Unveiled: The Bible, The Qur'an, and Women

Reading this book is like sitting down with someone from another culture and learning about it. Gentle glances into Esther's restricted childhood in Pakistan, from her longing to be a good Muslim and her wish to gain her father's approval, to her realization that the only immediate entrance to heaven preached to Muslims is that of a martyr's end. A mere two days before her enrollment in jihad school, she has a vivid dream about the Christian Jesus.

I loved reading about how she came to trust Jesus and to believe in the Christian God. My heart broke for the thousands of girls trapped in situations like hers and for the incredible tragedy of the pictures she outlined...girls kept as sex slaves for their fathers and brothers, girls told they have no need for education, girls told their god has no use for them, men and women trapped in such a hopeless system of “good works” that they end up committing suicide in despair.

She outlines basic Muslim beliefs about women and how they are often applied to the populace. This includes comparing and contrasting Qur'an and Bible passages to show the major differences in the treatment of salvation (or lack thereof) and life purpose for each believer, and then narrows the focus to the treatment of women in particular.

One thing that really interested me was how she points out that there is no forgiveness offered to Muslims. You're either a good believer, racking up points to get out of hell sooner; a careless believer, who will stay longer in hell; a martyr, who goes straight to heaven along with his/her family; and an infidel who stays in hell. This reminded me of a nastier version of purgatory (which I strongly oppose on a theological basis) and I wondered if there were any historical ties to the two ideas.

It was great to see how she defended her beliefs by pointing out truths and issues in the Qur'an and how God gave her the words to make a good answer. I'll be wanting a hard copy of this for future reference.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.