The House of the Mosque
Encyclopedia
The House of the Mosque is a Dutch-language novel by Iran
ian writer Kader Abdolah
, published in 2005. The book follows the life of an Iranian family during the regime of Shah
Reza Pahlavi
, through the Iranian revolution
of 1979 and the installment of the Khomeini government, and ends after Khomeini's death. The English language translation of The House of the Mosque was published in January 2010.
and the religious rule of the imam
s -- and between parents and their children who are caught up in revolutionary ideas and do not follow the old rules of the house.
Kader Abdolah presents ideas in a manner that can be easily understood by European people. Islamic principles are explained, and references to the Qur'an
illustrate that it is not just a religious masterpiece but also provides a model for thinking and living in society. The novel depicts the prophet Muhammad
as a "a Mohammed that Europe needs" (to change common European perceptions of Islam)
One of the characters in The House of the Mosque, Shabbal, resembles the author, who participated in underground political movements in the time of the Shah and later under Khomeini, and is also now living far away from Iran, in the Netherlands.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian writer Kader Abdolah
Kader Abdolah
Kader Abdolah is a Persian–Dutch writer, poet and columnist. He has written books and many articles in Dutch and is known for using Persian literary items in his Dutch works...
, published in 2005. The book follows the life of an Iranian family during the regime of Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Reza Pahlavi
Reza Pahlavi
Reza Pahlavi may refer to:*Reza Shah , aka Reza Shah Pahlavi, Shah of Persia from 1925 until 1935 and Shah of Iran from 1935 until 1941* Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, son of Reza Shah...
, through the Iranian revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
of 1979 and the installment of the Khomeini government, and ends after Khomeini's death. The English language translation of The House of the Mosque was published in January 2010.
Main themes
The House of the Mosque primary explores how the Iranian people coped with second half 20th century American influence over Iran. Additionally, the book portrays struggles between the leaders of the bazaarBazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
and the religious rule of the imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
s -- and between parents and their children who are caught up in revolutionary ideas and do not follow the old rules of the house.
Kader Abdolah presents ideas in a manner that can be easily understood by European people. Islamic principles are explained, and references to the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
illustrate that it is not just a religious masterpiece but also provides a model for thinking and living in society. The novel depicts the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
as a "a Mohammed that Europe needs" (to change common European perceptions of Islam)
One of the characters in The House of the Mosque, Shabbal, resembles the author, who participated in underground political movements in the time of the Shah and later under Khomeini, and is also now living far away from Iran, in the Netherlands.
Main characters
- Aga Djan - head of the Bazaar and head of the family, works in carpet business
- Alsaberi - the imam of the Senedjan Mosque
- Fagri Sadat - wife of Aga Djan
- Shahbal - son of the blind muezzinMuezzinA muezzin , or muzim, is the chosen person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for prayer from one of the mosque's minarets; in most modern mosques, electronic amplification aids the muezzin in his task.The professional muezzin is chosen for his...
, a spiritual son of Aga Djan - Sediq - Alsaberi's eldest daughter
- Galgal -husband of Sediq, also imam and the judge of Allah later in the book
- Ahmad - son of Alsaberi, later imam in the Senedjan Mosque
- Zinat -wife of Alsaberi, later spiritual islamic leader of the women
- The grandmas - women that helped in the house and lived there all their lives
- Nosrat - Aga Djan's little brother who left the house for city life
- Djawad - son of Aga Djan
External links
- Het huis van de moskee in Dutch presentation article.
- BBC World Service program, 'The Strand,' 23 January 2010, describes the book and interviews the author http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005sxzn.
- BBC program, 'Saturday Review,' 23 January 2010, a panel of readers critique the book http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00q07gv.
- Canongate's profile of Kader Abdolah http://www.meetatthegate.com/component/option,com_book_author/author_id,567/