The authority give to this family obliges them to listen and attend to the needs of the people not force their will on them. The story depicts the piri faqiri system in the Pakistani society. In prose of great power and intensity, the author tells the tragic story of the beautiful Heer, brutalized and corrupted by Pir Sain, the man of God, whom she is married to when barely fifteen. A world where she has to protect her daughters from the evil clutches of men, including their own father. To make it clear, such exploitations take place in ALL cultures, and all religions – not just in Islam. Sep 01, Zunaira Ghaffar rated it liked it. The rating is in now way a reflection of my disbelief in Durrani’s story, which could very well be a depiction of reality and the kind of oppression women face. Unlike many readers, I don’t feel the story was totally fabricated but there sure was everything going wrong for the characters, who were weaker and helpless – which makes it a gloomy read. I have only admiration that no words can express. Without jumping into spoilers of any sort, it is worth noting the amount of abuse a woman can go through, all under the name of religion. She has depicted protagonist Heer as a victim of socio-religious customs and traditions based on the patriarchal constructs existing in the Indian sub-continent including India and Pakistan.Īn insider look into the traditional culture of Islam in Pakistan. The book, right from the beginning, was unpalatable and only made the experience painful, which probably could be the aim of the author. Set in South Pakistan, BLASPHEMY – the novel is inspired by a true story of a young girl trapped in the cruelest.Īrchived from the original on 26 March We can only imagine how advanced and more sick the evils are of today. Book Review: Blasphemy by Tehmina Durrani. Tehmina Durrani is a Pakistani author, artist, and activist on women’s and children’s rights. Many describe the novel to be about “religious” exploitation, however. Blasphemy is Tehmina Durrani’s novel about the exploitation at the hands of her husband.