Practising solicitor Dr Malik launched his book ‘Asian Millionaires: How they make their Millions’ last month to coincide with the release of this year’s Sunday Times Rich List.

The motivational book, published by Direct Million and with a preface written by Dr. Philip Beresford of the Sunday Times Rich List, aims to reveal the secrets of how the Asian in Britain community has amassed vast wealth. Dr Malik also outlines how a correct spiritual approach can help to attract wealth to individuals.

In his book, Unimagined, Imran Ahmad charts his course through school, university and into his first job, exploring with poignant humour and painful insight the dilemmas of a Muslim boy growing up in Britain. How different is a Muslim boy from a ‘normal’ boy? Are Muslims allowed to pursue happiness, or is that only for the Afterlife? What do Muslims really believe? What is truly Islamic and what is merely cultural?

Imran stumbles though life encountering colourful characters, philosophical dilemmas and theological threats. Is there a correlation between studying and passing exams, or is it entirely the will of God? Will he really burn in Hell for all eternity if he doesn’t accept that Islam was created by Satan to keep people away from the salvation of Christianity – as the Christian Union keep telling him as they doggedly pursue him to convert. Is it okay to be British and Muslim, or are the two irreconcilable? Wouldn’t life be perfect if he just had a Jaguar XJS?

City Circle is hosting a thoughtful yet humorous evening with bestselling author, Imran Ahmad, on “Unimagined: A Muslim boy Meets the West” on Friday 20 April at 6.45pm at 45 Crawford Place, London, W1H 4LP.
Entrance is free, please see website

Pakistan-born British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s debut book, Greetings from Bury Park, about growing up in a working-class Luton neighborhood, has been sold to the United States for publication. It is already being published in Britain in June by Vintage.

In the book Sarfraz describes how the discovery of Bruce Springsteen’s music and a determination to live a non-traditional Muslim life galvanized him to seek out possibilities other than those acceptable to his family and by his culture. It will be published in the US by Vintage and in the UK by Bloomsbury.

He told AIM magazine: “I was really pleased and surprised to see my book – which is quite British in its tone and content – being picked up by Vintage but they really loved it and think it could do really well in the States which is both great for me but also in terms of projecting a very different image of British Muslims to the US.”

sarfrazmanzoor.co.uk

Gautam Malkani, author of the book Londonstani, has been nominated for the Decibel Writer of the Year Award at this year’s British Book Awards. This is a new award for a writer of fiction, narrative non-fiction or poetry who is of African, Caribbean or Asian descent and has made the greatest contribution towards or impact on the literary year.

Set in Hounslow, it’s the story of the lives of a gang of four young Asian men trying to work out a place for themselves in the shadow of the divergent cultures of their parents’ generation.
Also see: Gautam interviewed for AIM magazine.
www.gautammalkani.com

Londonstani author Gautam Malkani will be reading from his debut book at the monthly Bookslam event alongside Salena Godden, the notorious poet and singer. This monthly night mixes up the spoken word with DJ sets and live music. It kicks off at 7.30pm at Neighbourhood nightclub in Notting Hill. Tickets are £5.
www.bookslam.com

Birmingham Libraries are currently working on a creative writers project with writers of Muslim backgrounds. They are providing writers an e-portal where writers can upload there work of any genre online – www.publishingbirmingham.com. Their aim is to offer writers the opportunity to develop themselves and earn income from their writing.

To celebrate the work and contribution of British writers they are holding the first annual Muslim Writers award ceremony in Birmingham on Wed 28 March (at the Library Theatre). Well known Muslim speakers and writers such as Qaisra Shahraz, Moazzem Begg, Salma Yaqoob and Faraz Yousufzai will talk about their experiences on getting published.

The cut-off date for submitting your work for the awards is 16th February. For more information contact: imran.akram@innovatepartnership.com

The New Statesman magazine goes behind the upcoming elections and political turmoil in Bangladesh this week, with a special edition of the magazine. It examines the country’s political crisis, and the situation of the many Bangladeshis in Britain.

It includes contributions from top writers, including Monica Ali, Tahmima Anam (reporting from Dhaka on the postponed elections and a country in chaos), Labour councillor Ayub Korom Ali, and editor of the Bangladesh Daily Star Mahfuz Anam.
www.newstatesman.com

This weekend’s Observer Sports Monthly features a lengthy interview with English spinner Monty Panesar. You can read the interview from here.

It turns out that young Monty also has a book deal and plans to take advantage of his new found fame.

Operation Monty is go. There’s merchandise, an appearance on A Question of Sport, and a website (monty-panesar.com, soon to go live).

There is the obligatory book deal: Monty has signed a reported £300,000 contract with Hodder & Stoughton that will, I have been told, preclude him from talking about anything personal – his family, his upbringing, his faith – until the book is published.

I have never heard of such a gagging order before. For someone as reticent as Panesar, it’s like putting a muzzle on a poodle.

Strange, but we look forward to the book!

A Danish court dismissed the case brought against the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which published a series of controversial cartoons featuring the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The Guardian reports:

“Of course it cannot be excluded that the drawings offended some Muslims,” the court said in its ruling. “But there is no sufficient reason to assume that the cartoons are or were intended to be insulting … or put forward ideas that could hurt the standing of Muslims in society.”

Seven Danish Muslims organisations initiated the lawsuit in March, after the state prosecutor decided not to sue the newspaper under racism and blasphemy laws.
…
“I’m not surprised, shocked or disappointed,” said Ahmed Abu Laban, a Copenhagen imam active in one of the organisations that brought the case. “Freedom of speech has been the issue from the beginning. It is seen differently in Europe than we see it.”

This is the third time the Muslim organisations have had their case dismissed. They said they would nevertheless appeal the court’s decision.

A Divine Destruction is an attempt by journalist Aamir Ghauri and photographer Sohail Anjum to record moments around the earthquake that rocked much of Kashmir on 8th October 2005 and killed nearly 80,000 people. It is also an attempt to highlight the plight of the people of Kashmir and northern Pakistan who were told by their rulers that their destruction was an act of God.

Ghauri and Anjum tell the unfinished story of the Kashmir earthquake, from the time the news broke to the snows of winter. They show the reality of life for survivors as they searched for their families, for the thousands of children undergoing surgery, for those who mourned loved ones and tried to get back to some sort of normality.

It is published by Xenos UK Ltd, price £25. amir Ghauri is the European Head of News & Current Affairs for Pakistan’s Geo TV. Sohail Anjum is a London-based freelance photographer.
Media contact Fussi Merza on 020 3253 0059 / fussi.merza@xenosuk.com