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Embracing the Infidel: Stories of Muslim Migrants on the Journey West
An eye-opening personal account of an epic human drama, Embracing the Infidel takes us on an astounding journey along a modern-day underground railroad that stretches from Istanbul to Paris. In this groundbreaking book, Iranian-American Behzad Yaghmaian has done what no other writer has managed to do–as he enters the world of Muslim migrants and tells their extraordinary stories of hope for a new life in the West.
In a tent city in Greece, they huddle together. Men and women from Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries. Most have survived war and brutal imprisonment, political and social persecution. Some have faced each other in battle, and all share a powerful desire for freedom. Behzad Yaghmaian lived among them, listened to their hopes, dreams, and fears–and now he weaves together dozens of their stories of yearning, persecution, and unwavering faith. We meet Uncle Suleiman, an Iraqi veteran of the Iran-Iraq war; once imprisoned by Saddam Hussein, he is now a respected elder of a ramshackle tent city in Athens, offering comfort and community to his fellow travelers…Purya, who fled Iran only to fall into the clutches of human smugglers and survive beatings and torture in Bulgaria…and Shahroukh Khan, an Afghan teenager whose world at home was shattered twice–once by the Taliban and again by American bombs–but whose story turns on a single moment of awakening and love in the courtyard of a Turkish mosque.
A chronicle of husbands separated from wives, children from parents, Embracing the Infidel is a portrait of men and women moving toward a promised land they may never reach–and away from a world to which they cannot return. It is an unforgettable tale of heartbreak and prejudice, courage, heroism, and hope.
In a tent city in Greece, they huddle together. Men and women from Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries. Most have survived war and brutal imprisonment, political and social persecution. Some have faced each other in battle, and all share a powerful desire for freedom. Behzad Yaghmaian lived among them, listened to their hopes, dreams, and fears–and now he weaves together dozens of their stories of yearning, persecution, and unwavering faith. We meet Uncle Suleiman, an Iraqi veteran of the Iran-Iraq war; once imprisoned by Saddam Hussein, he is now a respected elder of a ramshackle tent city in Athens, offering comfort and community to his fellow travelers…Purya, who fled Iran only to fall into the clutches of human smugglers and survive beatings and torture in Bulgaria…and Shahroukh Khan, an Afghan teenager whose world at home was shattered twice–once by the Taliban and again by American bombs–but whose story turns on a single moment of awakening and love in the courtyard of a Turkish mosque.
A chronicle of husbands separated from wives, children from parents, Embracing the Infidel is a portrait of men and women moving toward a promised land they may never reach–and away from a world to which they cannot return. It is an unforgettable tale of heartbreak and prejudice, courage, heroism, and hope.
- GenresNonfiction
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 20, 2018
It's rather fitting that I finished this book on 20 June 2018, World Refugee Day. And, it's rather fitting that I read this book, now as the furor over migrants to my own country reaches a fever pitch.
In Embracing the Infidel, Behzad Yaghmaian allows us to walk in the shoes of those very much unlike ourselves. At least very much unlike myself. I do not have to be an asylum seeker or refugee to understand the desperation involved in fleeing one's home, legally or clandestinely.
But, this rather heartbreaking book allows us to understand not just the reasons individuals risk their lives and their children's to cross imaginary lines. It allows us to understand just how difficult it is to do so legally and safely, if not altogether impossible those conditions for migrating are for some.
Most of the individual life histories presented here focus on those fleeing various forms of violence---both mental and physical, state-sponsored and familial in origin. And, even when they attempt to follow laws, both local and international, the migrants described herein face additional forms of abuse and violence in the countries to which they seek peace and freedom.
Himself an immigrant, Yaghmaian compassionately and intimately allows each of those he meets on his two-year journey across Europe to shape their own narratives. From their reasons for leaving their homes to their progress (or inability to progress) across various lines drawn on maps by powerful men to the few who have reached 'the West and what once promised a quiet life in peace, each of these individuals' stories are important. They are crucial to understanding the migrant 'crisis' that dominates headlines and political discussions. They offer a narrative missed by those declaring their support or outrage at various policies.
Despite being published more than ten years ago, we're still plagued by many of the same issues and the same inertia when it comes to finding solutions to conflicts or granting legal status to those in seemingly hopeless situations. No answers are provided here; but, that's not the purpose of this book. If anything, this book provides a lesson in empathy, one we could all use a bit more of to my mind.
In Embracing the Infidel, Behzad Yaghmaian allows us to walk in the shoes of those very much unlike ourselves. At least very much unlike myself. I do not have to be an asylum seeker or refugee to understand the desperation involved in fleeing one's home, legally or clandestinely.
But, this rather heartbreaking book allows us to understand not just the reasons individuals risk their lives and their children's to cross imaginary lines. It allows us to understand just how difficult it is to do so legally and safely, if not altogether impossible those conditions for migrating are for some.
Most of the individual life histories presented here focus on those fleeing various forms of violence---both mental and physical, state-sponsored and familial in origin. And, even when they attempt to follow laws, both local and international, the migrants described herein face additional forms of abuse and violence in the countries to which they seek peace and freedom.
Himself an immigrant, Yaghmaian compassionately and intimately allows each of those he meets on his two-year journey across Europe to shape their own narratives. From their reasons for leaving their homes to their progress (or inability to progress) across various lines drawn on maps by powerful men to the few who have reached 'the West and what once promised a quiet life in peace, each of these individuals' stories are important. They are crucial to understanding the migrant 'crisis' that dominates headlines and political discussions. They offer a narrative missed by those declaring their support or outrage at various policies.
Despite being published more than ten years ago, we're still plagued by many of the same issues and the same inertia when it comes to finding solutions to conflicts or granting legal status to those in seemingly hopeless situations. No answers are provided here; but, that's not the purpose of this book. If anything, this book provides a lesson in empathy, one we could all use a bit more of to my mind.
February 22, 2008
The author of this book was my macroeconomic's professor. He was one of the most challenging and thought provoking teachers I have ever had. He is absolutely brilliant, and wants people to be aware of many issues facing this world. He opened my eyes a lot, and his book will even if you were never personally taught by him.
June 12, 2017
my international migration and human rights professor wrote this book, and rarely have I ever encountered anyone so brilliant and devoted to their work. I honestly wish everyone would read this
December 14, 2020
A sobering read that certainly raises compassion for Muslims fleeing violence and yet caught with no legal status, struggling to reach a place where they can settle and live a peaceful and productive life.
December 13, 2014
This book was a wonderful combination of heart-wrenching stories and straight-forward statistics. Yaghmaian does a great job of combining the lives of the people he meets, with concrete information about the migration of thousands upon thousands of human beings. You cannot believe how these people have taken the journey that they have, how they live the way they do, and how they find strength and hope to keep going.
On my own previous trips to Europe, I have seen many of the people described by Yaghmaian - Africans selling knock off purses, watches, bracelets, etc. Street cart vendors. And I'm ashamed to say that I never gave them, or their stories, much thought. But who knows where these people came from and what caused them to take on this transient and fragile lifestyle?
We are all born into a set of circumstances, some good and some bad - for me, this book helps remind me that I am no better a human just because of where I was born and the circumstances that led me to my life today. And if I can help someone out, I should.
**
"We will never be normal...Of course we are different from other people. We live a different life. Normal is the way the majority lives. We are not a part of that. We hope to be normal, have a family and live the life of a normal person, but we cannot. I am young, only twenty-two years old. I see other young people in the rest of the world. I know how they live, how they look at the world. But I cannot be like them. I am not normal. I have been on the road with no return. The return to normal is not possible. See, some migrants die in the sea. Others die crossing the mountains. There are the fortunate ones. They die with no pain. The rest live to see their slow death. Dying takes different forms. Some shoot heroin. Some go with a baba. They are all the same, those who beg in Patras and those who go with a baba in Athens. Look them in the eye. You will see the same pain of not achieving the goal, not reaching the destination. You change when you go with men for money. You become a different person. You die."
"I knew the difficulties of the journey...What I did not know was that the journey changes you. You can never be who you once were even if you return to the same conditions. The journey transforms you. The person you were when you picked up your bag for the road dies. You are a different person when you put your bag on the ground."
This quote^ really opened my eyes. Again, going back to the immigrant sellers I have encountered on my trips to Europe, I did not give a thought to what led them to that place and time. Who knows what they have seen and done in order to get where they are? How many days they had to trek through forests or deserts, or mountains, without proper shelter, clothing, or food? How could such a journey NOT change a person? If we could look out for just one minute from the eyes of such a person, what would we see?
On my own previous trips to Europe, I have seen many of the people described by Yaghmaian - Africans selling knock off purses, watches, bracelets, etc. Street cart vendors. And I'm ashamed to say that I never gave them, or their stories, much thought. But who knows where these people came from and what caused them to take on this transient and fragile lifestyle?
We are all born into a set of circumstances, some good and some bad - for me, this book helps remind me that I am no better a human just because of where I was born and the circumstances that led me to my life today. And if I can help someone out, I should.
**
"We will never be normal...Of course we are different from other people. We live a different life. Normal is the way the majority lives. We are not a part of that. We hope to be normal, have a family and live the life of a normal person, but we cannot. I am young, only twenty-two years old. I see other young people in the rest of the world. I know how they live, how they look at the world. But I cannot be like them. I am not normal. I have been on the road with no return. The return to normal is not possible. See, some migrants die in the sea. Others die crossing the mountains. There are the fortunate ones. They die with no pain. The rest live to see their slow death. Dying takes different forms. Some shoot heroin. Some go with a baba. They are all the same, those who beg in Patras and those who go with a baba in Athens. Look them in the eye. You will see the same pain of not achieving the goal, not reaching the destination. You change when you go with men for money. You become a different person. You die."
"I knew the difficulties of the journey...What I did not know was that the journey changes you. You can never be who you once were even if you return to the same conditions. The journey transforms you. The person you were when you picked up your bag for the road dies. You are a different person when you put your bag on the ground."
This quote^ really opened my eyes. Again, going back to the immigrant sellers I have encountered on my trips to Europe, I did not give a thought to what led them to that place and time. Who knows what they have seen and done in order to get where they are? How many days they had to trek through forests or deserts, or mountains, without proper shelter, clothing, or food? How could such a journey NOT change a person? If we could look out for just one minute from the eyes of such a person, what would we see?
April 6, 2022
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the human face of migration. The book contains the stories of numerous migrants who the author got to know personally as he researched the book. Yaghmaian writes with power and a deep sense of empathy with those he is writing about. These are intensely personal stories, which give voice to a group of people often deliberately ignored in mainstream writing. Yaghmaian does not have an axe to grind, however. This is not a book which attempts to vilify the West for its treatment of asylum seekers, nor is it a book which heroizes the migrants themselves. Rather we are given a warts and all picture of the migrants themselves, the societies they are fleeing from and those they are attempting to flee to.
Despite being an amalgam of individuals stories, the book as a beautiful coherence. We meet some of the migrants more than once in different cities. When Yaghmaian knows how a particular individual's story played out in the end, we are given this information. Attitudes, experiences, hopes, fears and failures also recur across the various stories in ways which really do help us as outsiders understand the experience of these people to the extent that this is possible.
Highly recommended. I enjoyed reading this so much have just ordered another of Yaghmaian's books.
Despite being an amalgam of individuals stories, the book as a beautiful coherence. We meet some of the migrants more than once in different cities. When Yaghmaian knows how a particular individual's story played out in the end, we are given this information. Attitudes, experiences, hopes, fears and failures also recur across the various stories in ways which really do help us as outsiders understand the experience of these people to the extent that this is possible.
Highly recommended. I enjoyed reading this so much have just ordered another of Yaghmaian's books.
August 1, 2016
This is the story of Muslim migrants from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and some African countries. Human tragedy documented here is an eye-opener. A major chunk of these migrations are caused due to ongoing wars , political instability, religious persecution etc. In many cases people's struggles are for just getting some basic necessities like food , shelter and safety. This underground world of human trafficking is populated by smugglers, coast gaurds, border security forces, poverty, hunger, drugs etc.
In many ways scale of this tragedy has only increased specially due to recent Syrian civil war , ISIS and other fightings ongoing in the Middle east region.
In many ways scale of this tragedy has only increased specially due to recent Syrian civil war , ISIS and other fightings ongoing in the Middle east region.
February 3, 2008
Powerfully documenting firsthand accounts of Muslim migrants on the journey westward, Behzad weaves together such tales in order to capture the refugee experience for his Western audience. Visiting Istanbul, Athens, Paris, and numerous other migrant hubs, Embracing the Infidel shares stories of border crossings, human smugglers, separated families, difficulty, resilience, despair, and hope. Compelling and unique - (A)
April 5, 2020
Behzad's passion transcends through to anyone who reads this book. He is a humanist who not only tells the (harrowing) tales of migrants, but also manages to tug at heartstrings you never even knew you had. A must read for all who live in this world of such frightening immigration sentiment...."People are not illegal...borders are illegal"
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews