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Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey Through Islamic Lands, by Aatish Taseer

The publication of Stranger to History is likely to be turned into a fiery political event in Pakistan. The author is the half-Indian son of Salman Taseer, the glamorous and controversial Governor of the Punjab and one of Pakistan’s most important newspaper proprietors.The work is a heartfelt cry for attention from the old mogul, and with its talk of alcohol and of illicit liaisons it provides plenty of fuel for the Governor’s enemies.

But it will be a pity if Aatish’s first book — part family memoir, part an account of his journey through the heart of the radical Islamic world — is exploited by his father’s foes. This is a work that ought to be read by policy-makers in Whitehall and Washington as well as in Islamic countries — for its insights into the thinking of angry young Muslim men.