Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mothers Letter to her Son

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An exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mothers unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
How far would you go to protect yourself Your dignity Your family

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 foran armed soldiertopoint his gun at the pregnant womans bulging stomach, terrified that she was hiding a bomb. 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 sons 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, at the age of thirteen, she risked her freedom to teach children reading and writing and fought for womens rights in her theocratic and patriarchal society.

Devastating in its power,Dancing in the Mosqueis a mothers searing letter to the son she was forced to leave behind. In telling her story and that of Afghan women Homeira challenges us to reconsider the meaning of motherhood, sacrifice, and survival.

Reviews

Page-turning account of the lives of Afghan women at the heart of this moving memoir is an aching sadness Observer

How does a girl grow to be a woman in a society that shuts off every opportunity How does a mother choose between her child and the future, not justherfuture but that of the women of Afghanistan Homeira Qaderi answers these impossible questions in her stunning memoir,Dancingin the Mosque one of the most moving love letters to life itself that you will ever read. Meg Waite Clayton, author ofThe Last Train to London

Powerful an unvarnished, memorable portrayal of a mothers grief and love Kirkus

A remarkable story of great strength, perseverance, and personal sacrifice by a woman selflessly working to advance the rights of women in her homeland of Afghanistan, women and girls who yearn to be free I wept when I read the words, " in this land, it is better to be a stone than a girl." Thank you, Homeira, for telling a story that everyone needs to read. Deborah Rodriguez, author of The Kabul Beauty SchoolandThe Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

Author Bio

Homeira QADERI is the author of six books, including the novel Silver Kabul River Girl, published in Iran in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. An activist for women's rights and currently a Senior Advisor to the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and the Disabled, she teaches at the University of Kabul. She participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.