Dear Dr Sohail,
I was so riveted by your recent
book, Prophets of Violence, Prophets of Peace. I liked the way
that you told the story of these revolutionary icons. I find it a
struggle in my own creation of reality when confronting intolerant
regimes. Many of the revolutionaries that you wrote about were
operating within these regimes, some opted to challenge the system
with violence (after other means had failed), whilst others
maintained a need to refrain from engaging their oppressor in
their own violent language. Sometimes I wonder how Ghandi was
able to maintain his stance of non-violent opposition when faced
with such contempt, spite and brutality. I also appreciated how
you talked about the current American administration and their
foreign policy, I am glad that I am not the only one who sees the
current situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan – the list is
endless which is disconcerting in its own right – brought about by
a need to gain access and control over other countries natural
resources, or in the case of Afghanistan, attempt to erase past
mistakes.
Thank you for such an inspired
read.
Louise Potts