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The Imam's Daughter
Hannah Shah is an Imam's daughter. She lived the life of a Muslim but, for many years, her father abused her in the cellar of their home. At 16, she discovered a plan to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage, and she ran away. Hunted by her angry father and brothers, who were determined to make her an honour killing, she had to keep moving houses to escape them. Then, worst of all, in her family's eyes, she became a Christian. Some Muslims say converting from Islam is punishable by death...One day a mob of forty men came after her, armed with hammers, sticks and knives...with her father at the front...
The Imam's Daughter is Hannah's gripping - but ultimately inspiring - true story. How, through her courage and determination, she broke free from her background and found a new life beyond its confines - a new life of freedom and love.
The Imam's Daughter is Hannah's gripping - but ultimately inspiring - true story. How, through her courage and determination, she broke free from her background and found a new life beyond its confines - a new life of freedom and love.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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July 22, 2018I cannot be silent about what happened to me, and what is still happening to countless other young girls and women today. Of course, my own experiences were made worse by the fact that my father was a particularly abusive man. In that respect, his religion was irrelevant. But it is also true that some of the abuse I suffered was made all the more damaging because it was tolerated silently by my family and my community, in as much as they knew about it. This was very much a result of my culture and echoes the experience of other Muslim women I have met and read about.
This was a harrowing read. Harrowing reads about women in Islam seem to be quite a thing right now: at the booksale where I picked this book up, I must have skimmed over dozens of them, the veiled women on the covers identifying a major non-fiction genre. I sometimes worry how this might be affecting Western attitudes to Muslims: how do you separate the misogyny and abuse that so often coincides with Islamic cultures from the individual people themselves with their very different experiences, perspectives, and needs? That line is a line which Hannah Shah walks with grace in this memoir. As a girl growing up within a "Muslim ghetto" (her words, not mine) in the north of England, she not only witnessed both the brutal beating of one of her brothers at the hands of English hooligans, but on the other hand was prevented from seeking help from the abuse she suffered in her home by the attempted cultural sensitivity of her schoolteachers, who thought it was a good idea to bring in a Muslim social worker. A convert from Islam to Christianity who only then read the Quran in her native language and learned how much of what her father taught had been invented or added via layers of tradition, Shah is also well placed to communicate some of the reasons for the diversity within Islam itself.
Shah identifies two major cultural values that played a huge role in how her father's abuse of her was able to continue unchecked for ten years. First, the culture of honour and shame which penalised not evil conduct, but being found out; and second, the prioritisation of the group above the individual. Both were aspects of the incredible power which Shah's father held not just in his home but also in the wider community.
One of the reasons this book is so incredibly sobering is that while such values and power structures are less common in Westernised societies, by now they sound eerily familiar to me, and not from the Muslims I know. I've witnessed honour/shame cultures in Christian families in which holiness seems to be measured by outward appearances. I've listened to a friend who's a survivor of sexual abuse explain how her father used and twisted Scriptural authority to convince her that what he was doing was justifiable. I've listened to friends explain how male family members have reproached them for bringing shame on the family name by speaking out against misogyny.
My hope is that stories like this will be heard, but that instead of using them to point fingers at other people - though we very much do need to be sensitive to the challenges and needs of women from strongly patriarchalist Muslim cultures - Christians would primarily use them to consider their own hearts.
This was a harrowing read. Harrowing reads about women in Islam seem to be quite a thing right now: at the booksale where I picked this book up, I must have skimmed over dozens of them, the veiled women on the covers identifying a major non-fiction genre. I sometimes worry how this might be affecting Western attitudes to Muslims: how do you separate the misogyny and abuse that so often coincides with Islamic cultures from the individual people themselves with their very different experiences, perspectives, and needs? That line is a line which Hannah Shah walks with grace in this memoir. As a girl growing up within a "Muslim ghetto" (her words, not mine) in the north of England, she not only witnessed both the brutal beating of one of her brothers at the hands of English hooligans, but on the other hand was prevented from seeking help from the abuse she suffered in her home by the attempted cultural sensitivity of her schoolteachers, who thought it was a good idea to bring in a Muslim social worker. A convert from Islam to Christianity who only then read the Quran in her native language and learned how much of what her father taught had been invented or added via layers of tradition, Shah is also well placed to communicate some of the reasons for the diversity within Islam itself.
Shah identifies two major cultural values that played a huge role in how her father's abuse of her was able to continue unchecked for ten years. First, the culture of honour and shame which penalised not evil conduct, but being found out; and second, the prioritisation of the group above the individual. Both were aspects of the incredible power which Shah's father held not just in his home but also in the wider community.
One of the reasons this book is so incredibly sobering is that while such values and power structures are less common in Westernised societies, by now they sound eerily familiar to me, and not from the Muslims I know. I've witnessed honour/shame cultures in Christian families in which holiness seems to be measured by outward appearances. I've listened to a friend who's a survivor of sexual abuse explain how her father used and twisted Scriptural authority to convince her that what he was doing was justifiable. I've listened to friends explain how male family members have reproached them for bringing shame on the family name by speaking out against misogyny.
My hope is that stories like this will be heard, but that instead of using them to point fingers at other people - though we very much do need to be sensitive to the challenges and needs of women from strongly patriarchalist Muslim cultures - Christians would primarily use them to consider their own hearts.
March 25, 2012
True, shocking incident of a young Pakistani girl beaten up and abused by her father, a local Imam of East Street, Birmingham, England, with her mother and a big family of 3 brothers and 2 sisters as onlookers. Not even her mother tries to protect her, even in the feeblest of ways. The abuse starts at the age of 5, lasts till 16 or so, at which age she escapes with the help of her university teacher and social workers. She then converts to Christianity, and is a marked target by her community. Finally she finds love with a British man, marries him and is now working for uplifting of women in conditions similar to hers. I was thoroughly moved and depressed by the story and amazed at the inner strength, courage and determination of the young girl.
September 3, 2011
This book tells the fascinating true story of Hannan (now anglicized to Hannah), the daughter of a Pakistani Muslim Imam. Growing up in northern England and attending a public school, Hannah learned early on how very different her family was from that of English families. Watching the abuse of her mother by her father, and then experiencing his abusive hand herself, made her long for another kind of life.
At the age of sixteen, Hannah discovered that her parents were about to send her back to Pakistan for an arranged marriage to a man she had never met. Determined to resist this fate, Hannah ran away and took refuge in the home of a kind Christian teacher. As she got to know her teacher's family and attended their church, Hannah found something she'd never known before: a God who loved her just as she was. One Christmas Eve, she made the decision to leave her Muslim faith and become a Christian.
While not all Muslim families are like Hannah's, the book does have value for the window it opens into the world of some. Hannah's aim is not to bash Islam or people who practice its faith, but to share her own story and how she survived so that anyone in similar circumstances may know that there is hope and a way out. Hannah is a highly sought after speaker and her website offers resources for those who want to help women in distress, or those who are themselves such women. The Imam's Daughter is a book I couldn't put down, though it might be difficult for some, particularly if that reader has lived a parallel story.
At the age of sixteen, Hannah discovered that her parents were about to send her back to Pakistan for an arranged marriage to a man she had never met. Determined to resist this fate, Hannah ran away and took refuge in the home of a kind Christian teacher. As she got to know her teacher's family and attended their church, Hannah found something she'd never known before: a God who loved her just as she was. One Christmas Eve, she made the decision to leave her Muslim faith and become a Christian.
While not all Muslim families are like Hannah's, the book does have value for the window it opens into the world of some. Hannah's aim is not to bash Islam or people who practice its faith, but to share her own story and how she survived so that anyone in similar circumstances may know that there is hope and a way out. Hannah is a highly sought after speaker and her website offers resources for those who want to help women in distress, or those who are themselves such women. The Imam's Daughter is a book I couldn't put down, though it might be difficult for some, particularly if that reader has lived a parallel story.
June 5, 2017
This was a sad book. What a horrible person her dad was. So glad she found people to help her.
April 9, 2012
Shah was born to a Pakistani family in the UK, where she was raised and lived all her life, making her part of one of the largest diaspora communities in the world. Her father was a truly evil man, and an imam in the local Muslim community. He started beating her at age five and then sexually molesting and raping her after that. This continued for over ten years until Hannah was finally able to escape. Much of the book is about the time at her home and you learn a great deal about the honor-shame culture of Pakistani Muslims. It is this honor-shame culture that keeps people quiet, and keeps her brothers and sisters and mother from doing anything to prevent their father from beating and raping their sister. This means that they are indeed complicit in the crime.
Shah eventually is able to escape and experience healing from this traumatic childhood. The healing is related to her conversion to the Christian faith where she finds a loving God—something she never encountered in Islam or Pakistani culture. She marries for love and carries forth her work of advocacy for Asian ladies in the UK through her book, public speaking, media appearances, and website. She was able to escape from the arranged marriage planned by her nefarious father (who was never punished by the law, sad to say).
In this book the loser comes out being British culture. It is flabbergasting that a man like Shah’s father can move to the UK in his 20’s, bring his wife over from Pakistan, teach his children and neighbors that white British people are dirty, never learn English, and then defraud the British government by saying he has a bad back and can’t work and thus he gets housing, food and benefits from the government, all the while working as the local imam and getting gifts from the mosque. And also, he never learns English. In case you did not get that, let me repeat: In 20+ years, he never learns English. He rapes and beats his daughter. He hates white people. He gets fraudulently gets benefits (and citizenship I presume) from the UK government. Behold the glory of British multi-culturalism. It is hard to see how a nation with such immigration practices has any future. The whole Pakistani community knows about this fraud and says nothing.
The book is a difficult read because of the sexual abuse Hannah suffers. Perhaps it was no coincidence that I read most of it on Good Friday; it’s appropriate given the suffering she underwent. Her purpose in writing the book seems two-fold, one is to raise awareness that these abusive practices are taking place in the UK and they are basically invisible to the larger society, again due to the naïveté of the ‘multi-culturalism’ of the white population. She is telling people to open their eyes, and stand up for the rights of Asian ladies who are victims of all sorts of abuse, including forced-marriages.
The other purpose I could discern is to share the beauty of the Christian faith with other such women. Here is a religion where women are respected and honored, yet it is also modest and not like the wanton pornography one sees on TV where everyone sleeps with everyone else and gets drunk all the time. There is a third option beyond the abusive misogynistic Pakistani culture of shame and the hedonistic, materialistic British culture—the Church, Jesus, and a loving God.
All in all this is a good read. The story flows well, and the editing has been done with care. Anyone with ties to the British Pakistani diaspora or women’s rights or Muslim evangelism will find much to interest them in this volume.
Shah eventually is able to escape and experience healing from this traumatic childhood. The healing is related to her conversion to the Christian faith where she finds a loving God—something she never encountered in Islam or Pakistani culture. She marries for love and carries forth her work of advocacy for Asian ladies in the UK through her book, public speaking, media appearances, and website. She was able to escape from the arranged marriage planned by her nefarious father (who was never punished by the law, sad to say).
In this book the loser comes out being British culture. It is flabbergasting that a man like Shah’s father can move to the UK in his 20’s, bring his wife over from Pakistan, teach his children and neighbors that white British people are dirty, never learn English, and then defraud the British government by saying he has a bad back and can’t work and thus he gets housing, food and benefits from the government, all the while working as the local imam and getting gifts from the mosque. And also, he never learns English. In case you did not get that, let me repeat: In 20+ years, he never learns English. He rapes and beats his daughter. He hates white people. He gets fraudulently gets benefits (and citizenship I presume) from the UK government. Behold the glory of British multi-culturalism. It is hard to see how a nation with such immigration practices has any future. The whole Pakistani community knows about this fraud and says nothing.
The book is a difficult read because of the sexual abuse Hannah suffers. Perhaps it was no coincidence that I read most of it on Good Friday; it’s appropriate given the suffering she underwent. Her purpose in writing the book seems two-fold, one is to raise awareness that these abusive practices are taking place in the UK and they are basically invisible to the larger society, again due to the naïveté of the ‘multi-culturalism’ of the white population. She is telling people to open their eyes, and stand up for the rights of Asian ladies who are victims of all sorts of abuse, including forced-marriages.
The other purpose I could discern is to share the beauty of the Christian faith with other such women. Here is a religion where women are respected and honored, yet it is also modest and not like the wanton pornography one sees on TV where everyone sleeps with everyone else and gets drunk all the time. There is a third option beyond the abusive misogynistic Pakistani culture of shame and the hedonistic, materialistic British culture—the Church, Jesus, and a loving God.
All in all this is a good read. The story flows well, and the editing has been done with care. Anyone with ties to the British Pakistani diaspora or women’s rights or Muslim evangelism will find much to interest them in this volume.
June 3, 2010
I have to admit l struggled with1st few pages, but then l just got so into the story that it followed me even when l wasn't reading. Just as it said on the covers- terrifying! Terrifying beyond my comprehension! But in the same time full of hope after you manage to get about half way through the book.
What l liked about Hannan, in comparison to Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( whose book l didn't give a really good review) is that she made clear that it wasn't a book about Islam or against lslam, and that not all muslim families live like that. Yes, it should be obvious, but people might get the wrong picture after reading a book like that so l believe it was important to stress it once again.
She managed to have a happy life after everything that happened to her and l strongly admire her for it.
I cannot say it's a great work of literature, but then again, that's not the purpose of her book. It's supposed to show us that there are things we have to fight against, because the second we become indifferent is the second we will have lost our humanity..
What l liked about Hannan, in comparison to Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( whose book l didn't give a really good review) is that she made clear that it wasn't a book about Islam or against lslam, and that not all muslim families live like that. Yes, it should be obvious, but people might get the wrong picture after reading a book like that so l believe it was important to stress it once again.
She managed to have a happy life after everything that happened to her and l strongly admire her for it.
I cannot say it's a great work of literature, but then again, that's not the purpose of her book. It's supposed to show us that there are things we have to fight against, because the second we become indifferent is the second we will have lost our humanity..
August 23, 2012
Family is the greatest asset to a person, it comes as a warmth for a mother, affection of a father,togetherness of siblings , and its through a family one perceives the world around..IWorld's shabbiness is given a shade of beauty by family's support and a beautiful shade is further magnified..What if the beginning itself slumbers??? What if the people who were meant to protect turn around ruining life, then your becomes something like Hannah's..Hannah is a Muslim and obviously this name doesn't resemble anything Muslim, original names are not used for the security reasons..Raised as a Muslim Hannah's life is nothing short of a whirlpool , like someone stuck in it she is unable to escape ..Hannah's father is an Imam who hates British calling them "Gorey" meaning white..She is abused and raped repeatedly by him and none in the family resist or call for help.. This is done for holding the honor of the family high..Everything is done in the name of family's honor..She points out one dig , that as per Muslim religion no actions are bad or wrong unless one is caught during the act, come on can you believe that?? I thought all religion discourages any such actions...Her neighbors ignore her cry., even her mother turns a blind eye on the bruises that she walks with, her mother is relieved from the fact that she has no longer to bear the physical assaults..In her desperation Hannah turns to a social worker for help and he in turn turns to her family , all that resulting into further sufferings..Her family sounds like a pack of evil than anything like a family, Her smiles watching a cartoon is retorted with hard treatment..Her mother tells her that she is not suppose to be happy, reading all this made me wish if they were only an exaggeration... One can not go on with all the horrendous actions of the family, its such a tormenting life to live by..She reaches her breaking when she happens to know about her arranged marriage to a Pakistani Muslim and her eventual shift from England..She escapes home, this time finding the right person, he not only helps her out but lets her stay at her home..The family drama continues as the Imam comes with other religious people crying for help..Her mother asks her to come back for the sake of family honour.. Come to think of it, the person who never bothered a string about her daughter had come with something like this...It would have been easy for anyone to collapse falling apart..I am in awe for this woman who faced things head on till she achieved peace..Adapting Christianity she is leading a life away from her parents in the hope to get that someday things would be better..This book would impel you to question many things,its an agonizing tale of a woman that would leave you dazed...
February 10, 2017
This is one of the best personal confessional stories I have ever read. I was glued to the book. I think I read it in two major sit-downs, and that's pretty fast for me. Checking the start and end dates of the read it amounts to five days!
Hannah's story is a window into a different world. Certainly not all Islamic families are this way, but there is no question that Islam played a part in the situation and how the events unfolded. Certainly not all Islamic fathers are abusive, controlling, and rapists, but Islam was certainly used to justify his behavior and, more importantly, allow the family and community to excuse it. Certainly not all Islamic families will attempt to kill their daughters over rebellion to a forced marriage, over family "honor," and apostasy, but one hears way too many that do, and many are not as lucky as Hannah. While the events of Hannah's story are at the extreme, the author lets us see the underlying logic and foundations of her community.
I grew to love Hannah. No child should ever be subject to such abuse, starting at the age of six. No woman should be subject to such control and what amounts to enslavement. It's a tribute to Hannah's shrewdness, desire for freedom, and survival instincts that she broke free of her repression. It's a credit to her that she now works to help other women in such circumstances. It's a credit to her that she has forgiven all, including her father, and come to a better understanding of Islam, which she finds in the ideal to be not as constraining as how her community practices it, though I wasn't exactly convinced. It was such a relief to find that in the end she found love, happiness, and a religion that believes in a loving God.
Hannah's story is a window into a different world. Certainly not all Islamic families are this way, but there is no question that Islam played a part in the situation and how the events unfolded. Certainly not all Islamic fathers are abusive, controlling, and rapists, but Islam was certainly used to justify his behavior and, more importantly, allow the family and community to excuse it. Certainly not all Islamic families will attempt to kill their daughters over rebellion to a forced marriage, over family "honor," and apostasy, but one hears way too many that do, and many are not as lucky as Hannah. While the events of Hannah's story are at the extreme, the author lets us see the underlying logic and foundations of her community.
I grew to love Hannah. No child should ever be subject to such abuse, starting at the age of six. No woman should be subject to such control and what amounts to enslavement. It's a tribute to Hannah's shrewdness, desire for freedom, and survival instincts that she broke free of her repression. It's a credit to her that she now works to help other women in such circumstances. It's a credit to her that she has forgiven all, including her father, and come to a better understanding of Islam, which she finds in the ideal to be not as constraining as how her community practices it, though I wasn't exactly convinced. It was such a relief to find that in the end she found love, happiness, and a religion that believes in a loving God.
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July 25, 2011I thought that I had experienced the ultimate in literary horror when I read Eishes Chayil's "Hush." However, although steeped in and drawn from reality, it was nevertheless a work of fiction. This book was the unvarnished paralyzing, stultifying horrific truth. How she survived intact from this hellish nightmare is beyond my understanding. They should bottle her courage and dole it out to those in despair. Her capacity to forgive is beyond my comprehension as well. The book clearly highlights the forces of good and evil, but I'm afraid the evil in this book consumes all the good. A profound lesson as well is that there is no horror like betrayal and no joy like having people have your back. Even writing this is an emotional experience for me. I'll end with a blessing: Hannah Shah should be praised and blessed for her bravery, and may the good in this world outweigh, outshine, obliterate and consume the evil.
September 12, 2017
This one was heart-breaking, but I couldn't stop reading it! Kudos to the author for speaking out, especially on the subject matter and of a culture that most of us don't understand.
May 4, 2010
“My father was the Imam; my father was the mosque.” The world Hannah was born into meant her father has absolute power over nearly everyone, especially his family. A sometimes dark and brutal tale, the book is overwhelmingly a tribute the resilience of one woman’s soul.
Raped by her father from the age of five, Hannah Shah lived in a child’s pretend world to escape the horrors of her home. With imaginary Loneliness Birds from heaven coming to her rescue, she was able to survive beatings, rape, and days of being locked in a dark, silent cellar without food.
Her mother and brothers turned a blind eye to the nightmare that became her life. With the help of a school teacher, Hannah escapes. Chased, threatened with murder, and moving to dozens of houses to escape her tyrannical father, Hannah blossoms into a caring, compassionate woman, choosing to laugh, to love and to forgive.
An intense look at the inner workings of the Muslim faith how beliefs can become easily distorted and how courage comes in many forms. The Imam’s Daughter is a touching and poignant novel, and author Hannah Shah, a former Muslim, is a tribute to what being a Christian means.
January 14, 2015
This book really opened my eyes about just how badly the Pakistani muslim communities in England view the rest of us! Having lived all my life close to a large Pakistani community myself I thought I was already fully aware of their real feelings for Britain and the British people and Government but I was quite shocked to learn just how much so many of them hate us. The book and the story itself is outstanding and is written in such a way, with such honestly but so little self pity that you cant help feeling so sorry for this young girl but also so full of admiration for her and the strength and determination she found to 'get out'. I felt that it perfectly shows the massive differences between the religions of Islam and Christianity and demonstrated beautifully which one is really about Peace and Love and Welcoming all People. I'm proud to call myself a Christian after reading this and I'm proud that Hannah chose to convert to Christianity.
September 9, 2012
I borrowed this book from my local library as an audio E-book, to read while sewing, and doing household activities. It turned out to be a book that I will probably never forget. For the first half of the book at least, I didn't know if I wanted to continue listening to this true story of a small Muslim girl's life in Britain, the daughter of the Imam of the local Pakistani community. The details were so horrifying that I almost made the decision to stop listening. But something about the story kept me coming back, and I'm glad I did. Yes, it is a story of degrading events in Hanan's childhood that could have totally demoralized her. But it's also a story of her triumph, because of the love of people she meets along her life journey, and because of the agape love of the God they introduce her to.
April 16, 2015
This book is about the abuse of a girl by a Muslim father , who is an imam in his community. The point of the
book is, I believe, not that a father can be abusive, but that almost no one in her Pakistani community and
especially in her family, stood up for her. The religion they were taught overwhelmed any feeling of love
or responsibility for this small girl. It is amazing she made it through, and that was because of people
who were Christian who helped her.
book is, I believe, not that a father can be abusive, but that almost no one in her Pakistani community and
especially in her family, stood up for her. The religion they were taught overwhelmed any feeling of love
or responsibility for this small girl. It is amazing she made it through, and that was because of people
who were Christian who helped her.
November 30, 2015
Any practicing Muslim who has read the Quran and understood its meaning would find this book absolutely absurd. Basically, the fault lied in the author's father and not in Islam as a religion. He was a lunatic who knew nothing about Islam and Quran yet took pride in being a pseudo Mullah. Muslims and Islam are not in tolerant and this book only intends to enforce the opposite.
March 22, 2012
This book taught me many new things. For example, it taught me to appreciate the amazing family I was brought into. Even though we have gotten into our fights my parents have never been abusive and I thank god for that. The book talks about Hannan who later on changes her name to Hannah. She has been physically abused since the age of 5 and later on sexually abused by her father. Her family has never done anything to stop him. She could never reach out to anyone because her father was the imam of the street and no one would believe her. Slowly she started to trust her english teacher and confessed that she was physically abused. Her tacher sent her to a socia worker who confronted her father but only made her beatings worse. As she was turning 16 she was already in college, she found out that her parents were planning on sending her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. In college she met a new teacher who she trusted, her name was Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones got her a social worker that was very supportivee towards Hannan and Hannan trusted him as well. The night before her flight Hannan called the only friend she trusted, her name was Skip. Skip told her to go to college just like she usually does she then told her that she would pick her up from college and arrange things from there. She did as she was told but by the time she reached class she was going mad. Mrs. Jones and Barry her social worker came to her and planned things out. She was to stay with Mrs. Jones and her family. That was the beginning of her escape but certainly not the end. Even though Hannan was a muslim and had memorized the Qur'an she never understood it. When welcomed into Mrs. Jones house she became accustomed to their ways and soon was curious about their religion, Christianity. She started going to Church and soon decided to become a Christian. She became a Christian on Christmas Eve. When she told her birth family about her conversion to Christianity her father organized a riot and went after her. Almost every man on her old street was there waiting to burn her alive. Luckily she escaped and began to live on the run. She could not stay in one place for over two months. Later on she was accepted into Lancester University where she spent all her university years there. Into her last year her family found her once again and were after her. She completed university and then moved to South of England where she knew she would be safe. Over there she met a young man who she later on fell in love with and got married to him. During her relationship with him she was raising awareness for people experiencing hwhat she has been through. Towards the end of the book she was being interviewed by many reporters trying to understand the story of forced marriages. One of the reporters asked her, "Why raise awarenes? Why cause trouble?" She explained that if she kept quiet there would be many girls who would suffer just as badly as she did. She diid not want anyone to exprience that. After being asked that she was inspired to create even more awareness and decided to write this incredible book which has inspired me. I loved it.
March 8, 2021
This is the true story about a Pakistani Muslim girl growing up in Great Britain. Hannah Shah is probably one of the bravest young women I know and all the more so because of her Muslim background. She grew up in a household where her father, the spiritual leader of the community, begins raping and beating her in the basement at the tender age of 5, and continues to do so until she runs away from home at the age of 16. She meets up with a network of British families who hide her to prevent her father from shipping her off to Pakistan to marry a man she has never met. During her journey, she converts to the Christian faith and in so doing, her father rouses up an angry mob of about 40 male relatives and neighbors to try to hunt her down and do an "honor killing", which is sanctioned in the Pakistani community. For 6 years, she moves from place to place, trying to find shelter and still try to get a college education. During this time, she goes on short-term mission trips to India and Greece, finds psychological healing for her PSTD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and then becomes a highly sought-after public speaker in Great Britain to enlighten the government to the human rights abuses in the Muslim Pakistani community within Great Britain's own borders. This is much more than a Christian biography...it is about a young girl's emancipation from a highly abusive environment, the courage to escape from an unacceptable life and embrace the freedom to be who she wants to be and believe what she wants to believe. It is also a story about a clash of cultures: what if a Muslim family thinks it's okay to abduct a girl out of the host country against her will and force her to marry when she is under legal age? Very inspiring story and highly recommended.
October 3, 2015
A horribly painful story. Her father is an evil fraud, a brutal torturing child rapist - about as far away from “holy” as they come. He should be locked up for the good of English society. But this is her story. And miraculously, she escapes.
Finally able to read the Quran in English, she finds out that what she has been told it says (as it HAD to be read in Arabic) is mostly crappola.
When so few have the power of interpretation for whole communities, it is a set up for power hungry a**holes.
“What does it say? Um, it says I’m da bomb”.
Reminds me a bit, no a LOT, of pre-Henry VIII, circa Mary Tudor Bible reading. If you can’t read Latin, well,you’re just going have to ask your priest, now aren’t you? At least Arabic is a living language.
Finally able to read the Quran in English, she finds out that what she has been told it says (as it HAD to be read in Arabic) is mostly crappola.
When so few have the power of interpretation for whole communities, it is a set up for power hungry a**holes.
“What does it say? Um, it says I’m da bomb”.
Reminds me a bit, no a LOT, of pre-Henry VIII, circa Mary Tudor Bible reading. If you can’t read Latin, well,you’re just going have to ask your priest, now aren’t you? At least Arabic is a living language.
November 2, 2020
I could not put this book down!! Her bravery, determination and courage deserves to be applauded. A must read for everyone.
April 28, 2020
Aangrijpend, meeslepend verhaal, dit boek neemt je mee vanaf de eerste pagina. Het boek stond al enkele jaren in mijn boekenkast, blij dat ik eindelijk de tijd genomen heb om het te lezen.
April 6, 2012
the imam's daughter is a true story of a girl who lived in an so-called "religious" muslim family. she lived a life of a caged butterfly struggling to get out, for about 10 years, her dad constantly abused her in the dark cellar of their home. she finally escapes at the age of 16 and converts to christianity after discovering a plan to send her back to pakistan for an arranged marriage.even after her escape, she was still hunted by her angry dad and brothers and one day, a mob of 50 man showed up at her door with her dad standing on the front. "The Imam's Daughter" also shines a light on the misinterpretations of religion and how it effects people's lives and trap them in a life they so desperately want to get out of. Most of all, though, this is the inspiring provocative story of Hannah Shah herself. How, through her courage and tenacity, she broke free from her background and embraced a new life in the world beyond its confines.
even though i didn't really enjoy this book, i have to admit that it's an extremely inspiring story.
even though i didn't really enjoy this book, i have to admit that it's an extremely inspiring story.
March 7, 2021
Oh my...where do I start?...This was one of those you can't put down. Absolutely broke my heart, angered me, yet encouraged me as well. This woman endured horrific abuse at the hands of her tyrannical father, survived by escaping an arranged marriage just in time, but at least was helped by caring Christians as she started a new life of freedom. It was pitiful what she went through, the sometimes lack of justice she encountered as she was betrayed by a social worker who believed her father instead for her to suffer more brutal beatings :( The angering part was how in a civilized world, some want to not "cause trouble" by acknowledging this devastating scenarios. Thankfully, as with even my WW2 stories; actual compassionate and gutsy people risked their lives and safety to help these oppressed and persecuted women to flee. I would most definitely recommend this book!
June 15, 2014
This was a hard book to read and made me angry in some parts. The story was very inspiring and shows how the resilience of the human spirit and God's grace can help but a life back together. There were also regular people who were angels in this young girls life.
August 13, 2015
A book to read !! Very touching story
April 22, 2023
This was an amazing, heartbreaking story. The author is brave, courageous, and inspiring for what she's overcome.
Unfortunately, the book itself was extremely poor, in my opinion. The writing was reminiscent of my journals as a tween (not the content, but writing style). If this had gotten a good ghostwriter/editor, it would have made all the difference.
The beginning was the best part. It went downhill fast, as reading about her abuse was terrifying, yet it lacked so much detail in contrast to other stories of similarity. The middle had so much repetition, with very blunt, non descriptive situations.
The end was the worst, as I wanted to know so much more about the process of her escape, how she overcame her trauma. Ah, but of course, it had to go from one toxic religion to the next. If I had known it was going to become a preachy Christian shove down your throat story, I wouldn't have started it.
Unfortunately, the book itself was extremely poor, in my opinion. The writing was reminiscent of my journals as a tween (not the content, but writing style). If this had gotten a good ghostwriter/editor, it would have made all the difference.
The beginning was the best part. It went downhill fast, as reading about her abuse was terrifying, yet it lacked so much detail in contrast to other stories of similarity. The middle had so much repetition, with very blunt, non descriptive situations.
The end was the worst, as I wanted to know so much more about the process of her escape, how she overcame her trauma. Ah, but of course, it had to go from one toxic religion to the next. If I had known it was going to become a preachy Christian shove down your throat story, I wouldn't have started it.
July 21, 2013
Not great literature, i personally didn't like the style of writing.
Though a sad story about an abused Muslim girl who struggled and escaped her terrifying family who wanted to force her to marry. She ran away and started her own life, and became a successfully young woman. Despite her abused childhood she is a big help for girls who are forced to marry in arranged marriages. Although Hannah Shah converted to Christianity she made it clear that the situation she had lived in, was on cultural base and not on religious base.
Though a sad story about an abused Muslim girl who struggled and escaped her terrifying family who wanted to force her to marry. She ran away and started her own life, and became a successfully young woman. Despite her abused childhood she is a big help for girls who are forced to marry in arranged marriages. Although Hannah Shah converted to Christianity she made it clear that the situation she had lived in, was on cultural base and not on religious base.
February 4, 2017
The Imam's Daughter by Hannah (Hannan) Shah is her biography.
The book is beautifully written, situations are well explained and is easy to understand. It's gives us an insight about the shame and honor culture of the Pakistani Muslims. Some of the details are truly terrifying.
Unsure if it is the Religion, or the Pakistani culture, or show of male dominance that lead to Hannan having to deal with such sufferings.
The book is beautifully written, situations are well explained and is easy to understand. It's gives us an insight about the shame and honor culture of the Pakistani Muslims. Some of the details are truly terrifying.
Unsure if it is the Religion, or the Pakistani culture, or show of male dominance that lead to Hannan having to deal with such sufferings.
December 13, 2017
Wow this book blew my mind. Hannah pulls you into her world as a child and gets you to feel the confusion that she felt as a young child growing up in a xenophobic community.
You find yourself growing along with her. To be able to share her story in a public light must of taken a huge amount of strength.
Can not praise this enough.
You find yourself growing along with her. To be able to share her story in a public light must of taken a huge amount of strength.
Can not praise this enough.
January 15, 2013
Hannan had to overcome the abuse, dysfunctionality of her family and the rules of the religion she was brought up in. A beautiful story of her courage to face her past and move beyond that to live in freedom and free of her past! A very good read.
February 26, 2017
This book is incredibly problematic and while I empathise with the author and her father was a complete monster this book seems to be yet another book about bad Muslims which in this day and she does no one any favours. Also the writing is pretty dire.
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