Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
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“Brilliant. . . . A powerfully observed, stylistically elegant exploration.” –The New York Times
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
“The book’s strength lies in Naipaul’s extraordinary ability as a storyteller to draw striking portraits of a cross section of individuals.”–The Boston Globe
Fourteen years after the publication of his landmark travel narrative Among the Believers, V. S. Naipaul returned to the four non-Arab Islamic countries he reported on so vividly at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini’s triumph in Iran. Beyond Belief is the result of his five-month journey in 1995 through Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia–lands where descendants of Muslim converts live at odds with indigenous traditions, and where dreams of Islamic purity clash with economic and political realities.
In extended conversations with a vast number of people–a rare survivor of the martyr brigades of the Iran-Iraq war, a young intellectual training as a Marxist guerilla in Baluchistan, an impoverished elderly couple in Teheran whose dusty Baccarat chandeliers preserve the memory of vanished wealth, and countless others–V. S. Naipaul deliberately effaces himself to let the voices of his subjects come through. Yet the result is a collection of stories that has the author’s unmistakable stamp. With its incisive observation and brilliant cultural analysis, Beyond Belief is a startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon.
“Highly accomplished. . . . Another display of Naipaul’s remarkable talent.” –The Independent (London)Amazon.com Review
Acclaimed writer V.S. Naipaul has the eye of a novelist, the fearless curiosity of a 2-year-old, and the tenacity of a cornered badger. In Beyond Belief, he puts these three attributes to use in delving into the secrets of Islam–the other Islam, that is. Journeying into the non-Arab Islamic countries of Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia, Naipaul wonders about how these young nations are absorbing a resurgent Islam into their ancient societies and where it might lead them. His exploration is at the grassroots level, through the people living and breathing Islam today. Naipaul illustrates his points with vignettes about characters he meets, by both happenstance and calculation, along the way. We learn about their histories, their families’ histories, their motivations, and their dreams. The mosaic that materializes is not always appealing, for Naipaul is a sensitive but disinterested observer, more a watcher than a champion. Islam, we learn, is a font of hope for the converted peoples, sweet when taken in gulps but often bearing an acrid aftertaste. It buries traditional cultures under promising new foundations, indirectly encourages broken families through polygamy, and turns only tentatively to face the issues of modernity. From beginning to end, we find ourselves empathizing with Naipaul’s subjects, seeing ourselves in their struggles with family, religion, and nation, feeling their drive to create a fresh world of virtue and prosperity. –Brian Bruya
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
Tags: ayatollah khomeini, Among, Peoples, Islamic
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Naipaul’s book is 100% garbage. It is a racist and Islamaphobic rant designed to defame the Islamic religion.
Rating: 1 / 5
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
If one is to follow the premise of a converted people, than Europeans are converted Christians; Chinese are converted Buddists, the Africans, South Americans, North Americans…….are all converted. The title should be something absurd like ‘How I hunted witches where there were none’.
Rating: 1 / 5
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
It is probably BY FAR the WORST of Mr. Naipaul’s book!!! I am his fan but in this book he messes up BIG TIME! His whole assertive opinions here and there w/o CLEARLY stating his reasons behind his assumptions was AWFUL. For example, In his book Naipaul states that all of the people BEYOND ARABIA WERE CONVERTS! WEll DA! The whole Arabian peninsula converted just like the Christians converted upon beleiving in Jesus. WHO EVER follows a religion then by his logic IS A CONVERT. And just as when an empire or religion conqers a country the people of that country slowly over generations gets absorbed by the new culture which conqured them!
Rating: 1 / 5
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
This is worth consigning to the garbage heap.A damaging but inaccurate portrayal of Islam based on the kind of cavalier research done for fictions.The book betrays Naipaul’s ignorance of Islam. Naipaul probably decided after the Satanic Verses that writing on islam in a negative way would produce best sellers among his colonial masters. He seems to be right judging from the success of this book and his previous one on Islam.
V S Naipaul has now joined the ranks of those who would write any garbage that can spin a dollar. It is intellectual dishonesty
Rating: 1 / 5
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples
The first sentence that came to my mind when reading “beyond belief” was “what a waste of talent”. The talent of Naipaul is exquisite, and his prejudice is obvious. While observing a society or culture if you have preconceived notions about what and who they are then that is all you will see in them. As a reporter and an observer it is imperative, for true representation, that one be neutral and open minded about what he sees. Naipaul lacks this vital characteristic in his travel reportings. He claims in the preface that he is narrating the stories he hears from people without injecting personal opinion, on the other hand the book is filled with his own personal interpretation of what he sees in these people. One almost gets a feeling that he has already made up his mind about what he wants to write he just goes out and seeks stories and experiences, which enforce his opinion. Perhaps by expressing his hatred for the third world he is trying to convince himself (or the world) that he is not one of them. That he has evolved beyond the biases, the hate, and the confusion of these people. His hatred for everything third world is so apparent that it is almost painful. The only culture he accepts is the Hindu, his own religion, and in doing so he is guilty of the same crime he accuses the rest of the Asians of; complete rejection of every thing external and conflicting with the native beliefs. Naipaul is repeating the same old Hindu rhetoric; he is just better at phrasing it. Hidden behind the fancy and elaborate linguistics is a typical Hindu mind, which has never come to terms with the western (central Asian and Arab) invader rummaging his homeland and converting his people to Islam. Physical conquest results from superior military strength of the enemy, which, to some extent, one can accept as a weak phase in a nations history. But spiritual conquest results from the moral superiority of a foreign culture. This is perhaps what Naipaul is unwilling to accept. The converts -specially the ones of his homeland, India- who deserted his native religion to accept that of the invaders keep reminding him that a subset of his people chose a foreign religion over his native religion.
The Book is a good read for the narative style of Naipaul, but as a historical or socio-political document it is nothing more that bar room chat.
Rating: 2 / 5
Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples