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The House of the Mosque (Dutch : Het huis van de moskee) is a Dutch-language novel by Iranian writer Kader Abdolah, published in 2005. The English language translation of The House of the Mosque was published in January 2010. [1]
The book follows the life of an Iranian family from 1969 on through the regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Iranian revolution of 1979 and the installment of the Khomeini government, and ends after Khomeini's death. The story is a "semi-mythical narrative ... bearing a 'flying carpet' element of fantasy" that is countered by the horrifying events that the protagonists face as the revolution progresses. [2]
Most of the plot takes place in a large (36-room) house attached to the Friday mosque in Senejan, three hours by train from Qom, a fictionalized version of Senjan, now a district of Arak, Iran. Kader Abdolah was born and grew up in a similar house in that city. [3] [4] In the presentation of real historical events, many names and locations are altered, so that the novel does not pretend to be an accurate description of the historical situation. [1] The main character is Aqa Jaan ("Dear Master", a title often given to the male head of a household in Iran). [4] Shahbal, the son of his blind cousin who is the muezzin of the mosque, personifies the author (Shahbal is called the "narrator" of the story in the cast of characters). Like Shahbal, Kader Abdolah was active in leftist underground political movements in the time of the Shah and of Khomeini, and fled Iran in 1985 to settle in the Netherlands. Unlike Shahbal, the author did not kill anyone, but instead avenged the murders of his brother and sister with his pen. [3] For example, before fleeing Iran, Shahbal killed Khalkhal, a fictionalized version of Khomeini's "hanging judge" Sadeq Khalkhali, but the real Khakhali died of old age in 2003.
The House of the Mosque primarily explores the lifestyle of a traditional, extended Iranian family and how they coped with the changes brought by the Westernization of Iran until 1979, the revolution and the subsequent radicalization. Additionally, the book portrays struggles between the leaders of the bazaar and the religious rule of the imams—and between family members who are traditionalists and those who are caught up in revolutionary ideas and do not follow the old rules of the house.
Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian Islamic revolutionary, politician and religious leader who served as the first Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian Revolution, which overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and ended the Iranian monarchy. Ideologically a Shia Islamist, Khomeini's religious and political ideas are known as Khomeinism.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khoei was an Iranian-Iraqi Shia marja'. Al-Khoei is considered one of the most influential twelver scholars.
Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami Farahani, better known by his pen name Kader Abdolah, is an Iranian-Dutch writer, poet and columnist. His books, written in Dutch, often contain Persian literary themes. He regularly appears on Dutch television as well.
Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani was an Iranian Shia cleric, writer and conservative and principlist politician who was Prime Minister of Iran from 2 September until 29 October 1981. Before that, he was Minister of Interior in the cabinets of Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. He was the leader of Combatant Clergy Association and Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and also founder and president of Imam Sadiq University.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad al-Husayni al-Shirazi, commonly known as Imam Shirazi, was an Iranian-Iraqi Shia marja' and political activist.
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Malek National Museum and Library is a museum and national library in Tehran, Iran. Malek National Library and Museum Institution (MNLMI) is the first private museum of Iran, and one of the six large libraries holding the exquisite manuscripts. The MNLMI collection is a rich trove of the best manuscripts and Iranian historical artworks. The Institution is located in the historical precinct of “Bagh-e Melli”, that is considered the cultural-historical center of Tehran. Usually, the MNLM visitors are numerous university students and researchers, as well as tourists who enjoy its library and museum facilities. It is one of the biggest libraries of precious manuscripts in Iran, built by Hadji Hussein Agha Malek, the richest man in Iran at the time. He built it in a traditional Persian architecture style. One of the biggest contributors is Esat Malek Malek, Hadji Hussein Agha Malek's eldest daughter, who contributed to the museum's development.
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al-Musawi is an Islamic title indicating a person descended from Musa al-Kazim, the seventh of the Twelve Shi'a Imams. Family members from this dynasty are amongst the most respected and well-known Muslims. Members of this family are referred to by the anglicized version of their name.
Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims agree on the three holiest sites in Islam being, respectively, the Masjid al-Haram, in Makkah; the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, in Medina; and the Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem.
NRC's Best Dutch novels is a list of the most popular Dutch-language novels as of 2007.
Zīnah al-Sādāt Humāyūnī, also Alavīyah Humāyūnī, Zinatossadat Alevi Homayooni or Homayuni, was a female religious scholar from Isfahan, Iran, who is the most prominent student of Iran's leading mujtaheda of the 20th century, Banu Amin.
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Hadi Milani was an Iranian-Iraqi marja'.
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Seyyed Mohammad Ali Keshavarz Sadr was a lawyer, judge, author and leading figure in the National Front of Iran. A close friend and associate of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, often acting as his official deputy, he nationalised the Iranian fishing industry and played a major role in the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry. He served as governor of Isfahan, Gilan and Tehran. He entered parliament as representative of Khorramabad. After resisting the 1953 Iranian coup d'état which toppled the democratically elected government of Mossadegh, Keshavarz Sadr was imprisoned and tortured. After his release he became spokesperson of the Second National Front and wrote a range of books.
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