Meeting with Sadanand Dhunne, Journalist

Saturday, March 6

It was fascinating to meet with Sadanand Dhunne for dinner. I had heard about his book "My Friend the Fanatic", which details his relationship over time with a fundamental Islamist in Indonesia, home to the largest Muslim population in the world. Moreover, I was very eager to hear his thoughts on the Muslim population in India and whether he believed that Islamic fundamentalism was or was becoming a problem in the country.

Historically, India prides itself as having "no anti-Semitism" within its borders, and I was curious whether this was still true and whether India was somehow immune to the radicalism growing in neighboring countries, such as Pakistan. Sadly, Mr. Dhumme worried that India was not immune, and that radicalism had started to invade its borders.

Mr. Dhunne was very engaging, smart, and eloquent, answered all of our questions, and raised a lot of new questions for me. I hope to bring him to speak at AJC in the future. I will certainly read his book and very much look forward to the publication of his next book, which is on Islamic fundamentalism in India.

Naomi Reinharz