This must be a first for chowk. To try to review a French book without knowing much of the language oneself. So, this review is based on a post reading discussion with three friends and a close family member who are, how do we say it, parle vouz the Francais. Gallons of beer and pizza, many emails, as well as the simple fact that all four of them read this French best-seller, cover to cover. I am waiting for the English version.

Interim.

I got this heavy tome, all of about 540 pages or so, as an intriguing gift from an acquaintance who is a diplomat here in Delhi, after I wrote a particularly strong article on the rather uncouth driving habits of diplomats in Delhi. The French, incidentally, have been trying very hard to make friends with the Indians, to all visible appearances, for the past few years now. But then, in all fairness to them, anybody who buys their air-o-planes and submarines would, right?

Let me say it at the outset:- In his book, Qui a Tui Daniel Pearl, Mr. Levy makes a case for, and a claim, that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency was directly involved in planning the 11th of September attacks. And that Daniel Pearl was killed in Karachi because he was close to publishing proof on this in the Wall Street Journal, where he worked before he was be-headed.

Mr. Levy travels the world, including the steps that Daniel Pearl took in Pakistan. He tracks the connections between Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani, Omar Sheikh, Hamid Gul, Richard Reid, the House of Saud, Iran. The collusion between the ISI and the extremist Islamic groups. The method by which Daniel Pearl was enticed to visit Pakistan. ISI’s role in supplying nuclear secrets to North Korea as well as Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda. And he seems to establish his findings with great detail.

So, is Mr. Levy yet another member of the Jewish establishment, out to beat on all things Islamic? I am very cynical when "theory" books hit the markets. But here, the Jewish born Mr. Levy is hardly part of the Zionist plan. Far from it, apparently. Inspite of being a declared atheist, he takes great care to research and present the gentle aspects of Islam that, to us, many of us already know about in India. Not just the Wahhabi fundamentals, who seem to make the headlines way beyond their revenue from pilgrimages and mosques controlling habits would justify. The Islam many of us know in India is about as integrated with the rest of the country as are the rest of our religions here. The good parts, sure. As well as the rest of the ills of our society, our poverty, our lack of education, our caste issues, our gender problems, the works.

And when somebody writes that, tells us to our face what we know but seldom talk about, then maybe that person has more truth and strength than we have.

Mr. Levy makes for interesting reading. Amongst other things, the question that arises is:- why Iraq, then?

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Veeresh Malik and 4 others, one in France, one in Switzerland and 2 in New Delhi.