Book launch: From behind the mirror - 9/11 and the West

Pakistani based in Italy discusses Muslims in Europe through ‘Pas-e-Aina’.

ISLAMABAD:

While discussing Europe and its impact on Pakistani immigrants, Dr Fateh Muhammad Malik viewed the contemporary global politics as a challenge for Muslims around the globe.

The noted author, professor and critic was presiding a book launch at Pakistan Academy of Languages on Saturday. The centre of discussion was the novel of Pakistani-born Italian Sarfraz Baig titled ‘Pas-e-Aina’ (Behind the Mirror).

“This book is one of the comprehensive documents not only on 9/11 but the sorrow tales of expats struggling after reaching Europe,” Malik said.

“Baig’s research carries respectable researchers of post-9/11 era and discusses the life of a common Muslim living in West, particularly Europe,” he said. Dr Roshan Nadeem in the opening remarks said initially Pakistani readers learnt about the culture of Europe through Urdu travelogues.



There are very few pieces in Urdu fiction which transpire the West-Udas Naslain by Abdullah Hussain and Nashaib. “This piece of fiction from a man, who has experienced all the worries of life in Europe being an immigrant, and penned it down, is a remarkable achievement in Urdu literature,” he said.

He discussed about the novel that it shows the challenges of the people of third world, their struggle for identity, respectable place in society in a narrative way which underlines love for land and adjustment with alien environment.

“In current scenario, such pieces are the start of global fiction in Urdu and modern literature,” he remarked.

Sarfraz Baig, the author of the novel said that this piece is actually the outcome of the accounts to which he is an eye-witness in Europe. “My characters moves from Arezzo, Italy to Switzerland and discuss Dante in the refugee camp. They then talk about the 9/11 and the life after this incident and the cause of terrorist attacks in USA,” he said.

He said the characters of his novel discuss the tales from Italian literature and their connection with the contemporary politics and culture.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2013.