Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine BrooksMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book's title comes from a quote by Ali ibn Abu Taleb, husband of Fatima and founder of Shiite Islam: "Almighty God created sexual desire in ten parts; then he gave nine parts to women and one to men."
Geraldine Brooks has been a long-time favorite novelist of mine, but it was only now that I was able to track down her first book, a nonfiction one! Here we see traces of the narrative power of the future novelist merged with concise journalistic writing.
I had NO idea that Geraldine Brooks used to be an award winning correspondent, and that she had the toughest assignments for the WSJ: for many years, she covered the Gulf War and the religious and cultural storms in the Middle East! She draws from that rich experience as she writes about the several Muslim women she interviewed and befriended.
With several interviews ranging from Queen Noor of Jordan to Salman Rushdie, this was a fascinating look at the different circumstances and levels of repression amongst females in several Muslim countries. The degrees of degradation differ, but all throughout, Brooks harps on a common thread: the many dangers of fallible males speaking for an infallible prophet.
This was the best book I've read in terms of making the difference between Sunni and Shiite Islam clear, in practical terms. Brooks draws on history as well as holy verse in order to show how opposing agendas are supported by different quotes. It's not that different, after all, from Christians selecting various biblical texts to support antithetical arguments.
Brooks managed to write respectfully even about women with opposing views from hers, acknowledging the differences in upbringing and culture that make this so. Her anecdotes are at times horrifying (being thrown in jail for attempting to check in a hotel in Saudi Arabia as a lone female, sexual assault while investigating in the middle of the dessert), but she manages to convey hope as she highlights inspirational women, whose courage in standing up for their rights is made even more remarkable given that they are in danger of being murdered by their own fathers and brothers in the name of family honor.
As a Filipina, I realized how much freedom my society and government allows me, compared to my sisters in other Muslim countries. And while there is much to improve on in terms of full equality, there is much to be grateful for.
"That woman had made her choice: it was different from mine. But sitting there, sharing the warm sand and the soft air, we accepted each other. When she raised her face to the sun, she was smiling."
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