My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist

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A nation once synonymous with tolerance, Indonesia, the fourth-most populated country in the world and its most populous Muslim country, now finds itself in the midst of a profound shift toward radical Islam. Sadanand Dhume, a Princeton-educated Indian atheist with a fondness for literary fiction and an interest in economic development, travels across Indonesia to find out how a society goes from broad inclusiveness to outspoken intolerance in the space of a generation. His traveling companion is Harry Nurdi, a young Islamist who hero-worships the late Osama bin Laden and sympathizes with the Taliban. Their travels span mosques and discotheques, prison cells and dormitories, sacred volcanoes and temple ruins. Over time, they forge an uneasy friendship that offers a firsthand look into the crucible of radical Islam’s future.

“My Friend the Fanatic” is the story of an alternately disturbing, amusing, and poignant journey that illuminates one of the most pressing issues of our time. Originally published in 2009, this paperback edition includes a new preface by the author detailing what has happened in Indonesia since the book’s initial publication.

Praise for “My Friend the Fanatic”

“Easily the best account by a journalist writing on Islam in contemporary Indonesia. Sadanand Dhume has really done the stuff, met the believers and extremists, and found out what drives them and what they plan for us all. With humor and style, he draws us into the world of radical preachers, hotheads, and youthful idealists, showing how militant Islamism has won the sympathy of a growing number of ordinary Indonesians. A wonderful book, entertaining and alarming in equal measure.”

— Andrew Beatty, author of “A Shadow Falls: In the Heart of Java”

“Guides the reader deftly through the whirlpool these [radical Islamist] currents have created.”

— The Wall Street Journal (Asian Edition)

“At once funny, sad, and unpretentiously intellectual, this fine book tells us much about Indonesia and about Islamism.”

— Robert W. Hefner, Far Eastern Economic Review

“An eye-opening piece of reportage . . . evocative writing . . . A compelling read for anyone interested in Islam or Indonesia.”

— The Sydney Morning Herald

“‘My Friend the Fanatic’ reminds us of why we must look beyond the Middle East to appreciate whether Muslims can modernize — and how. Giving us a fresh take on one of the world’s most pressing problems, Sadanand Dhume tells a profoundly human story replete with base instincts and high hopes.”

— Irshad Manji, author, “Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform of Her Faith”

“Sadanand Dhume has gone beyond V. S. Naipul to bring us a riveting portrait of Indonesia in flux. It is fluid, funny, and required reading for anyone interested in the future of Islam.”

— Suketo Mehta, author, “Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found”

“Fascinating. . . . A very fresh and quite urgent book on aspects of our great neighbor that we know absolutely nothing about.”

— Philip Adams, Late Night Live, ABC Radio National

“Dhume plunged into the friendly squabble that is Indonesia. . . . He’s a casually elegant writer with an eye for the big ideas and he’s fascinated by the crunch between Islam and modernity.”

— The Australian Literary Review

“Perfectly timed. . . . elegantly written.”

— The Australian Financial Review

“Takes on a big issue and delivers with flair.”

— Vishakha Desai, president, the Asia Society

“A troubling series of events over the past few months is lending credence to Dhume’s concern.”

— Asia Sentinel

“Highly well written and entertaining read . . . more than recommended.”

— Indonesia Matters

“A thoughtful, oftentimes quirky political travelogue. . . . Dhume has a keen eye for detail, a wry sense of humour, and a rare humility. He paints for us a richly visual and varied landscape of the country while pulling together the disparate threads of Indonesia’s political, religious and social history.”

— The New Indian Express

“Shatters comforting certainties.”

— Salil Tripathi, Mint

“A fascinating intellectual journey through many layers of the country’s rich cultural history. . . . A deft exploration of how global currents of Arabized Islam are inexorably transforming Indonesia’s easy-going syncretic Islamic culture. Dhume offers an engaging and deeply disturbing portrait of the world’s largest Muslim country, a must read for every concerned world citizen.”

— Nayan Chadha, author, “Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers and Warriors Shaped Globalization”

“Sadanand Dhume has not only written a masterful travelogue, but has also turned the spotlight on a fundamentalist movement to which few outsiders have such meaningful access. ‘My Friend the Fanatic’ should be required reading for anyone interested in the rise of radicalism in Indonesia, or in similar movements in other parts of the Muslim world.”

— Jamie F. Metzl, executive vice president, the Asia Society

“‘My Friend the Fanatic’ describes a journey between Indonesia’s extremes: the decadence of bohemian Jakarta, and the paranoia of the country’s growing fundamentalist minority. In his encounters with exhibitionist sex writers, Javanese sorcerers, or repressive Osama-philes, Sadanand Dhume brings to bear a light, tolerant, and ironic eye. He has the wisdom to allow the people he meets to be themselves, not ‘stand-ins’ for something larger. He has the gift of making the most kitsch and sinister characters seem human, sad, and almost lovable.”

— Richard Lloyd Parry, author, “In the Time of Madness: Indonesia on the Edge of Chaos”