Samira and Samir

Samira & Samir by Siba Shakib is an extraordinary true story of a young girl in the "man's world" in Afghanistan. Siba Shakib presented this trus story as a biography of Samira in novel writing format, so that when you read this book, it seems like you read a novel. Act., i plan to buy this book from amazon.co.uk. However, last week when i went to Waterstone, i saw it in non-fiction section and decided to buy it, although the price is much expensive from amazon.

Whats the story of Samira & Samir then? Samira, originally born as a girl was 'transformed' to be a man, as Samir. Her father, who desperate for boy as his first born, responsible in changing Samira becomes Samir. Samira vs Samir was taught as a boy by his father where she learns to fight, ride a horse, and shoot. She becomes a head of her family when her father is killed.

Problem occurs in her life when she becomes an adult girl. Shes in love with Bashir and want to live as Bashir's wife. Now shes in identity dilemma. Shes already well-known in her tribe as a 'male', but now has to announce her real identity to public. She follows her heart to be a woman, but hate to appear as a woman because her 'experienced' been a man before.

So what happen to her after she becomes a real woman? No more freedom for her anymore. This can be understood because in Afghanistan or maybe in other islamic country in middle-east, woman have no right in most everthings. In the case of Samira, shes living in mountainous area which laeding by tribe leader. If you read little bit more any book about middle-east social life and culture, you will understand why woman have no right in those area especially if you born in tribe group. But again, dont misunderstand between islam order and culture pressure. Its nothing to do with Islam, it just a matter of middle-east culture, i think, that put girl and woman at lowest status-like a slave-or can i say they still have jahilliyah mentality. What a shame! Lucky woman in Malaysia dont have to be 'part' of this kind of discrimination.

So, i would like to suggest you guys out there, read this book. Try to understand the difficulty to be a woman in arab-persian or middle-east diaspora. From here, maybe, you can get some idea why Amnesty always put those country or maybe other islamic country non-arab-persian, as 'slaving a woman', 'discriminating woman right' etc. And probably, you will understand why those woman from arab-persian diaspora who migrated to many western country, US & UK especially, converted to be a christian or maybe change to other religion or just a free-thinker. They just think that they got a 'freedom' from man's world in their homeland which fully with torture, slaving & discrimination. No wonder ISLAM seems such an 'evil religion' in most western eyes or non-muslim eyes because for them ISLAM is ARAB. And when it comes to ARAB...what a shame again.. culture dominating their life.. nothing to do with islam orders. Myself, im lucky that im a Malaysian muslim.