Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan

Ali Eteraz’s coming of age memoir takes us from his upbringing immersed in conservative Islam in Pakistan, to his education in philosophy and postmodernism in the West, to his epiphany about who he is when he is back in the Muslim world.

Eteraz has no qualms about showing us all his wavering, flaws and warts. It’s a big risk with a memoir, because readers might not like him enough to continue. But we get something valuable if we stay the course: Eteraz is without a doubt an interesting person, and moreover shares with us an inside look at a childhood overshadowed by Islamic teachings and religious madrassas (schools), and some plain language elucidation about the Quran and Islam.

I loved learning more about Islam. I had no idea, for show more example, that the Prophet Sulayman is none other than who we in the West call Solomon, son of King David (Daud), or that Isa, son of Maryam is the same as Jesus, son of Mary. I had thought that the Quran is considered holy in the same way the Bible is considered holy, but I learned differently. Eteraz explains:

"The Quran existed jointly with God. Timeless, immutable, perfect, the Quran was all Allah (though not all of Allah was the Quran). Allah had poured it through the mouth of Muhammad, and as it existed on paper now was how Allah intended for the Quran to look, taste, and sound. The Quran was the Islamic equivalent of Christ. The act of repeating the Arabic words, as they passed through the mouth and throat and echoed in the chest, was a form of transubstantiation: a way of making what was divine enter the human body.”

Well, you can certainly see why mistreatment of the Quran at Guatanamo by Western soldiers was such anathema to the prisoners there.

Eteraz’s memories about madrassas are pretty frightening. Young boys were physically abused – beaten, humiliated, harangued, even in one case raped. He doesn’t claim all madrassas are like this, but the ones in his experience certainly were. (The beatings were justified as helping to prepare the boys to serve Allah later in a greater capacity by being prepared for life’s pain.) No wonder this boy grew up to change his name to Ali Eteraz (“noble protest”) and to challenge the authority of ultraconservative Islam.

And yet, Eteraz has trouble escaping fundamentalist Islam’s noose. His friend Ziad observed:

"You have to ask yourself what you’re fighting for, Ali. Are you an enemy of Islamic fundamentalism simply because it pisses you off, or do you actually support liberty? If it’s the latter, why do you have to talk about Islam all day? If it’s the former, you have to ask yourself why you let your life be controlled by being pissed off. Or…maybe you’re just desperate to be relevant.”

Talks with Ziad, many as emotionally charged as this one, eventually lead Eteraz to understand what it is he believes.

Evaluation: The press release on this book characterizes it as “astonishingly honest” and “darkly comic.” I would agree with the former, but with the latter I would only accept the word “darkly.” I thought it was a sad book. I found many elements of what happened to Eteraz to be horrific. Even his parents, who seemed very loving, instilled fears and expectations in him about religion that I thought tended toward the abusive. This book reminds me of Foreskin’s Lament by Shalom Auslander. Auslander also decries the deleterious and pervasive effects of an orthodox religious upbringing. No matter how he tries to reject it, it continues to inform his existence. I would say that Auslander’s book is more accurately described as “comic” however. But both of these books teach by example that bringing up children to fear God by issuing threats and inculcating stories of the harm their sins will bring upon the world is destructive to the human spirit. show less

This book spoke to me powerfully, disturbingly and eloquently. Although unique in its narrative style, it's early chapters invited me in with the graphic ease of, say, Mao's Last Dancer. The story of Abir ul' Islam is compelling from the first page, despite portraying a terrifying picture of a religious interpretation that appears to be based entirely on superstition and human power. The young Abir is portrayed as closely as possible as though the events are occurring in the present, without benefit of adult hindsight. Then, when he moves to America, the mood changes abruptly, and the story is penned with a retrospective bitterness against his parents. Later, his cynical irony is turned on himself, and then, finally, in the fifth show more "book", Abir-Amir-Ali begins a painful, unintentional and beautifully depicted journey into love and wisdom. The character of Ziad, his reluctant teacher, is wonderfully realised, and the language becomes poetic in its beauty in places. The brutal honesty, combined with the changing narrative voice and the seductive simplicity and beauty of the text combine to make this one of the more extraordinary books I have ever read. What a privilege. show less

Normally, I'm opposed to young people writing memoirs, just on principle. Children of Dust shamed me. I was wrong to judge. It is so, so good: a remarkable story told with skill and charm, and uplifting in the best possible way.

I try to read at least most of the books on the Chautauqua reading list each year, which led me to Children of Dust. This is a memoir of a man born in Pakistan who came to the United States as a child. It's a story of his quest to remain Muslim in Bible belt America and to understand his Islam faith all set to the background of his day-to-day life. According to the book jacket, Mr. Eteraz is a graduate of Emory University and Temple Law School. He was selected for the Outstanding Scholar's Program at the U.S. Dept. of Justice and later worked in corporate litigation in Manhattan. He has published srticles in Dissent, Foreign Policy, AlterNet and alt Muslim; and is a regular contributor to The Guardian UK. The book is well-written and a show more pleasure to read. show less

I really enjoyed this book. I think it is important to learn all we can about Islamic culture and Pakistan plays a very important role in the United States' war on terror.

Reading about it through the eyes of Eteraz was enlightening, profound, touching, and yet also humorous. Ali Eteraz takes us through his life from birth to his twenties and his journey with Islam and how it conflicts with his western education.

However, the lesson that we drew was that in order to really repent for our sins, we had to prosecute and convict ourselves in front of others, as the adulterer had in front of the Prophet and the Companions.

Besides, since we were all brothers in Islam, we had an obligation to asist one another in our psychological show more flagellation. That would help keep us from repeating our sins in the future.

In short:it was out of concern for our friends that we had to berate them publicly.

Briefer:humiliation was kindness

I liked that this book read more like a novel, than dry non-fiction, a tale divided into five parts. But that doesn't take away the experience of the author and what the reader takes away from this book. It was very well-written and enjoyable.

my rating 4.5/5 show less

I have always been fascinated by religion; probably due to my experiences as a child. I was raised Catholic but lost my religion as they say long, long ago. But not my interest. So I read. I have covered several Christian branches and a fair bit on Judaism and now am reading about Islam. Mr. Eterez's book is a memoir of his life from his childhood to adulthood reared in Islam.

At first I was disconcerted by the lack of a narrative. The chapters seemed like independent stories with nothing much binding them together except for Mr. Eterez. But his writing style is easy and I soon forgot the lack of a traditional structure and truly enjoyed the book. His tales of his passion for his religion are funny, heartfelt and at times morbid. Mr. show more Eterez truly bares his soul and his life to the reader. As he mentions in his acknowledgments - he didn't expect to gain friends in writing the book.

I think anyone curious about Islam and life in Pakistan would find this book very enjoyable. It also mildly explores the immigrant experience for Muslims in the United States. I found it sadly comical how Mr. Eterez and his family were perceived when they went back to Pakistan for a visit. Assumptions are so very dangerous and we humans make them all the time show less

Before Ali Eteraz was born, his father promised Allah that if his child was a boy that child would “become a great leader and servant of Islam.” Eteraz’s parents named him Abir ul Islam which translates to “perfume of Islam.” As a child living in Pakistan, Eteraz didn’t have much desire to follow his parents’ plans; but later they move to America and things change for Eteraz. He wants to follow the religious teachings, but he’s also interested in girls and sexual contact is forbidden. The online world ends up providing an outlet. Eteraz has some great descriptions in this part of how he tried to hide from his parents the screeching sound of AOL starting.

A few years later, Eteraz goes to college. He moves from one show more religious extremity to another during his early adult life and undergoes a name change before emphasizing his birth name in order to convince others to follow his instructions. This period is then followed by the name he currently uses; he became Ali Eteraz when he became a reformist. Tragically, Eteraz lost his family and some friends when he became so passionate about reformation.

Children of Dust is really a remarkable story written so that even someone totally unfamiliar with Islamic teachings can understand. I was impressed with Eteraz’s writing; he described places I’ve never been vividly enough that I could picture them. show less