No other nation has witnessed as much proselytization or heard as many war cries in the name of God as has India. Hindus have fought Muslims, Christians have sought to convert animists, Sikhs have armed themselves against Muslims, and Muslims have declared jihad on the kind of Hindu that took delight in the demolition of the Babri mosque. Here in India, writes journalist Edna Fernandes, there is evidence that every religion can be hijacked by the forces of fundamentalism.Fernandes travels to the country’s recent and past theatres of fundamentalism—from Kashmir to Gujarat, Punjab to Goa—to meet the generals and foot soldiers of communal wars, and lets their rage and rhetoric speak for them. The Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid calls upon his co-religionists to form militant squads to combat persecution by Hindus. In Nagaland—as in Kashmir—what was once a political insurgency is now a holy war, and armed Baptists demand a separate homeland for Christ.Twenty years after the storming of the Golden Temple and the anti-Sikh riots, an Akali leader in Amritsar cannot forgive, and speaks of continuing the fight for Sikh honour—‘Sometimes through the pen. Sometimes down the barrel of a gun.’ And in shakhas across India, Hindu hardliners ready themselves for the final solution: ethnic cleansing. There are as many stories of prejudice and violence in these pages as there are of insecurity and despair. But they are told by an investigative writer who has readied herself to hear out all with understanding, tolerance and even humour. Examining India’s contemporary history of rabble-rousing and worse, Fernandes has written an important book about the compulsions and consequences of bigotry. ‘The cancer of religious bigotry and intolerance has afflicted all communities—Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. This is vividly brought out in Edna Fernandes’s powerful book. Holy Warriors is as fair and objective an assessment of the perils that lie ahead for India as any that I have ever read. It is a must for all of those who wish this country to prosper as a secular democracy.’ —Khushwant Singh

Holy Warriors: A Journey Into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism

Fernandes, Edna

History

Penguin Global

Two thousand years ago, trade routes and the fall of Jerusalem took Jewish settlers seeking sanctuary across Europe and Asia. One little-known group settled in Kerala, in tropical southwestern India. Eventually numbering in the thousands, with eight synagogues, they prospered. Some came to possess vast estates and plantations, and many enjoyed economic privilege and political influence. Their comfortable lives, however, were haunted by a feud between the Black Jews of Ernakulam and the White Jews of Mattancherry. Separated by a narrow stretch of swamp and the color of their skin, they locked in a rancorous feud for centuries, divided by racism and claims and counterclaims over who arrived first in their adopted land. Today, this once-illustrious people is in its dying days. Centuries of interbreeding and a latter-day Exodus from Kerala after Israel's creation in 1948 have shrunk the population. The Black and White Jews combined now number less than fifty, and only one synagogue remains. On the threshold of extinction, the two remaining Jewish communities of Kerala have come to realize that their destiny, and their undoing, is the same. The Last Jews of Kerala narrates the rise and fall of the Black Jews and the White Jews over the centuries and within the context of the grand history of the Jewish people. It is the story of the twilight days of a people whose community will, within the next generation, cease to exist. Yet it is also a rich tale of weddings and funerals, of loyalty to family and fierce individualism, of desperation and hope.

The Last Jews of Kerala: The Two Thousand Year History of India's Forgotten Jewish Community

Asia

Skyhorse

Discover the hidden Jewish history of southwestern India. Two thousand years ago, trade routes and the fall of Jerusalem took Jewish settlers seeking sanctuary across Europe and Asia. One little-known group settled in Kerala, in tropical southwestern India. Eventually numbering in the thousands, with eight synagogues, they prospered. Some came to possess vast estates and plantations, and many enjoyed economic privilege and political influence. Their comfortable lives, however, were haunted by a feud between the Black Jews of Ernakulam and the White Jews of Mattancherry. Separated by a narrow stretch of swamp and the color of their skin, they locked in a rancorous feud for centuries, divided by racism and claims and counterclaims over who arrived first in their adopted land. Today, this once-illustrious people is in its dying days. Centuries of interbreeding and a latter-day Exodus from Kerala after Israel’s creation in 1948 have shrunk the population. The Black and White Jews combined now number less than fifty, and only one synagogue remains. On the threshold of extinction, the two remaining Jewish communities of Kerala have come to realize that their destiny, and their undoing, is the same. The Last Jews of Kerala narrates the rise and fall of the Black Jews and the White Jews over the centuries and within the context of the grand history of the Jewish people. It is the story of the twilight days of a people whose community will, within the next generation, cease to exist. Yet it is also a rich tale of weddings and funerals, of loyalty to family and fierce individualism, of desperation and hope. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The Last Jews of Kerala: The 2,000-Year History of India's Forgotten Jewish Community

Home to all the major religions, India is also, inevitably, host to virtually every type of religious fanatic. No other nation has witnessed as much proselytization or heard as many war cries in the name of God as India. For centuries, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and Muslims have waged bloody wars, sought violent conversion, and declared jihad against their enemies, as their religions have been hijacked by the forces of fundamentalism. Here British-Indian journalist Edna Fernandes travels to the country’s recent and past theatres of religious extremism—from Kashmir to Gujarat, Punjab to Goa—to meet the generals and foot soldiers of communal wars who assert their faith in rhetoric and rage. Theirs are stories of bigotry and bloodshed, insecurity and despair, but Fernandes listens with understanding, tolerance, and a deft sense of humor, and paints a uniquely vivid and clear-sighted picture of a country divided by dogma.

Holy Warriors: A Journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism

Granta UK

Home to all the major religions, India is also, inevitably, host to virtually every type of religious fanatic. No other nation has witnessed as much proselytization or heard as many war cries in the name of God as India. For centuries, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and Muslims have waged bloody wars, sought violent conversion, and declared jihad against their enemies, as their religions have been hijacked by the forces of fundamentalism. Here British-Indian journalist Edna Fernandes travels to the country’s recent and past theaters of religious extremismfrom Kashmir to Gujarat and Punjab to Goato meet the generals and foot soldiers of communal wars who assert their faith in rhetoric and rage. Theirs are stories of bigotry and bloodshed, insecurity and despair, but Fernandes listens with understanding, tolerance, and a deft sense of humor, and paints a uniquely vivid and clear-sighted picture of a country divided by dogma.

Granta Books

On the sunny Malabar Coast of India, the Black Jews and the White Jews of Cochin have been locked in a rancorous feud for centuries. Only now, when their combined number has diminished to less than 50 and they are on the threshold of extinction, have these dwindling communities begun to realize that their destiny and their undoing is the same. Living in Chochin alongside this last generation, Edna Fernandes tells their story from the illustrious arrival of their ancestors from the court of King Solomon, through their long heyday of wealth, tolerance and privilege to their present twilit existence, as synagogues crumble into disuse and weddings disappear, leaving only funerals.

The Last Jews Of Kerala

The Hollow Kingdom: Isis and the Cult of Jihad

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Speaking Tiger Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fernandes, Edna. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Fernandes, Edna

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fernandes, Edna. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Holy Warriors: A Journey Into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism

The Last Jews of Kerala: The Two Thousand Year History of India's Forgotten Jewish Community

The Last Jews of Kerala: The 2,000-Year History of India's Forgotten Jewish Community

Holy Warriors: A Journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism

Holy Warriors: A Journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism

The Last Jews Of Kerala

The Hollow Kingdom: Isis and the Cult of Jihad