Even people who don't know about politics and religion know about the continuing bloody civil war in Algeria.
This is a story about how a boy-a mere young student in secondary school, like many others in Algerian-become attracted to the mucky world of politics at a very young age?
Was it because of his father clandestine political activities ?
Was it because of his religion?
Was is because of his Sephardic Jewish roots?
Or was it him responding to some grave abuses of human rights in his home country?
He understand that any book about Algerian history, politics and religion which challenges mainstream is risky primary for two reasons:
The first danger is that the book will become fuel for religious radicals, and second danger is that the book will be rejected by the Algerian military regime greatest source of delight lies in iconoclasm and denial.
Indeed the government brought a new legislation in seven chapters and was issue by decree-06-01 0f 28 Moharram 1427, on February 28, 2006 and in it's core article 46 which is quite undoubtedly quite ferocious in the manner which it hoped to halt all form of criticism. It prohibit all free expression that blamed or tarnish the Algerian 'corrupt' miltary state image abroad, anyone contravening will risk up to 5 years in jail and a fine of DA500,000.
This book is intended for neither guide to politics, history or beliefs and practice of religion. Troubled Mind is a true story about a young man who lived in Saida in the south-western Algeria where he grew up playing football for his home town football team.
He was taught politics from an early age by his late father who was associated with the Parti de l'Avant-Garde Socialiste (PAGS), a clandestine democratic movement, he himself joined at a later date.
His impact was immediate: his Mentor, a Marxist school French teacher and close friend, advised him to leave Algeria in 1983 for his own safety after the Algerian military service become monitoring his activities. He was prosecuted for his political beliefs, and fled his home country and began an angry quest which went on for years searching through the Quran, the Bible then the Torah to find peace of mind, a journey which led him to a troubled life.
What is really meant to discover to be a father, a Sephardic Jew, and finally, what it meant to be a burned out human rights activist ?
He was born in Algeria, but he spent over 22 years in his beloved Scotland where he graduated from Paisley University with a degree in law with politics.