From being overlooked in fear of retaliation, Isis has sprung to the forefront of favoured subject matter among books.
A debate is raging in political journals re: whether they are all they're cracked up to be. Ought we to treat them as terrorists or with compassion?
One side advocates tolerance; the opposition treats them with extreme prejudice. To the authors of thrillers, Isis are murderers for targeting civilians. What defence can they possibly have? The one they give, taking revenge on the West, is rejected out of hand.
In The Absence Of Guilt, Yank lawyer-turned-scrivener Mark Giminez goes to great length to present their case without ridiculing it. The reader isn't asked to give them a break but to hear them out. The venue is Dallas, Texas. The protagonist is Scott Fenney, a federal judge.
The Super Bowl is coming up and the FBI has arrested 23 Muslims for conspiring to blow up the stadium, which would leave 100,000 dead. Their leader is Omar al Mustafa, the Imam of a mosque. He is American-born. Which leads to the broad question of what should be done about illegal aliens.
The novel is heavy on US laws, both constitutional and state. There are 12 million Mexican illegals alone, with an estimated half-million illegals annually entering the country.
There aren't enough jails to hold them. Is it feasible -- legally and financially -- to deport them all? Living with all the benefits without paying taxes is unfair, but in time they will vote for those agreeing to leave them be.
Mustafa is eloquent in his support of Islam, not least their "freedom fighters": Americans bomb; we decapitate. Dead is dead. You want our oil; we want your people to convert to the True God.
Whether you like the possible outcomes, the point is: the law is the law, and not even the president is above it. The twist in Mark Giminez's penultimate chapter is telegraphed, yet valid.
Is Isis a clear and present danger? Without doubt. Still, freedom of speech entitles the populace to badmouth their country. Such rights are the pillars of a democracy.
No Is Not Enough by Naomi Klein Allen Lane 271pp Available at Asia Books and leading bookshops 550 baht
A hatchet job
Though not much of a sportsman, I know that every game has rules. If I want to play, I'm expected to know them. Insisting on making my own gets me thrown out. Likewise, countries have laws. No insisting that foreign laws are better. Those preferring them should go to where they are observed.
Two of the most common laws come to mind. One prohibits paedophilia. Until a child reaches his or her age of consent, the decisions he/she makes are legally invalid. Bigamy is the other no-no. Marriage is the union of only two adults, as Princess Diana noted.
That Muslims wed children of nine and have four wives is absolutely forbidden in non-Islamic lands, with criminal penalties. Utah was denied statehood until its Mormons discontinued their practice of having multiple wives.
Curiously, US President Donald Trump has refrained from enforcing the laws in his campaign against Muslim terrorists. Since his election, he's being tarred and feathered as a racist. His predecessor and her supporters are ceaselessly attacking him.
The entire media guessed wrong about the election. And they are trying to salvage their reputations by saying that Trump doesn't deserve to sit in the Oval Office. Stateside journalist Naomi Klein is a case in point. In No Is Not Enough she rounds in on Trump with fists and feet.
Hot off the press, the book is weeks rather than months old. The author proceeds to give the background of each member of his cabinet, all of whom have a Wall Street background, having made their fortunes heartlessly. His military staff, in uniform or working for contractors, are gung-ho.
Klein's title refers to getting people to demonstrate against Trump, particularly to stop picking on Muslims, who couldn't be more peace-loving. The president, on the other hand is a warmonger. True Americans welcome immigrants, not look down on them.
Klein's approach to Trump isn't unique. It is clearly part of a campaign to discredit him. As they see it, he can't do anything right. No Is Not Enough is a hatchet job. Simply put, his enemies are out to get him.
