Kathleen Jamie writes a book titled Among Muslims, which includes a chapter called Shia Girls, yet this particular chapter refers more to the events of her travels in Gilgit, a city where Shia’s reside, rather than Shia Girls. There are certain parts of the chapter where she does mention the culture of Shia Girls and sometimes even negates the culture by continuing to use Western habits, but the chapter itself rarely and ineffectively explains what it means to be a Shia Girl. It’s almost misleading as the title and the contents don’t directly relate to each other or helps to define what it means to be a Shia Girl, which you would assume was the topic. I feel as though maybe this specific chapter should not have been called Shia Girls because…show more content… Rashida, a Shia girl and a friend of the author, wrote a letter to Jamie in order to persuade and assure her about Shia Lifestyle which was the reason why Jamie has traveled to Gilgit. According to this letter, being a Shia is completely opposite from being a westerner (62). Shia’s are purdah observing and lead Islamic lives and so religion is very important. Arranged marriages are common, and you often live with your parents until you are married. In other parts of the chapter, there are small bits that build on the specifics of being a Shia. Once you get married, you are probably not the only wife your spouse has. When around the men, you become less talkative. You most likely have to stay in the house while the man goes to work. Clubs and pubs are against Shia belief so the closest thing to it would be a tea house but women are not allowed in the tea house. You would wear a shalwar-kameez, and it is Islamic to be completely covered and so if you do not wear a dupatta, it is considered shameful. It is also shamed upon to have a messy house so your house would never be dirty. Yes, all of this information was found in Jamie’s account of this journey but the odd thing is, they were small details compared to everything else in the chapter. These were little observations to help set the scene for the story of the adventure Jamie was
