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    Bongoman vs Mother-In-Law

    Bongoman’s ill-tempered mother-in-law arrives for a visit. Bongoman is far from thrilled as he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the old lady. She never has a kind word for him, calling him a good-for-nothing bum. The tranquillity of the Bongoman household is turned upside down as the old lady imposes her uncompromising will, harassing Bongoman at every given opportunity, especially his evening forays to the neighbourhood pub. With no peace of mind, Bongoman pushes back and devises a series of tricks to force her out of his house. None of the tricks works out, and Bongoman finds life unbearable in his own house. He reports an assault against him by his mother-in-law to the police but finds himself in jail as the perpetrator of the assault Bongoman storms out of his house in protest after a brief interlude in jail, taking up residence in the local park, where he has to contend with some unsavoury night-time characters for rights to the more comfortable sleeping spaces and has to fight to assert his position in the pecking order. How will Bongoman rid himself of this terrible relative? Does he have any more tricks up his sleeve?

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    Bongoman Strikes Gold

    Bongoman bumps into his perpetually broke friend, Rastafasta, driving a flashy car. Rastafasta discloses the secret to his new-found wealth; he is involved in the gold trade. There is a thriving gold business in the mines of Ikolomani, a bustling little town about 350 km from the city. Bongoman embarks on an epic journey to this Eldorado, with dreams of making big money. Halfway through the journey, the bus breaks down and impatient to get to his destination, he disembarks and continues the journey on foot. He jogs through hills and valleys, hour after hour and finally, thirsty and exhausted he finds himself in a dingy bar where he ingests a potent alcoholic brew unknowingly. Shaken but unfazed he continues his journey which is cut short after a gang of robbers posing as passengers hijack the passenger van he is travelling in. After a decisive reckoning with Bongoman, the robbers find themselves behind bars as Bongoman walks away with a hefty bounty derived from their capture. This windfall quickly evaporates after the crafty van driver spikes his drink. He finally arrives at the gold mines of Ikolomani and to his utter dismay, finds that all is not a bed of roses…

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    Bongoman and the Warlords

    Bongoman lands a job as a reporter and his first assignment for the News Daily is to cover the ongoing war in Somalia between the Transitional Government of Somalia and militant groups in the war-torn country. Bongoman boards a plane to Jowar but due to bad weather the plane is forced to land in Mogadishu, the last place Bongoman wanted to find himself in. The lawless nature of the battle-scarred city catches up with him soon enough. He finds himself at the wrong end of a gun at every turn. He meets an old friend who has a penchant for attracting trouble. To his shock, he learns that she’s running guns for one of the main warlords in the city. He tries to extricate himself from her company but the situation escalates and they both end up in the hands of a regional warlord, who sees in them handsome ransom rewards. An old friend helps Bongoman and his companions escape from their dingy dungeon but they have to contend with a terrorist armed with an RPG. Bongoman has been shot at, blown up, kidnapped and buried in a landslide. It’s time to go back home… but will it be that easy?

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    Bongoman and the Pirates

    Bongoman wins the lottery and believes this is the answer to all his financial woes. He plans to get into the transport industry by purchasing a ‘matatu’ (passenger van). He seeks a vehicle dealer to assist him import a van but a few days later, Bongoman learns that the ship importing his vehicle has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya. With nowhere to turn to for help, Bongoman decides to take matters into his hands. He must travel to Somalia and get back his vehicle! As he embarks on his mission, he unearths the allies of the hijackers who lay a trap for him. He finds himself stranded in the middle of the Indian Ocean where he has to battle sharks, thirst and exposure. He overcomes these obstacles but falls into the hands of the hijackers, who consequently imprison him. Bongoman worms his way into the hearts of his captors after preparing a delicious meal for them and even accept his offer to join them as cook and soldier. The pirate boss orders him to accompany them to hijack another ship and after the attack goes awry, Bongoman miraculously manages to escape capture by an international anti-piracy force. Will Bongoman get back his vehicle? Will his transport business become a reality?

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    Bongoman and the Magic Potion

    Bongoman’s old friend, ‘Prof’, invents a potion that gives that gives someone superhuman strength when ingested, but his assistant, seeking personal benefit, steals a few vials for sale to some shadowy underworld boss. After the gang boss kidnaps the professor’s assistant to get hold of the magic potion’s formula, the professor seeks Bongoman’s assistance to get back his assistant from the crook’s clutches. One of the gang boss’s minions has taken the stolen magic potion and now possesses prodigious strength, wreaking havoc in the neighborhood and imposing a siege on the population. Bongoman must employ all his wits to outsmart his new nemesis. Bongoman finds himself in a full-scale war with an organized criminal gang. He must fight for the soul of his cherished neighborhood. The helpless police also appeal for his assistance in taking down the gang of cutthroats threatening the peace and turning Eastlands into a battleground. This is going to be a bare-knuckle brawl where no prisoners will be taken.

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    Bongoman and the Golden Boots

    There have been a series of mysterious disappearances within Bongoman’s tranquil Eastlands Estate in Nairobi’s urban sprawl. The missing persons reappear days later with no recollection of where they have been and with altered personalities. In the course of his investigations, Bongoman bumps into an alien being who is also looking for him to enlist his services to help in fighting another alien race, building a force to annihilate humankind and take over the earth. Bongoman’s scepticism about the existence of aliens is tested as he finds himself forming an alliance of convenience with a star-hopper from a race that can move through dimensions and journey across space at will. Bongoman and his alien partner find themselves in a desperate race against time as they take on an aggressive race of aliens with seemingly invincible powers as they seek to undo what has been done and rid the world of this super race of invaders. In the war to save the world, the duo has to deal with aliens who have taken over the ‘essence’ of human beings and have mingled with the population. Bongoman must single them out and expel the alien within to save the poor souls.

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    Bongoman and the Aliens

    There have been a series of mysterious disappearances within Bongoman’s tranquil Eastlands Estate in Nairobi’s urban sprawl. The missing persons reappear days later with no recollection of where they have been and with altered personalities. In the course of his investigations, Bongoman bumps into an alien being who is also looking for him to enlist his services to help in fighting another alien race, building a force to annihilate humankind and take over the earth. Bongoman’s scepticism about the existence of aliens is tested as he finds himself forming an alliance of convenience with a star-hopper from a race that can move through dimensions and journey across space at will. Bongoman and his alien partner find themselves in a desperate race against time as they take on an aggressive race of aliens with seemingly invincible powers as they seek to undo what has been done and rid the world of this super race of invaders. In the war to save the world, the duo has to deal with aliens who have taken over the ‘essence’ of human beings and have mingled with the population. Bongoman must single them out and expel the alien within to save the poor souls.
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  • Religion, Society and Artificial Intelligence

    Humans derive information from a complex natural and social environment, learn from experience, create tools, adapt to change, plan actions, act in a critical and rational manner, and formulate concrete and abstract ideas. In other words, humans have intelligence. A machine that displays some or all of these characteristics has artificial intelligence (AI).

    Attempts to create AI systems have a long history. Yet, AI systems emerged hardly a decade ago. Since then, AI has developed remarkable capabilities. Modern AI platforms and AI-powered robots can, among other things, converse, give erudite lectures, write essays and advertising material, create images and videos, drive cars and guide drones, initiate and conduct science research, diagnose and make treatments plans for sick individuals, and so on. The impact of AI is evident in virtually all fields of human activity.

    The rapid pace of AI has stirred debate on whether it will not only induce mass unemployment, inequality and a major social crisis but also that one day, sentient artificial beings smarter than humans will take over the world.

    Religion, Society and Artificial Intelligence has three basic aims. One, it provides an accessible description of AI, its capabilities and its advantages and disadvantages. Two, it explores the societal implications of the increasing AI penetration into different facets of life. Three, it looks at the confluence of AI, social factors and religion in general terms and for specific religions, that is, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Secularism.

    This book inquires: Are religion and AI compatible at the philosophical, ethical and spiritual levels? If it comes about, can sentient AI have a soul or join a religion? Are the societal roles of religion and AI complimentary or conflicting? Are the institutions, leaders and laity of the varied religions embracing or rejecting AI? What are the implications of AI being used for conducting prayers, and facilitating other religious activities? Can religion and AI be harnessed to jointly deal with the major problems like climate change, unequal education, poverty and war facing humanity today?

    Building on the foundation laid in the earlier three books in this series, these issues are tackled in an interdisciplinary, historical and widely accessible manner. In particular, the exposition is cognizant of the fact that modern religions and AI systems function in the context of the global neoliberal system and, in practice, reflect the values of that system. Technical material relating to AI is kept to a minimum.

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    Religion, Eugenics, Science and Mathematics: An Eternal Knot (Hardback)

    Religion, Eugenics, Science and Mathematics by Karim F Hirji examines the dynamic relationship between religion, on the one hand, and science and mathematics, on the other, on historical and conceptual grounds. It focuses on Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and various shades of secularism, including Marxism. Where relevant, other faiths are integrated into the analysis. The questions it addresses include: Are religion and science mutually exclusive, opposing entities? Do divine beings and divine realms exist? Are science and religion valid but different forms of truth? What are the societal roles of science and religion? Can science provide a tenable, exalted code of ethics? What are the futures of religion and science? Can religion and science cooperate in resolving the daunting, existential problems facing humanity today? All issues are explored in an interdisciplinary, historical manner. Examination of the religious dimension of the doctrine of eugenics, which culminated in the Nazi era extermination pogroms, forms a major case study in the book.
    Among other things, the book peruses scriptures, explores practice, enjoins analysis with anecdotes, and contrasts the beliefs of scientists and religious luminaries. Though it is directed toward the general reader, its novel approach, broad consideration of social and economic factors, and the nature of the evidence it has marshalled makes it of interest to theologians and scientists as well.
    Religion, Eugenics, Science and Mathematics builds on the foundation laid in Religion, Politics and Society by Karim Hirji. In addition to eugenics, by relating religion to mathematics, genetics, neurology, climate change and other issues, the book reveals that the relationship between religion and science is a complex, entangled knot, not reducible to a simplistic summary.
    The ultimate message of the book is that science and religion can exist harmoniously on the moral plane and that the primary obstacle facing human progress today is neither religion nor science but the dominant neoliberal system that generates vast inequality, deep social divisions, including religious divisions and a callous disregard for the global biosphere.

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    Religion, Politics and Society: A progressive primer (Hardback)

    Written by Karim F Hirji, a retired professor of Medical Statistics, Religion, Politics and Society focuses on the four major global religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam—together with minor religions like the Ahmadiyya, Confucianism, Sikhism, Seventh Day Adventism and Traditional African Religion as well as on Secularism, New Age beliefs and the ancient Paleolithic and Neolithic era belief systems to explore the origin, spiritual import and social function of religion in human society. Utilizing the canons, beliefs, practices, history, eminent personages, institutions of the diverse faiths, it tackles matters like: How did the social function of religion evolve over time? How does religion relate to the power structure of society? Does religion promote or hinder social harmony, justice and equality? Under what circumstances? Is religion necessary for morality? What are the roots of interfaith conflict? How do modern religions and neoliberalism interact with each other? Does religion have a future? Can religion and secularism be harnessed for resolving the globally vexing yet pivotal concerns of human society? If so, how?
    These and related issues are tackled with the help of a variety of past and contemporary individual level and broader type of richly illustrated examples. The role of women in religion a topic of focus throughout the text. The varied functions of religion under slavery, feudalism, capitalism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism. socialism, and neoliberalism are also attended to.
    The foundational premise of this book is that while spiritual beliefs differ, all humans are equal in dignity and have equal rights. No religion is more exalted than others; there are no chosen people. We all belong to the global human family. Our religious and cultural diversity is a cause for celebration, not conflict.
    Respectful in style and targeted towards the general and knowledgeable readers, Religion, Politics and Society is the first of a two-book project. The second book, Religion, Science and the Pandemic, addresses the relationship between religion, science and mathematics. The key objective of these books is to help uplift the quality and tenor of the current discourse on religion and explore how faith can promote human dignity, equality, social justice and harmony. A genuine consensus and peaceful coexistence cannot emerge from diluting the truth.

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    Religion, Society and the Pandemic: A complex entanglement (Hardback)

    In nearly three years, starting from early January 2020, the coronavirus directly and indirectly consumed the lives of nearly 20 million people worldwide. This book explores the interplay between the coronavirus pandemic and religion on the theological, institutional and societal dimensions. It focuses on Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and secularism, but some minor faith systems are also covered. Exploring the evolution of the pandemic in seventeen nations, it asks: Was religious belief an obstacle or a positive factor in understanding the scientific basis of the coronavirus pandemic? Did religious institutions, leaders and laity facilitate or block the implementation of the official pandemic control measures? Was the role played by religion in the coronavirus pandemic affected by historical, social, economic and political factors? How did secularism operate in the coronavirus pandemic? Did the coronavirus pandemic enhance or undermine religiosity? The basic aim is to draw lessons from this pandemic that will facilitate how humanity may deal with future pandemics in a just and egalitarian social order.

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    Rastafari Movement, The: A Beginners Guide

    Why is this book necessary today?

    Rastafari: A Beginner’s Guide” holds immense relevance due to its unique approach to addressing the complex movement of Rastafarianism. It’s complex nature, encompassing elements of social movements, Pan-Africanism, Afrocentrism, philosophy, and religion, can be overwhelming for new readers. This book serves as an accessible introduction, providing a foundational understanding that caters to both Rastafarians and individuals with limited knowledge of the movement.

    By delving into the essence of the Rastafari lifestyle beyond superficial attributes like dreadlocks and cannabis use, the book helps dispel misconceptions and offers a more accurate representation of the movement’s beliefs and principles. Further, this guide aids in shedding light on the depth and significance of Rastafarianism’s contributions to culture, spirituality, and social thought but also its philosophical challenges.

    The book’s coverage of Rastafarianism’s historical trajectory and foundational values provides crucial context for understanding its development over time. By highlighting its evolution from its origins in Jamaican ghettoes to its expansion into a more inclusive and diverse community that includes professionals and the middle class, the book underscores the movement’s adaptability and relevance in changing societal landscapes.

    Despite existing scholarly contributions, there remains a need for a concise, approachable guide that synthesizes the wealth of information available on Rastafarianism. This book fills that gap, providing readers with a comprehensive yet accessible overview that can serve as a starting point for further exploration.

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