Felt so sorry for Hannan Shah (Hannah); the abuse, confusion,loss of innocence, heart wrenching pain -- this world surely isnt a place to dwell!!Although i totally love the grip, the determination, the winning despite all the struggle, the forgiveness, her eagerness to keep in touch with her uncaring family - she is the unspoken winner/maker of her own destiny --- KUDOS to brave women all over the world who overcome adversity that we can not even begin to imagine!! This is a very difficult book to review. I have some serious doubts about its veracity and could write something typically scathing. However, this tells the story of horrific abuse suffered by a young Muslim girl at the hands of her father from the age of five, and if it is an accurate account, to belittle it would be horrendously inappropriate.Several elements of the story do not ring true and suggest an unreliable narrator at best; this is an 'all names have been changed' format which adds to the suspicions. It seems to be playing so much into the hands of a stereotypical Daily Mail reader: the author's father, the Imam, is an immigrant and benefits cheat who hates British culture and refuses to integrate, beating the female members of his family and attempting to force Hannah into an arranged marriage. Facts seem to be muddled: for example,Hannah mentions Latin prayers in a Church of England setting, which is highly unlikely, and refers to a Methodist minister as a 'priest', which is not the correct terminology. She also does not distinguish clearly between time periods in her childhood - she seems to like Bros (late 80s) at the same time as watching the TV soap Hollyoaks (started 1995). While I completely accept that a detailed account of the rapes that were inflicted on her would not be appropriate, serious issues which would have arisen around the repeated violent sexual assaults from age five are not mentioned: it is likely she would have been in serious pain and suffered chronic GU infections, and yet this is not mentioned, and no adult (for example, at primary school) recognises her distress. Further, as she reaches puberty at age 11, there is no mention of the possibility or fear of pregnancy.On the other hand, the psychological arc is believable and compelling: after escaping the hypocritical, violent world of her childhood, Hannah becomes a woman who will not stand for any lies or polite English blurrings of the truth. Fleeing from a hate-filled hellfire-obsessed father who paints Allah in his own image, she finds comfort in the Christian belief in a loving and forgiving father God. Unlike some reviewers, I did not find this to be anti-Islamic or evangelical; it is clear that Hannah is advocate of clear understanding of religion and free personal choice. In this, she is an inspiring figure and I wish her all the best in her future work.
What do You think about The Imam's Daughter (2009)?
So many levels of religious freedom and beliefs was illustrated in the story - i loved it
—mysterygirl210
Both touching and informative inside view of Islam.
—josh
