Blasphemy (PB)
| Author: |
Tehmina Durrani |
| Publisher: |
Ferozsons |
Extract:
"" To me, my husband was... My son’s murderer.... He was also my daughter’s molester.... A parasite nibbling... On the Holy Book... He was Lucifer... Holding me by the throat....
and driving me to sin every night.... He was Bhai’s destoyer... Amma Sain’s tormentor... Ma’s humbler.... And the people’s exploiter.... He was the rapist of orphans...
and the fiend that fed on the weak.... But... over and above all this... he was known to be... the man closest to Allah... the one who could reach Him... and save us.""
Description:
The author made her sensational literary debut in 1991 with her controversial autobiography, My Feudal Lord (see the Politics section in DesiStore), which won Italy's prestigious Marissa Bellasario prize. Blasphemy promises to generate the same degree of excitement as her first book. Set in South Pakistan, Blasphemy is an enticing novel by Tehmina Durrani. Angry and courageous in outlook, it establishes Ms.Durrani among the foremost writers of the Subcontinent.
Inspired by a true story, Blasphemy is a searing study of evil, an uncompromising look at the distortion of Islam by predatory religious leaders. In prose of great power and intensity, the author tells the tragic story of the beautiful Heer, brutalized and corrupted by Pir Sain, the man of God, her Husband.
Blasphemy depicts the struggle of a Muslim Woman against all that is contrary to what Islam stands for. It is an amalgamation of fact and fiction, blending to disguise and protect the victims of a horrible human tragedy, while exposing the powerful religious imposters who prey on a wretched and powerless people. A shocking tale of cruelty, sex and violence.
In order to find a cure for any disease its imperative that you detect it early, isolate it and then try and cure it. It is in this regard that credit should go to Ms.Durrani for getting to the root of a disease that has been rampant in many of the urban and rural areas of Pakistan. Blasphemy is a tale that demands concentrated effort from its readers to try and rid the country of the menace of female abuse.
| DesiStore # |
PBS00885 |
| ISBN |
969-0-01677-6 |
| Edition |
First |
| Year |
2000 |
| Pages |
237 |
| Weight (kg) |
0.32 |
| Shipping Weight (lbs) |
0.81 |
| HB/PB |
Paper Back |
|
It gives a horrific account of how the custodians of religon are using their 'special knowledge' to exploit the illiterate masses. The central character, Heer, is one such victim of this form of designed oppression by the antagonist Pir Sain. It’s her exceptional beauty that catches Pir Sain’s eyes at first. After abusing her body on the night of their marriage, Pir Sain sets out to control her mind and soul as Heer is forcibly adapted to a life alien to her and unbearable to any human being. Blasphemy is a tale where day after day the body keeps surrendering and the soul keeps rebelling as Heer searches for a moment of peace.
Through Heer’s experience the author brings out a blasphemous way of life, unknown to the layman, practiced not only by Pir Sain but also by his followers. Pir Sain’s abstinence from going to his wife during Ramadan is the action of any orthodox Muslim. His beating of Heer for missing her prayers further secures his image in front of the extremists. But then there is his demand that Heer aborts their child so he may satisfy his carnal desires, demands immediate retribution. Despite all his vices, he is holy and almost divine by his followers. Blasphemy is a tale where Heer exposes the evils of these 'holy-men' - first to herself and then to us.
Blasphemy (PB)
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