Please Note: Everything here is just my personal opinion!
Title: The House of the Mosque
Author: Kader Abdolah
Overall I was not tremendously impressed with this highly acclaimed "International Bestseller". The book was purchased in a rush and I did not realise it would be focusing exclusively on Shias - my bad - the book is set in Iran after all (really don't know what I was thinking!).
The story revolves around the lives of the family in-charge of the Mosque beginning pre-revolution and ends post-revolution. I found the pre-revolution part sickening coz it was filled with vivid descriptions of Muta (Temporary Marriage) which was portrayed as something permissible in Islam. [Really, every time I read about this 'temporary form of marriage that is acceptable in Islam', I wanted to shout out "It's only allowed in Shi'ism, Umar (R.A) said it's Prostitution!] Anyway I just shudder to think what non-muslim readers made of this. Besides this, I came across many other practices/beliefs depicted as 'Islamic' without specifying it's exclusive to Shi'ism, as well as some incorrect Islamic History. Don't get me wrong it's not that a book I read has to be Islamically correct or something, it's just it irks me when things are portrayed as Islam, and are in fact not!
Okay, enough ranting! The latter part of the book went at a rapid pace, avidly describing the Iranian Revolution and it's effects on ordinary individuals and their families. It's cruel and heart-wrenching at times and really shows the lowest levels man can stoop down to.
Overall Rating: 7/10
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