Product Description

Born into one of Pakistan's most influential families, Tehmina Durrani was raised in the privileged milieu of Lahore high society and educated at the same school as Benazir Bhutto. Like all women of her rank, she was expected to marry a wealthy Muslim, bear him many children and lead a sheltered life of air-conditioned leisure. When she married Mustafa Khar, one of Pakistan's most eminent political figures, she continued to move in the best circles, and learned to keep up the public facade as a glamorous, cultivated wife, and mother of four children. In private, however, the story-book romance rapidly turned sour. Mustafa Khar became violently possessive and jealous, and succeeded in cutting his wife off from the outside world. For the course of her 14-year marriage, she suffered alone, in silence. This is the story of Tehmina's rebellion from an unhappy marriage. As a Muslim woman seeking a divorce, she paid a high price. She signed away all financial support, lost the custody of her children, and found herself alienated from her friends and disowned by her parents. The book, which she originally published herself after publishers in Pakistan refused to do so, shocked Pakistan society. She had succeeeded in reconciling her faith in Islam with her ardent belief in women's rights.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #213588 in Books
• Published on: 1996-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 381 pages

About the Author
Tehmina Durrani
A member of one of Pakistani's most influential families, Tehmina Durrani decided to write this book about they way women are treated in Pakistan after leaving her husband Mustafa Khar. In the writing of My Feudal Lord, Tehmina Durrani worked with William Hoffer, author of Midnight Express and co-author of Betty Mahmoody's Not Without My Daughter.

Customer Reviews

Amazing book of an amazing woman.
Every time I have lent this book to a woman she comes back a total man hater!

This book gives a blow-by-blow account of physical and emotional abuse by someone who had normalised his arrogance and omnipotence. I could not put this book down until it was finished. A fascinating look into an alternative culture. And a culture that is still in existence in some parts of the world today and more worryingly most of the civilised culture was based on the same feudal system.

I wish Tehmina well in everything she does.

a good book but...
It was good yes, i too read this book in the space of a couple of nights, making my kid read his books to give me some peace and quiet. I learnt more about the history of pakistan and the role of the british in breaking up and dividing our country, i learnt about the elitist louses which riddle pakistani politics, leeching off the poor iliterates of pakistan, and i learnt about how corruption continues in politics making the dream of a nation of muslims called pakistan which people like my father fought for no more than a mirage. pakistan is even more hell bent on aping the west and taking money one way or another. I felt for the poor girl who was manipulated by khar but i must confess to feeling frustration that she let her own sense of elitism and 'keeping face' take the best years of her life and stop her leaving that louse that she was married to. She fought to get out of the marriage against great odds but i also was frankly incredulous at her loving reference to her own son as 'my little feudal lord' especially when the actual feudal lord had beaten her to within an inch of her life so many times, his feudal attitude had effectively imprisoned here. EWhy did she have to have faith in his politics when his personal life proved what a louse he was. Why did she put such store by being 'mrs mustafa khar' despite what he was doing to her? I also wondered if she would have persisted in her beliefs in elitism if she hadn't been beaten and treated so badly. I suspect she still does hold those elitist views behind it all. It is only a suspicion based on what she wrotes and that makes me a touch reticent. Otherwise, good on you girl for getting out. I suppose victimisation is a process where u don't know any longer what you think, i was just surprised that she had the strength to fight publicly for him despite him sleeping ewith her sister.

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A MUST READ
I normally read books during long tube journeys and seldom allocate long hours, however this was an exception. I stayed up all night and finished it in a day due to gravitation of this phenomenal book. Having followed Pakistani Politics since the mid-eighties I was aware of Mustafa Khar's ruthless reputation as a politician, though he always gave an impression of being a gentleman. This book exposes the interior of KHAR [feudal society] and shows how appearences can be so deceptive. The writing style is excellant and It must have taken great courage for Tehmina Durrani to venture that far....the taboo subject of discussing past marriage in details. A must read !