I have a new reading project for you! I’m suggesting that you focus your reading lamp on some books that give you insight into the Islamic culture we’re hearing so much about right now.
Why would you want to know about the Islamic world when very few Muslims live in Simpson County? Because the more you know, the more you know, as I used to tell my English students — meaning that the more you know, the more you can figure out new things that come along.
In this first of two columns on the subject, I’m recommending two novels that are fascinating human stories, but they also shed light on the tiny nation of Afghanistan that has occupied so much of America’s attention and resources in the last 20 years. We need to know something about the quagmire of Afghan politics that led to America’s intervention in their conflict. Maybe if we figure it out, we won’t do that anymore.
Reading these books also helps us understand the forces of Islam and how they have shaped and are still shaping world events. But if you aren’t a history or religion buff, let me assure you that you will enjoy these books for their well-developed characters and masterful plots. The books don’t present themselves as history lessons at all— you’ll just pick up the facts from reading the fiction.
The first two of four books I’m suggesting are the novels The Kite Runner, published in 2003, and A Thousand Splendid Suns, published in 2007, both by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Both take place in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul, which has been much in the news for 20 years or more.
In The Kite Runner, Amir, the viewpoint character, recalls his life as a boy in Kabul. We follow him from the peaceful days of the monarchy through the founding of the Afghan Republic to the violence of the Soviet invasion and the final ruin of the country as rival groups fought for control before the Taliban emerged to rule with an iron grip.
As they fight for survival, Amir, his once-wealthy father, their manservant, and his son Hassan reflect some important themes.
One of those themes is the dominance of males in Muslim society and the sublimation of females as part of their religion.
Islam teaches, and I’m putting it simply, that Allah saves people only if they have done more good deeds than bad. Though Amir was not “religious,” his quest to redeem himself after betraying his childhood friend Hassan during a game of “kite-running” is at the heart of the novel.
The story is also a reflection of how religion influences us even if we don’t believe all of it.
Amir is also trying to prove himself worthy to his father because his mother died giving him birth. This theme alone should resonate with any reader who believes he or she has something to “atone” for.
The novel also illustrates the many ways that believers practice Islam or any religion and how any religion can take on starkly different forms, from benevolence to intolerance to violence. We see how the Islamic political group called the Taliban ruled by violence and intimidation while purporting to be protecting their religion.
The second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is set in the same time period, also in the city of Kabul, but the main characters in this novel are two women living in the same house but coming from very different backgrounds..
Mariam, who was born out of wedlock, faces a life of hardship and mistreatment from her strict Muslim community, including her own mother. Laila, a younger girl from a privileged family, endures a tragic loss in the sweeping violence that grips Kabul. She is also ostracized.
Because of their social situations and the judgment of others who think them “unsuitable” for decent marriage, the two wind up as wives of the domineering and abusive Rasheed, whose cruelty toward women is accepted by his brand of the Islamic faith.
Over time, the two women form a bond by which they are able to support each other in their struggle to survive and begin a journey to hope. Their lives and the difficulties of living in a male-dominated, strongly critical culture during a time of social unrest and violence mirror many of the same themes as we see in The Kite Runner.
These books have been popular book club choice and are on their way to becoming classics, if that gives you an idea of their readability.
In the next column, I’ll suggest two more books dealing with the same Islamic culture. Stay tuned.
