The Morning of the Mogul: James Bond in Jail

By Hichem Karoui

This is the story of two successive military coups in an Arab country. The first is accomplished by a republican secularist junta, and the second by Islamists. The narrator, Bassam Bourasin, an eccentric and zealous bank clerk, decides to write down a top-secret report to protest against his incarceration by the new regime. His purpose was to clean up himself from the serious charges he was facing and prove that he was well devoted to the new masters of the country. As the narrative develops, he unveils many details about his life in his village, 'Ouja, and his new condition in jail. Thus, he tells the reader about his obsessions and secret ambitions, his old mother living in the past with the British settlers, his fiancee Dalila whose hugging or kissing is forbidden to him by social traditions, and his secret archives where he had managed to record for the posterity many details concerning life and people of 'Ouja. That entire world collapsed when a coup overthrew the King, and the big purge started. What happened to him and his boss, Mr Aroussi, was all the more painful that the man for whom he was working as a snitch, the mighty chief of the party's cell, Hamda La'war, was still free. The latter was considered a national hero in the country since he was awarded the Order of High Merit from the former king for cuckolding the village's shoemaker and getting an eye punctured in the brawl.
To obtain the same medal, Bassam was ready to do anything, even if he had to convince the new masters of the country of a conspiracy against the security of the state being concocted by the cooks of the prison and their occult allies. That is the second purpose of his top-secret report, which he intends to submit to the authorities. But out of the blue, a second coup led by the Islamists happened; a mutiny burst out in prison, and Bassam was forced to readjust his views to be in the "right" direction of the wind. Henceforth, he devotes himself to the Islamist cause and tries to be the benevolent "historian" of the Islamist "revolution." Taken between the anvil and the hammer and fearing for his life, he endeavours to prove that he had always supported the Islamists since he had discovered the plot of the cooks. He does not mind if some of his new "friends" are members of the Mafia or trained terrorists. His dream is to be permanently helpful, and his ambition is to be like his hero, John Law, a great brain in the finances. An acquaintance from prison will help him make his dream true. Hassan, an opportunist journalist, will be propelled to the front scene by the new regime. The influential Director of State Security will make a deal with Bassam. He will release him, make him a wealthy businessman and offer him to marry his sister Sophia. He will use him as a screen in some not very orthodox deals. Somehow unaware, Bassam will be transformed into a merchant of weapons and, occasionally, a constructor and share-holder in a major bank. Meanwhile, the civil war burst out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hichem Karoui
• Release date: Sep 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005898595

Hichem Karoui

Writer /Journalist/ Senior Researcher: LondonPublished over 30 books and counting, (translations not included).Authored co-authored, edited, and published hundreds of daily/ weekly/ monthly briefings, reports and analyses, peer-reviewed articles, monographs, and books, about MENA region and international politics.Participated in many international conferences, either on the panel, as a member of the organizing team, or as a journalist.Has been involved with the media since his early career, thus serving in different posts: reporter, investigation journalist, copy editor, cultural journalism, political journalism, editorialist, and Executive Editor.Translated several books/documents. Also reviewed translations for publishers.Member of several academic boards.Veteran columnist and commentator for the media.Ranking in the top 10%of Authors by all-time downloads on Social Science Research Network.Research interestsRegional and international relations: MENA-Europe. USA, China, and major powers. Islam and Islamism issues. Power building, political risks, and conflicts.2022 Founder and Director of the Global East-West LTD (London)2020 Executive Director at The Gulf Futures Center (GFC) in London/ Senior Researcher.2018 Senior Fellow (Non-Resident) Charigo Center for International Economic Cooperation (CCIEC, Beijing). International Relations Consultant for CIBD (London).2016 Consultant for Underscore Media, EPC (UAE). Europe and MENA Region. And Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization. Beijing. China.Since 2015 Columnist-commentator, and free-lance analyst for varied media outlets: CGTN (ex-CCTV) News, Beijing Review.October 2013- 2019 Consultant at the Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Doha, Qatar.Until July 2013 Newspaper Columnist for The Gulf Today (UAE) and Al-Madinah (KSA).2011- 2013 Fellow Researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (Doha, Qatar): Coordinator of the Political Unit. Head of Electronic publishing.Until August 2011 Centre d’Etudes de l’Orient contemporain (Contemporary Orient Studies Center: Sorbonne University, Paris). Columnist and Paris Bureau Chief of Al-Arab Daily Newspaper (London).2009, a researcher at the Sorbonne’s Center for contemporary orient studies (Paris III), founded and edited a peer-reviewed academic journal, Middle East Studies, in which several renowned scholars have served as members of the international Editorial Board.Journalist2015-2017 Free-lance columnist for CCTV Panview; CGTN; Beijing Review; Chine-Afrique (Chinafrica)...Etc.2009-2013 Columnist for the English-speaking daily, The Gulf Today (UAE).1998 – 2011 (Paris)Columnist for “Awan” (Koweït) and al-Khaleej (UAE).France Editor for World Security Network (New York).Daily column « Trends » for “Al Arab” newspaper. London.Contributor for varied Arabic, English, and French-speaking media outlets:Arab News (Jeddah).Al Sharq al Awsat (London).Middle East Intelligence Bulletin (New York).Arab Media Internet Network (Internews-Middle East).Media Monitors Network (California).Palestine Chronicle (Seattle).Middle-East News Online (N.Carolina).Middle East Online (London). Etc.1993-1998 (Tunis-based) Writing a daily column (Tayyarat: Trends) for « Al Arab », London.1986-1992 (Tunis) Correspondent and international reporter for varied Arabic and non-Arabic media outlets, among which: Afaq Arabiyya, Alif Ba, al Thawra (Iraq), Le Monde diplomatique (France)...Translated books.1982- 1985 (Tunis) Reporter and Editor for the independent weekly “Réalités”. International Affairs Columnist and Political analyst for “Al Amal”. Contributed articles for “Etudes internationales”, Journal of the International Studies association. Tunis. Contributed articles also for Al Fikr, al Fikr al Arabi (Beirut), Al Hayat al Thaqafiyya, al-Maghrib al Arabi, Al Wahda (Morocco), etc....Translated books for varied publishers.1979-1981(Beirut-Based) Editor in charge of cultural pages of « Al Mouqif al Arabi », a weekly Lebanese magazine. Translated literary books for Beirut publishers.

Book preview

James Bond in Jail

A wise report to a wise minister

by a wise citizen

(A serialised novel)

Volumes in this series published by Global East-West (London)

Part One: The Secret Report

1.     Arrival

2.     James Bond in Jail

3.     Couvolution and Cooks' Conspiracy

4.     Muslim Brothelhood in the Bastille

Forthcoming in the same series:

Part Two: Glorious Days in the Golden Age

The Morning of the

Mogul

PART ONE:

The Secret Report

Book (2):

James Bond in Jail

Copyright © 2022 Hichem Karoui

Global East-West for Studies and Publishing (London).

https://global-east-west.co.uk/

The cover design is a genuine acrylic work by

Chunling Yu

All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

James Bond in Jail

Dedication

Note of the Publisher

Note of the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dedication

To the memory of Nana ... Beloved mother...

You are always in my heart.      

May you rest in eternal peace.

Note of the Publisher

THIS IS MISTER BASSAM Bourasin's admitted report as a citizen of His republic. He didn't give it a name. He originally addressed it to the Interior Ministry. Instead, it landed on my desk. I publish it as is, with no major changes to its form or content. However, because the report is around 800 pages long, it will be serialised. Arrival, the first book, has already been released. This is book 2 in the Morning of the Mogul series: James Bond in Jail, which will be followed shortly by The Cooks' Conspiracy vs the Divine Marquis (book 3).

As with the first book, I'd want to stress that this is a translation. The preliminary draught was written in Arabic. The author had no intention of publishing it. In any case, it is understandably unpublishable in the country... for the same reasons that silence any samizdat.

Hichem Karoui

Note of the Author

ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS in my story, as well as the country, are not made up. However, even if some characters claim to be more fictive or strange, more crazy or foolish than others, they are not required to justify their location. My country can be found throughout the Arab world. Whatever name people give it, if you pay attention, you won't notice a difference.

Bassam Bourasin

"Nobody did a secret deal

Nobody was for sale

Nobody bent the rules at all

And nobody went to jail

And all of them were honest men

As white as driven snow

And lived on a higher plane

And shat on those below..."

Roger Woddis: All Clear

And so, what could my sterile and uncouth genius beget but the tale of a dry, shrivelled, whimsical offspring, full of old fancies such as never entered another’s brain — just what might be begotten in prison, where every discomfort is lodged and every dismal noise has its dwelling?

Cervantes: Don Quixote (Prologue)

Chapter One

Isettled down in the library of the...hotel. Now, I can clear my mind and have a broad sight of the situation.

I pushed the desk to the left side of the gate. Thus, I shelter from the stabbing darts of the spring sun, away from the blatant hubbub of the riff-raff. Looking through the unique window of the room, I see the courtyard. Slanting on the high white walls surmounted by barbed wire, the sun rays shimmer on the cobbled floor. At two corners of the yard stand two well-guarded towers. Men in grey uniforms stood up, scanning the space randomly, with their machine guns ready to fire. At night, two great searchlights sweep the walls and the quadrangle. Not even a mosquito crossing the space would escape detection. The other courtyards are much similar, although different in size. I was able to observe discreetly what was going on in those towers. It is not exhilarating. I would say even that it is far from serious.

I do not wish to interfere in matters that are none of my business. Nonetheless, my sense of duty and incorruptible loyalty to the Administration made me report what I saw.

To begin with, the guards. Yes, Sir. I am saying the guards. They are not strictly conforming to the Code that clearly stipulates that their behaviour must be uncluttered and exemplary while in service. They should neither smoke nor chat with the... well, I will say the customers. Should not hobnob with them. Should