Magisterial
|
Historians, by charting only the political course of the Pakistan movement and by concentrating on Jinnah's constitutional brilliance, have obscured the cultural dimensions of Jinnah's leadership and the humanity of his personality. It thus left to the eminent anthropologist, Akbar Ahmed to correct the one-dimensional depictions of Jinnah. The following is a summary of the key aspects that distinguish this book from other biographies of Jinnah:
1) Ahmed provides Jinnah with a more realistic face as opposed to Pakistani official representation, which ironically reinforced Indian and Western prejudices of a stern man devoid of emotion. Thus we learn that Jinnah's last act before leaving for the state he founded was to visit his late wife's - Ruttie - grave.
2) Ahmed also successfully traces much of the negative portrayal of Jinnah in the West to Mountbatten's propaganda against him. The lazy and uncritical acceptance of the last Viceroy's views has led to Jinnah's arguments being traduced and the man being misrepresented.
3) Akbar Ahmed also explains Jinnah's conversion from defender of Hindu-Muslim unity to proponent of Muslim separatism, with a great deal of sophistication, by reference to the environment, personal factors and crucially the influence of the poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal. Certainly Jinnah came to echo many of Iqbal's views as well as gaining a deeper appreciation of his Islamic identity.
4) Perhaps the most significant aspect of his work was the demonstration of how Jinnah came to symbolise Muslim hopes and aspirations, i.e. the cultural dimension of his charismatic leadership, too often ignored by historians who concentrated on `high politics' and thus presented him as a detached constitutionalist. The Muslim decline in India and the fears for the future as India was spinning towards independence laid the foundations for Jinnah's charismatic leadership. Jinnah's immense integrity, use of clothes as a "diacritical cultural symbol," elevation in status as an equal to Indian opposition leaders, refusal to kow-tow to anyone and displays of Mughal type state processions were all important in the crystallisation of Jinnah's charisma.
5) Finally, the author outlines Jinnah's vision, whilst alerting us to the problems of transporting back contemporary meanings of secularism and fundamentalism. He demonstrates that for the Quaid, there was no conflict between tolerance, respect for minorities, equal citizenship rights, democracy and Islam and why such a conception is relevant in a world besotted by images of "Islamic fundamentalism."
Akbar Ahmed's book is then a passionate but scholarly, sophisticated but readable, defence of Jinnah.
|
|
A thin apologia
|
|
This book sets out to redress the balance of a negative image of Jinnah that has been portrayed in the west. Ahmed could have chosen to do this dispassionately and with academic rigour but instead he appears, as is evident from the title, to have set about writing a hagiographic apologia. The lack of objectivity jumps out at you from every page of this book and that makes it a slightly disappointing read, although it is probably still worth reading just to pick up on the wealth of facts surrounding the creation of Pakistan. Unfortunately, due to the overall tone of the book we can never really be sure whether these are hard cold facts or airbrushed ones.
|
|
|
Truth within the Lies
|
|
A brilliant and thorough examination of Mr.Jinnah's role in the formation of Pakistan. Akbar Ahmed has come closest to the true image of Mr.Jinnah challenging Western ideologies subjugated to him. The book is an breath taking insight into the person of Mr.Jinnah. Ahmed enlightens truths about Muslims, British and Hindus, all who have much to reminisence and be shameful about.
|
|
Not good
|
|
I felt Akbar had tried to sell Pakistan and Jinnah too much. I felt that he should not have written on a topic like this given his deep associations with the government of pakistan, which affects his impartiality.
|
|
|
This book was really needed.
|
|
It is great to see that atlast there is a bok that can effectivelt the enormous Indian propaganda of defaming Jinnah. This book is realistic and makes the reader understand what Jinnah meant. The Indians will always try to define the creation of Pakistan asif the Muslims of the sub continent were mis-led on the name of religion but this book shows the real face of the Hindus. It shows that what caused Jinnah, a liberal Muslim and an ardent preacher of Hindu-Muslim unity to demand Pakistan. This book exposes the real ,evel face of the Hindus whose extremism and narrow mindedness forced the Muslims of the sub-continent to demand Pakistan.Being a Muslim from India , I am amongst the un-fortunate ones who are still trying to survive against these Hindu extremists who have made hell for all the minorities of this country.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada