNN or any other NNs of the world. One thing that stands out is her complete misrepresentation about the Liberation war of Bangladesh.
She does not mention that the Pakistani army killed three million Bangladeshies in nine short months. She does not even spell the name of the Capital Dhaka correctly. Perhaps she needed to have this book edited by someone half as credible as a 5th grader to have not made such a mistake. She goes on not mentioning her father's role in prolonging the deaths when Mr. Bhutto (the father) went to the UN to ask that India not come to the rescue of the million of Bengals the Pakistani army was killing.
Her logic about clash of civilization is half baked. She does not really make a point as to what her views are in a concise manner. She tries to give her family, specially her father a nice face to history. But she neglects to point out that while her family was sitting at the ivory tower, there were millions killed in the name of "Pakistan". She does not reconcile how the cult of Jinnah and their philosophy is a complete sham and how it is responsible for the death of millions of people even before the war of 1971. Through Jinnah's work we now have two distinctly undemocratic countries in South Asia. Ms. Bhutto does not reconcile why and how Jinnah ruined the 1947 liberation movement and created this whole debacle only for personal ego and greed. She does not mention how Jinnah collaborated with the British to divide India for his personal gain and egotistical monomaniacal personality. Civilizations collide when we have leaders such as Jinnah who are easily purchased by the western influences.
This book is factually incorrect and full of inaccuracies that you can't really overlook. If you want to give a charity to the Bhutto family by buying this book then go ahead. But, don't blame anyone when you feel that your intellect is being abjectly disrespected when you do start reading.
This book should have been titled "IT'S NOT OUR FAULT" versus reconciliation. It blames everyone else and that's that. Very very intellectually dishonest and perhaps dishonest altogether.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Rest in Peace for a Job Well Done, 2008-07-11
The author portrays a sharp contrast between the
peaceful Arabs and the extremists who seek to
foster continued clashes with the West.
Mrs. Bhutto provides an excellent portrayal of
early Islamic accomplishments in the arts, sciences
and engineering. Shamefully, this progress has been
stultified because the radical Islamic dogma seeks
continued war with the West on a number of important
fronts. The 9-11 terrorist attack is seen as a Crusade
in reverse by the extremist Arabs and potentially Al Qaeda.
Mrs. Bhutto returned to large crowds during 1986 in Lahore,
Pakistan. The author took great pains to demonstrate how
the Quran respects women generally. Despite this, printing
was not allowed in Muslim lands until 1727. For this
reason, the intellectual period of Arab advancement slowed.
The book is sectionalized so that there is an extensive
discussion of the various Middle Eastern spheres of
influence. For instance, General Zia pitted the Sh'ia
against the Sunnis in order to halt the spread of the
Iranian Revolution. In Pakistan's Sh'ia Northern Region,
Sunnis joined the Afghan Mujahideen fighting the Soviets
in Afghanistan. Anti-Sh'ia sentiment was encouraged to
motivate Mujahideen to fight. Ultimately, the Sh'ia
retaliated against the Sunnis.
Mrs. Bhutto shows how Islam and democracy are inevitable.
Without the extremists, Islam is about the consent of
the governed, as well as universal participation.
In the Quran, the election of a Chief Executive is by the
uncoerced will of the people.
Democratic institutions undermined the authority of the
Shah of Iran. Independence did not bring economic or
social reforms to North African nations. In 1922, Britain
installed Hashimite King Faisal (Sunni) to rule Iraq.
Local people viewed him as a foreigner.
Afghanistan hosted both a Cold War against the Soviet Union
and a terrorist campaign of Islamic extremists against
the West. Hamas embraced a formal charter of violence
aimed at creating a Palestinian State. Ultimately, the
West Bank standard of living has exceeded Gaza.
Indonesia has the greatest number of Muslims on earth.
In August, 1990, extremists brought down the Pakistani
government. The Nawaz administration tried to reverse
much of Mrs. Bhutto's social programs. Toward the end
of the volume, the author called for new ideas and a
distinctive bold commitment.
Overall, the book is a masterpiece. Every politician in
Washington, DC should read the volume and learn from it !
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Superb and excellent!!, 2008-05-31
Benazir represented the moderate face of Islam. In this book she has attempted to highlight how democracy and Islam are mutually compatible, in the light of the Holy Quran. She had a broad vision and laid down her life fighting for her ideals. This book is a sincere effort on her part to reconcile the differences between the Western and the Muslim world. She has to be commended for bringing forth the point that the rise of militancy and fundamentalism poses the greatest threat to Islam itself; to put the blame solely on US imperial policy and the Cold War is unjustified. Islam has been hijacked by the elements with political ambitions, who seek to justify violence in the name of Jihad -a very noble concept which has been misconstrued for selfish motives. This book is a testimony to Benazir's wisdom, intellect and broad vision.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Please read this book!, 2008-05-30
I am a US citizen of Asian descent. I knew nothing about Benazir Bhutto before reading this book besides that she was a politician of "one of those countries out there." Her story has educated me on the complicated situation between the Islamic countries and the West. Her ideas and plans make sense. I just hope that enough of our own politicians read this. Now that she's reached so many people with book and her legacy, I hope she is at peace.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Profound book autographed for us in blood, 2008-05-12
This is a wonderfully written book with clear expositions in 318 pages regarding common misinterpretations of the Koran, which does not exclude other religions that believe in the same one God. She shows us how we need to recast ourselves to promote our democracy as the way to achieve peaceful coexistence of different religious and ethnic groups, through education and cooperation in economic development. She gives a very moving account of the many difficulties she had in trying to get a real democracy in Pakistan, and the multiple blocks and attempts on her life. The scope of her book is large and analyzes the conditions in many different cultures. She ends with many reasonable solutions to some of our problems. I only hope that our legislators read this profound, very moving,and clear book!!
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