Eqbal Ahmad: Critical Outsider in a Turbulent Age

by Stuart Schaar

Eqbal Ahmad (1930?-1999) was a bold and original activist, journalist, and theorist who brought uncommon perspective to the rise of militant Islam, the conflict in Kashmir, the involvement of the United States in Vietnam, and the geopolitics of the Cold War. A long-time friend and intellectual collaborator of Ahmad, Stuart Schaar presents in this book previously unseen materials by and about his colleague, having traveled through the United States, India, Pakistan, western Europe, and North Africa to connect Ahmad's experiences to the major currents of modern history.

Ahmad was the first to recognize that former ally Osama bin Laden would turn against the United States. He anticipated the rapidly shifting loyalties of terrorists and understood that overthrowing Saddam Hussein would provoke violence and sectarian strife in Iraq. Ahmad had great compassion for the victims of the proxy wars waged by the leading Cold War powers, and he frequently championed unpopular causes, such as the need to extend the rights of Palestinians and protect Bosnians and Kosovars in a disintegrating Yugoslavia. Toward the end of his life, Ahmad worked tirelessly to broker a peace between India and Pakistan and to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons throughout the subcontinent. As novel and necessary as ever, Ahmad's remarkable vision is here preserved and extended to reveal the extent to which he was involved in the political and historical conflicts of his time.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Pakistan, Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Stuart Schaar]

I am the autho of this book. It soon will be 25 years since Eqbal Ahmad passed away while living in
Pakistan. He was a brilliant analyst as well as a close friend. We wrote several articles together on North African history and current affairs. We first met in Princeton Univerisyty
's graduate school in 1958. We spent four years together as students there and remained lifelong friends. Through Eqbal I met and befriended Edward Said, Noam Chomsky, Richard Falk, Leonard Boudin, Ramsey Clark and a slew of other activists who defined the American Left in the 1960's on. Eqbal was a totally original thinker. You could never predict his positions on current events for he was always filled with surprises. As a friend, he was the best and through him many doors opened for me as I met a variety of brilliant friends of his in America, Europe and the Indian sub-continent. His brilliance and originality outshone many of his contemporaries and his ideas are still worthy of studying today.

[Hamza Sarfraz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful biography of Eqbal Ahmad. It was nice revisiting some of his key positions.

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the first quarter of the book, I thought I wasn't going to give it a good rating because it wasn't feeling like a rigorous study of Eqbal's life and felt more like the author's opinions as Eqbal's friend but I am so thankful that I pushed through it! It was a wonderful read once I started reading it as a person simply writing about a dear friend's life - like what a cute labor of love (and it was so much love) and admiration. This book was meant to be written like this.

Also so rejuvinating to just get to know more about parts of Eqbal's personal life and beliefs that can't be as discerned from what exists out there (anecdotes from his colleagues, family, friends, context about Eqbal's writings and works). I loved learning about his relationship with Islam as a progressive force, the trouble he caused, the networks he built, the people he loved and the people who loved him. Such a vital read to contextualize all that he accomplished in his life for everyone around him.

[Kamran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writer has a good insight of placing main events, their accountable factors, ideas and ideologies in the book. For a beginner, who is inclined to peruse about Eqbal Ahmad should go through this one. It is an inevitable book, I reckon. Eqbal Ahmad was a political genius and yes, enjoyed reading.

[Ahmad Lodhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eqbal's relevance for any student of politics and history lies in his uncanny insight into and indepth analysis of the underlying structural imbalances surrounding the culture, politics and economy of the post- colonial states and societies. His analytical skills coupled with his encyclopedic knowledge enabled him to predict the contours of future events with an astounding precision. This book serves as a good introduction to the man that he was and highlights the importance and relevance of his work as a guiding tool towards finding the solutions of our current predicaments..

[Waqar Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The importance of the book lies in the fact that it is the only book on the subject. It may help revive interest in the man who was one of the finest mind of the 20th century and yet has been consigned to the footnotes of history, if at all. Eqbal Ahmad needs to be rediscovered and this book is a starting point and an important step in this regard.