Comments on: Eteraz’s Children of Dust: Review [Part 1]

By: South Asian perspectives | The Wooster Forum 2010

South Asian perspectives | The Wooster Forum 2010 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:35:09 +0000

[...] Interview with Eteraz [...]

By: Ameen S Dad

Ameen S Dad — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:13:34 +0000

You guys are bunch of dishonest selfproclaimed journalists. We have to see who will win at the end. You are just like Ali Eteraz, a liar and dishnoest. You failed to post my previous comment. I have so many people visit theopenwar.com and every one had the freedom to say what they want…No editing as we are comitted for honesty.

By: John Wayne

John Wayne — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:07:22 +0000

Rcvd book as a Christmas present. I did not find the book terribly engaging.
It would have been helpful to add a glossary at the back with many of the arabic words used. Reading this book is often an effort like reading an adlib book. You are stuck rereading to make sure you are getting a gist os the context of the terms layered throughout.

It does give the sheltered Christian a view of how a muslim can be turned to be so hateful and violent. Understanding is the first step to finding a solution for some of the senseless, cruel violence done in the name of allah.

Peace to everyone.

By: Junaid M. Afeef

Junaid M. Afeef — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:48:56 +0000

Mr. Eteraz is a gifted writer. I thought the story was very readable. I had certain expectations from the prologue and from the book’s promotion materials. I expected to read about a person whose grew up indoctrinated in religious extremism and militancy. What I found was a sad tale of sexual abuse, physical abuse, deprivation, peer pressure, identity crisis, and the general angst of growing up as a non-white, non-Christian in America. Mr. Eteraz has a lot of guts for putting his sometimes sordid life experiences on display at such a young age. I hope his book is very successful. I’m certainly encouraging people to read it.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:04:26 +0000

This actually sounds interesting..

By: Ardy

Ardy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:43:01 +0000

on one point you wrote:

@Aliyah "they are to do with the backward, intolerant, oppressive mentality of certain cultural and religious attitudes, and the values and tolerance that I am a part of?I define my hard earned and hard won values against them. Nobody gave them to me."

and then this:

"This is the typical relativist line of rhetorical negation used to slander anyone who challenges the old ways. Address it to the author of the book, he has written a whole memoir about it."

typical relativist? tsk..tsk..the "coral reef of thoughts after all".and you called others schizophrenics? Pot and Kettle.

By: Aliyah

Aliyah — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:20:52 +0000

not just to accept what the liberals defined as "tolerance"

My experiences have nothing to do with what liberals define as 'tolerance'....they are to do with the backward, intolerant, oppressive mentality of certain cultural and religious attitudes, and the values and tolerance that I am a part of? I define my hard earned and hard won values against them. Nobody gave them to me.

This is the typical relativist line of rhetorical negation used to slander anyone who challenges the old ways. Address it to the author of the book, he has written a whole memoir about it.

By: Manju

Manju — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:48:06 +0000

sounds like the book ends with him getting into medschool, khoofi.

By: khoofi

khoofi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:56:50 +0000

The book ends beautifully, with only an ending that you can hope all people, Muslim or non-Muslim, can realize at some point in their life.

Muslim or non-Muslim, this is the story of a South Asian Americanâ€™s

I'm sure the prose is beautiful but is this dogmatic view of the world of 'one of us' and 'not one of us' yours or of AliEteraz? maybe that's your point of view, but either way it makes me uncomfortable. is dealing with the not-chosen people (sic) such an uphill battle or a matter of revulsion? i've read ali eteraz' blog in the past and foudn it thoughtprovoking and aesthetically appealing. so perhaps i'm infringing on your personal struggles - and it was alluded in the write-up - but shit's bound to fly when you countenance the right to self-expression against a (sic) faith that demands conformity.

By: Ardy

Ardy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:04:19 +0000

@ aliyah “Despite parents or grandparents making the free choice to move to land called America, or any other nation in the West, and still condition their children into the narrow, reflexive cultural prejudices and identities of Islam. This is the source of the schizophrenia that exists – a constant unease and self-perpetuating alienation and self-pity.”

Are you sure this “struggle” or “schizophrenia” as your put it only affect Muslims? May we extrapolate this hypothesis to say, Africans and Christians in Europe or America? If Christians in America or Europe are against gay marriage – they are not being viewed with the same prejudice as the newly arrived immigrants. I assumed according to you – only the natives are allowed to define the social fabric of the society. All of us chose to migrate to America for many reasons – not just to accept what the liberals defined as “tolerance”. When Americans and Europeans migrate to other countries – they still bring with them their culture and prejudice.