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The Reluctant Mullah Sagheer Afzal Books

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The Reluctant Mullah Sagheer Afzal Books

Musa, a mullah in training, has just been thrown out of the Madrasah of Islamic Britons for dressing up as a Muslim woman. Musa is sent home in disgrace, and it looks like an arranged marriage to his cousin Iram from his parent's hometown in Pakistan is in his future - or is it? When Musa's grandfather Dadaji visits from Pakistan, a pact is agreed:
`There are thirty-three beads on this rosary. I give you one month of days in the pursuit of love. If by the end you have not found love, you will marry who I tell you to.'
Thus begins a novel which combines the best and worst of family in Musa's search for a suitable bride. There are elements of comic romance, of the good and bad aspects of the expatriate Pakistani community, as well as of individual men and women searching for their own identity, some with guilty secrets and double lives. Many of the characters in this novel are struggling to balance what they want (or need) for themselves with their duty towards their families. Some of the best aspects of this novel involve the religious discussions in the men's and women's groups at the Islamic Centre. Here, members of each group debate the true meaning of passages from the Holy Quran. The debates have both light-hearted and serious elements, and give some sense of the wider themes that are part of a British Muslim identity.

`United by faith and separated by perspective they cackled in unison.'

But how will Musa's search for happiness end? Will he find the bride of his dreams, or will he be required to enter into an arranged marriage?
Towards the end, Musa realises that faith is no substitute for lived experience. As Dadaji tells him: `Reading the Holy Quran and learning the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not make you wiser than anybody else'. `Wisdom is on the other side of pain, not on the other side of a page.'

I enjoyed this novel: the contrast between traditional and more western ways of life was well drawn, as were the major characters (and their struggles). I found some of the characters less believable, but this didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the novel. There is both humour and tragedy, but what worked best for me was the depiction of the challenges faced by people seeking to combine the best (in their view) of two quite different cultural experiences.

`In faith there is no fantasy.'

Jennifer Cameron-Smith


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The Reluctant Mullah Sagheer Afzal Books Reviews

Fact Nobody likes an arranged marriage.

It's on this basis that the novel The Reluctant Mullah makes its case. In it, Musa has just thirty days to find a wife that he actually likes, or else he's stuck with the one chosen for him. He fears who will be selected for him, as it goes against every romantic bone in his body. Thus, he begins searching on his own. It's not simple, as Muslim tradition makes getting to know any woman a near impossibility. He's aided (and thwarted) by friends more bent on the humor of the situation than by real concern for his future.

Musa himself is intriguing. Besides his romantic nature, he has a sense of humor not expected from a Westerner's perspective. For example, he sings Sinatra music, "My Way", but changes the words
"And now the end is near, and so I face the final cousin. My friend, I'll say it clear. I'll state my case of which I'm certain. I've been to muslimbrides, I've travelled to each fa-mi-ly. But more, much more than this, I did it my way." It's his irreverance mixed with a shocking amount of modern humor that makes him an extremely likable character.

The novel makes a fascinating read because it discusses Muslim culture without delving into political or religious polarities. Instead, it focuses on the social life and complications of people dealing with both tradition and outside influence, all in a modern world. I appreciated that the women in the story do not appear to be slavish nor repressed, but rather amusing and sassy and quite capable of taking care of themselves. In fact, what surprised me most was how close family ties were, especially with aunts and uncles all concerned and involved in each other's lives. Sure, Musa finds it a bit obnoxious as he seeks true love, but the unity and reliability on each other is inspiring.

In all, this was an amusing novel that still had a share of deeper complexities. Because, despite the humor and ridiculous situations that Musa finds himself in, a darker side of tradition will still assail him. He finds love, but he finds heartbreak as well. This is what makes the novel both timeless and appropriate for anyone affairs of the heart know no national, political, or religious boundaries.
Musa, a mullah in training, has just been thrown out of the Madrasah of Islamic Britons for dressing up as a Muslim woman. Musa is sent home in disgrace, and it looks like an arranged marriage to his cousin Iram from his parent's hometown in Pakistan is in his future - or is it? When Musa's grandfather Dadaji visits from Pakistan, a pact is agreed
`There are thirty-three beads on this rosary. I give you one month of days in the pursuit of love. If by the end you have not found love, you will marry who I tell you to.'
Thus begins a novel which combines the best and worst of family in Musa's search for a suitable bride. There are elements of comic romance, of the good and bad aspects of the expatriate Pakistani community, as well as of individual men and women searching for their own identity, some with guilty secrets and double lives. Many of the characters in this novel are struggling to balance what they want (or need) for themselves with their duty towards their families. Some of the best aspects of this novel involve the religious discussions in the men's and women's groups at the Islamic Centre. Here, members of each group debate the true meaning of passages from the Holy Quran. The debates have both light-hearted and serious elements, and give some sense of the wider themes that are part of a British Muslim identity.

`United by faith and separated by perspective they cackled in unison.'

But how will Musa's search for happiness end? Will he find the bride of his dreams, or will he be required to enter into an arranged marriage?
Towards the end, Musa realises that faith is no substitute for lived experience. As Dadaji tells him `Reading the Holy Quran and learning the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not make you wiser than anybody else'. `Wisdom is on the other side of pain, not on the other side of a page.'

I enjoyed this novel the contrast between traditional and more western ways of life was well drawn, as were the major characters (and their struggles). I found some of the characters less believable, but this didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the novel. There is both humour and tragedy, but what worked best for me was the depiction of the challenges faced by people seeking to combine the best (in their view) of two quite different cultural experiences.

`In faith there is no fantasy.'

Jennifer Cameron-Smith