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An exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mother's unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The day that Homeira Qaderi gave birth to her son Siawash, the road to the hospital in Kabul was barricaded because of a suicide bomber explosion. With the city and military on edge, an armed soldier pointed his gun at the pregnant woman's bulging stomach, terrified that she was hiding a bomb. Frightened and in pain, forced to make her way on foot, Homeira walked through the blood and wreckage to reach the hospital doors, propelled by the love she held for her soon-to-be-born child. But the joy of her beautiful son's birth was soon overshadowed by other dangers that would threaten her life. No ordinary Afghan woman, Homeira refused to cower under the strictures of a misogynistic social order. Defying the law, she risked her freedom to teach children to read and write, and fought for women's rights in her theocratic and patriarchal society. Shortly after Siawash's birth, as she was preparing to leave for the United States to participate in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, her husband divorced her, allowing her to leave Afghanistan--but without her beloved son. Homeira was faced with a heartbreaking choice that would forever haunt her. Devastating in its power, Dancing in the Mosque is a mother's searing letter to a son she was forced to leave behind. In telling her story--and that of Afghan women--Homeira challenges you to reconsider the meaning of motherhood, sacrifice, and survival. Her story asks you to consider the lengths you would go to protect yourself, your family, and your dignity.
Summary
A People Book of the Week & a Kirkus Best Nonfiction of the Year
An exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mother’s unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
In the days before Homeira Qaderi gave
birth to her son, Siawash, the road to the hospital in Kabul would often be
barricaded because of the frequent suicide explosions. With the city and the military on
edge, it was not uncommon for an armed soldier to point his gun at the pregnant woman’s
bulging stomach, terrified that she was hiding a bomb. Frightened and in
pain, she was once forced
to make her way on foot. Propelled by the love she held for her soon-to-be-born
child, Homeira walked through blood and wreckage to reach the hospital doors.
But the joy of her beautiful son’s birth was soon overshadowed by other dangers
that would threaten her life.
No ordinary Afghan woman, Homeira refused
to cower under the strictures of a misogynistic social order. Defying the law,
she risked her freedom to teach children reading and writing and fought for
women’s rights in her theocratic and patriarchal society.
Devastating in its power, Dancing in the Mosque is a mother’s searing letter to a son she was forced to leave behind. In telling her story—and that of Afghan women—Homeira challenges you to reconsider the meaning of motherhood, sacrifice, and survival. Her story asks you to consider the lengths you would go to protect yourself, your family, and your dignity.
