" . . . a wonderfully sensual study of the land and its people which feels more topical than timeless."

"The power of her prose is spare but magical . . . this should be required reading." (Daily Telegraph)

"This eloquent tale with its plea for understanding and tolerance couldn't have been better timed."

"A better emissary to the Karakoram could not be imagined. She displays a deep warmth unemcumbered by illusion."

In November 2001, ten men from Pakistan walked into Kathleen Jamie's small Scottish town, and sat in a circle on the pavement. ?We are on a peace-march, ? they explained. The encounter took Jamie back to the early 1990s, when she had arrived alone in Northern Pakistan, and thrown herself on the kindness of local people.

Among Muslims is the account of Jamie's time in the Northern Areas, a volatile mountainous region wedged between Afghanistan, India and China. There she spent time with Shia and Ismaili Muslims. She witnessed passionate Shi-ite ceremonies, and the daily lives of her purdah-observing friends. On her recent return to the Northern Areas, after September 11th, she was the only foreigner in town.

Among Muslims is a bold, sympathetic and superbly written account by one of the UK's foremost poets.

Among Muslims was originally published as 'The Golden Peak'. For this new edition, Kathleen Jamie returned to Pakistan to write an extended Epilogue.

"Among Muslims" is the account of Kathleen Jamie's time travelling alone and living among the Shia and Ismaeli Muslims in the Northern Areas - the part of the former state of Kashmir now administered by Pakistan and one of the most volatile borderlands in the world. Yet there was much that seemed oddly familiar: staying with women in Purdah reminded Jamie of her own family past; the intense religious ceremonies brought back memories of Orangemen marching through Glasgow.

Kathleen Jamie was born in Renfrewshire in 1962. As well as this travel narrative about Pakistan - first published as 'The Golden Peak' (Virago, 1992), she has written several collections of poetry, including 'Jizzen' (1999) and 'Mr and Mrs Scotland are Dead'- poems 1980-94 (2002). Winner of a number of prestigious literary awards, Kathleen Jamie teaches Creative Writing at St Andrews University. She lives in Fife.

2003-08-18 Read about real people in Pakistan

The bok starts with several Afghani men sitting in the local high street. What do they want? Why are they here? Are they ... terrorists? No one wants to talk to them, but Kathleen Jamie. She invites them around for tea. They say they are on a peace march to promote inter cultural understanding, which they started in the summer of 2001. Now they feel the hostility arising from post 11th september Britain.

Kathleen knows she has to be a good host and offer everything she can to make them comfortable. After all, she remembers her travels in Pakistan, where taking care of your guest is paramount. She recalls her encounters there, with every day lives passing by. She does not attempt to romanticise their difficult lives with all the hardships of rural agricultural society, but she remains sympathetic and open.

The book can become a little verbose, with Jamie blathering on about the local landscape, but many of the stories here are touching and very human. She makes a real effort to treat the people of that other land as human beings, no more and no less. It is delightful how she visits the same family several times over a decade, to see how their lives have changed. Definitely recommended.