What a Nigerian Novel About the Rise of Jihadism Can Teach Us About the Roots of Religious Extremism

JL;DR SUMMARY Elnathan John's novel "Born on a Tuesday" delves into the complexities of religious extremism through the story of Dantala, a young Muslim man in northern Nigeria navigating the rise of jihadism. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

JL;DR members get full summaries of all articles in the archive, including this one. Donate & start reading »