- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Rider & Co (5 Mar 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1846041473
- ISBN-13: 978-1846041471
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 13.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 358,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Imam's Daughter
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Product Description
Review
Brilliant and compelling...raises issues which are worthy of serious consideration and discussion --The Baroness Cox of Queensbury
Product Description
Hannah Shah is an Imam's daughter. She lived the life of a devout family of Muslims in England but, behind the front door she was a caged butterfly. For many years, her father abused her in the cellar of their home. At 16 she discovered a plan to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage, and she ran away. Hunted by her angry father and brothers, who were intent on making her an honour killing, she had to keep moving house to escape them, and complete her education. Worst of all, from her family's point of view, she converted to Christianity and eventually found freedom - to live (and marry) as she wished, and to be free of the shame of her childhood. Offering a remarkable look at the lifestyle and beliefs of her family, and the rigid ideas of 'shame' and 'honour' they used to oppress her, "The Imam's Daughter" also shines a light on contemporary Western culture. Most of all, though, this is the inspiring story of Hannah Shah herself. How, through her courage and tenacity, she broke free from her background and embraced a new life in the world beyond its confines.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book should be required reading for all involved in inter-faith dialogue with Muslims. It tells the story of a young woman born into a Pakistani Muslim family somewhere in the North of England--she has changed her name, the names of others and the name of her home town in order to protect herself and those who helped her. Her father was both the local Imam, and an abusive husband and father. Some the author's earliest memories is of the beatings her father meted out on her mother. When she, at the age of five, intervened to protect her mother, "Hannah" herself became the object of his violence. That violence soon became sexual in nature. "Hannah" endured some ten years of beatings and rapes at the hands of her father before she left home, helped by a teacher at the local six-form college. Her conversion to Christianity resulted in threats, and indeed attempts, of further violence from her family and former community, because of "the shame" her apostasy from Islam occasioned. After resettling in the South of England she eventually gained a measure of peace and happiness through her new found faith and a happy marriage. I could not put the book down. It is a compelling narrative--horrifying and yet truly hopeful. It exposes the corrosive force the sub-continent's culture of shame and honour has on its form of Islam and the resulting hypocrisy of those who should be committed to the principal "No compulsion is there in religion" (Qur'an 2:256 [Arberry's translation]). The book also brings to light the disturbing reality of religious persecution in modern-day Britain. I cannot recommend the book highly enough; it is an immensely important and timely book.
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the few books I have read in a day, I just couldn't put it down. How sad that we could let a girl suffer like this. Shame on social services, as most of their staff staff let her down so badly. Vital reading for teachers who really care for their kids. Hannah you are an incredibly brave and resilient person, or you had a great God who was their all the time to support and be your real father when your own father let you down so badly.
Its not for me to judge but you mention the hipocrisy of our society who turns a blind eye to these things in case we upset our Muslim brothers. Yet am I not right in thinking that your Father remains unpunished for what he did because you dont want to upset the honour of your family? - Are you not falling into the same trap? Should not society be protected from a man like that whether he is a Christian a Muslim or an Athiest, whatever the risks to his family's honour?
Its not for me to judge but you mention the hipocrisy of our society who turns a blind eye to these things in case we upset our Muslim brothers. Yet am I not right in thinking that your Father remains unpunished for what he did because you dont want to upset the honour of your family? - Are you not falling into the same trap? Should not society be protected from a man like that whether he is a Christian a Muslim or an Athiest, whatever the risks to his family's honour?
47 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This thoughtfully written memoir is a horrifying walk through one young woman's experiences of growing up in an abusive and love-less family within a particularly closed Pakistani Muslim community in the north of England. Amidst the horror there are familiar references to life in the 80s (well known soap operas, musical fads, penguin biscuits and shell-suits), which keep the narrative - strange and unbelievable as it is in places - grounded and real.
Hannah's real gift though is the authenticity with which she uses her experience to help the reader understand just how great are the disconnections between different communities in our 'green and pleasant land', and how the most well-meaning interventions from the state can - through ignorance and political correctness - achieve the exact opposite of what was intended. It's a powerful challenge to the 21st Century relativist philosophy prevalent in the West: there are consequences of the beliefs and cultures by which people choose to live, and the more we understand these, the better able we will be respond appropriately, to live in community, and to support those who are vulnerable.
Hannah is a courageous young woman, who - without denigrating Islam overall (she is clear that she knows that all women's experience of Islam is not the same as hers, and notes that the abuse in her family was not necessarily related to their faith per se) - offers and eloquent wake-up call to the rest of us.
Hannah's real gift though is the authenticity with which she uses her experience to help the reader understand just how great are the disconnections between different communities in our 'green and pleasant land', and how the most well-meaning interventions from the state can - through ignorance and political correctness - achieve the exact opposite of what was intended. It's a powerful challenge to the 21st Century relativist philosophy prevalent in the West: there are consequences of the beliefs and cultures by which people choose to live, and the more we understand these, the better able we will be respond appropriately, to live in community, and to support those who are vulnerable.
Hannah is a courageous young woman, who - without denigrating Islam overall (she is clear that she knows that all women's experience of Islam is not the same as hers, and notes that the abuse in her family was not necessarily related to their faith per se) - offers and eloquent wake-up call to the rest of us.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A compelling memoir of the past, present and future...
Such a compelling, inspirational story of a courageous young woman and her memoir of her past, present and future... Read more
Published 21 days ago by SaraMaria90
Hard to put down
A fascinating book. Hannah's struggle for survival makes you really think about life, and how lucky you are. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dockers
Fantastic Book
Hannah's story and the way she tells it is fabulous. Harrowing details and descriptions of what she went through in her family life. I could not put this book down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Louise
The Imam's Daughter
Overall, the book highlighted problems faced in the Pakistani community 'back in the day'. I felt incredible pity for the poor girl, abused by those who should have been protecting... Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Seedat
WAR AGAINST ISLAM
I read this book in 1 sitting and was quite disturbed by what I had read. I wasn't completely satisfied by what Hannah was saying and felt her story didn't add up. Read more
Published 5 months ago by monty
A lot of doubts!
I can't help but wonder whether this is a true story. The author claims she was raised by a strict Imam; however, some of the points mentioned in the book reflect a lack of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by eftrsd
poorly written
The abuse of this young girl was dreadful beyond words.
Although I found this book really dragged out. Read more
Although I found this book really dragged out. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Alice
Very revealing
This is the compelling story of the young Muslim girl whose family came from a small rural community in Pakistan, and whose father was the local Imam. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Medieval Lady
A Chilling read about power in the wrong hands.
This is not a book about religion so much as about culture, immigration, and misogyny.
Hannah Shah tells the story of growing up as the abused daughter of an islamic... Read more
Hannah Shah tells the story of growing up as the abused daughter of an islamic... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Simon Hembra
Culture shock
Not for the faint-hearted! A warning to us all! Seems a bit dramatic but this is how best to describe this book. It's a true story, borne out of the pain of the writer. Read more
Published 11 months ago by blanche
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