Orphan of Islam

It's an astonishing and heroic account of a young boy who was kidnapped by his relatives and taken to tribal northern area of Pakistan. Despite of black humour in the book; the book won't make you laugh. The story is full of betrayal; pain and tears. I, who share the faith of Alexander Khan, personally felt the pain of that little boy who was deprived of his mother.I felt angry to the fact that young Alexander Khan resigned to his fate and didn't fight against the oppressors and aggressors. I can see vividly that it's not the fault of Islam that advocates taking mercy on orphans but it's the sheer interpretation of those tribal people. They will choose the interpretation that suited their needs and aspirations. On occasions; I was numb to feel the pain of that little boy who was left in Haqqania Madrasa that is run by some Chinese looking Uzbek Mullah. My heart fills with a joy that brave Alexander didn't bow in to that brutal Mullah despite being physically and mentally tortured by those sadistic people. An ordinary shaved Pashtoon helped the helpless boy to pay for his fare from Peshawar to his late father's village.I am originally from Kashmir Pakistan and lived in the UK for a long time. The one thing confuses me and is a riddle that why didn't these people learn from the civility of the UK. The human and human values of the UK fascinate me and I proudly tell others that the UK is my home and I am proud of it. These people when they immigrated brought tribal/semi civilised culture with them and they still embrace that orthodox outdated culture and norm and won't let them go. On number of occasions; the Quran teaches to be kind to orphans and widows and the weak but in practise we see the absolute opposite. This type of behaviour fills me with anger and sadness. I wish I was there at the time so I could take care of that little boy who continuously suffered and the life is full of misery. In the end; I am extremely glad that little boy has found his mother and happily married now. The account of 20 years is missing as after coming back to the UK; Alexander meets his mother and introduces his wife. I suppose there will be another book that will fill the blank pages of 20 years. I yearn to read the full account of Alexander Khan. Hats off to that young boy who has grown now and met his lovely and courageous mother who suffered the cruelties of her tribal in-laws especially the callous Fatima. I believe Fatima was cohort in the plan of pre meditated murder of her daughter in the hands of her husband as she was killed in the name of so called Ghairat (honour). This horrific incident just brought tears in my eyes and I couldn't comprehend that a human being could do this to a fellow human being.

The story appeared interesting and I guess because it is supposed to be a true story there weren't a lot of twists. But I did find it strange when the Pushtun women in the book are depicted as wearing sari's over an over again. Being a Pakistani and having lived in closed proximity of Pushtuns, I have yet to see any of their women wearing a sari. The other aspect which troubled me reading this rather sad account was the chosen name of the book as the 'Orphan of Islam'. Granted a number of Muslims were instrumental in the authors 'kidnapping' and forced incarceration in Pakistan but some of the very same Muslims helped him break free from his captivity as well. More so, the author has given his father most of the blame while his Western English mother and his much loved British country were given hardly any stick for completely forgetting and ignoring his sorry plight even when the author was living amongst the British in Britain. As far as I can make out the British people in his life and British system are equally to blame for letting him become a victim, but I guess the publishers of the book would want to appeal to all Islamophobic readers which are numerous.I would have wanted some more insight into the traditional Pushtun family structure though it is a much guarded fellowship even for more urban Pakistanis like me. The story lacked details of complexities of the Pushtun family and only touched on some of its intrigues.On the whole, I do feel indebted to the author for at least penning down his story as it does shed some light on a much guarded and secret area.

Khan pulls no punches in giving his account of what his life was like as a British Muslim child in the early 80s, and of how he felt culturally alienated from "Western Britain" which lay just a few streets away from his door. This book not only gives a fascinating, if deeply uncomfortable insight into the extremes of control that some adults can force upon children in the name of any faith (boarding school tales don't come worse than this) but also an important understanding of some of the fundamental cultural differences that exist in the UK. In another life Khan should perhaps have been the perfect ambassador to promote cultural integration due to his mixed heritage, but the lot that befalls him almost from birth makes this all but impossible, as struggles to find acceptance even within his own extended family. Khan's story is compellingly told in this extraordinary tale of abandonment and courage, and leaves the reader craving his second chapter, to learn how he fared in adult life after such an ordeal.

This true story will live with me for a very long time. It focuses on a young mixed heritage boy brought up by his Pakistani relatives in a northern UK town; he was persecuted for having an English mother. His treatment by his Islamic relatives defies belief and made my jaw drop; I couldn't begin to understand that this really happened in the UK where children are allegedly protected, and it made be very aware of my own naivety and ignorance . At a young age he was sent back to Pakistan where his treatment ranged from bearable and occasionally uplifting to hideously cruel in the Madrasa - I loved his painting of the Pakistani landscape. This story has a relatively happy ending but it's hard to believe that the physical and emotional scars don't remain. Well worth reading if you're interested in the subject of mixed cultures or Islam in general.

It was the first book i've ever read in my life. Whenever i use to read a book i would always just throw it away as i wasn't finding anything interesting in it but when i read this, i couldn't even put it away. For the first time i was to keen to know what was going to happen at the next chapter, the calamity and the evilness that the family had wished upon him. It was very emotional and i am proud to have read the whole thing. I would defo recommend everyone to read this.And now I'm wondering what's happening with him, and how's his sister? It just like wow! I cannot believe he actually went through hell.