Equally, the quiet conversation with Aldin towards the book’s close provided a valuable lesson about the importance of dialogue between communities; for me, it served to sum up the themes of the book concisely. Europe has long turned a blind eye or, worse, looked askance, at its own Islamic self – the Muslims of the Balkans. Tharik also brilliantly dissects the more recent political events and idealogies which attempted to eradicate any semblance of Islamic history.

I was very excited for this travelogue of Muslim Europe - a rare book about the Balkans that focuses on culture instead of war. Discover the meaning of serenity on Ko Yao Islands, explore exotic rainforests in Khao Sok, and dance until sunrise on Ko Pha-Ngan; all with your trusted travel companion.There was a fear of Turkey joining the EU, and if Britain remained then the Turks would swamp the UK. With thoughts and advice on staying positive in Ramadan, this little book will be a source of strength, offering spiritual support and guidance as you venture on a journey of reflection and purification. He added on how Europeans have been actively trying to erase the glorious history of Muslims in this region, despite the Ottomans having brought civilization to this corner of the world (and hence to the Western Europe too).

Normal assumptions of Muslims identity - long beard and hijab, but what made the Muslims of the Balkan so important is because they are as European as they are Muslims, as they were not resulted from immigration or converts. The contributions of Muslim culture are huge, and we clamp our hands over our ears and yell "la la la la" at the top of our lungs to deny knowledge. Alas, it reads like a series of fairly repetitive travel articles, rather than like a coherent narrative, and the breaks for clunky parenting dialogue do not help it flow.If you enjoy travelling and history, this is a book you don’t want to miss, it could get you start planning for your next trip without realising.