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Religious rituals, while comforting for believers, may be uncomfortable
for those who do not share their manifold meanings. Catholic Filipinas who marry
Muslim Iranian men face mandatory conversion to Islam, necessitating ongoing
negotiations between Christianity and Islam. My research suggests that these
Filipinas held their first religion dear while participating in – for them – unpleasant
Shi'a Muslims rituals. Their Filipino/Iranian children, familiar from birth with
Shi'a Islam, felt at home with both religions, no matter which one they chose for
themselves. The discussion of converts' perceptions of Shi'a rituals contributes to
the literature on transnational marriages and marriage migration.

With the emerging political stability in Afghanistan, Afghan refugees residing in Iran are scheduled to repatriate to Afghanistan. Many Afghan men have married Iranian women and their repatriation has caused a major dilemma for their Iranian wives. The dilemma stems from the Iranian citizenship laws which disadvantage Iranian women in transfer of their citizenship to their non-Iranian husbands and their children. Thousands of children born of these Iranian mothers and non-Iranian fathers are not recognized as Iranian citizens. They are considered Afghan nationals and are, thus, not entitled to benefit from state-funded education and health services. These children's uncertain futures have magnified the unequal status of Iranian women as mothers and served as an impetus to demand change in the Iranian citizenship laws. This paper seeks to explain gendered citizenship in Iran and explores the socio-legal challenges faced by these women.

Book of the Disappeared confronts worldwide human rights violations of enforced disappearance and genocide and explores the global quest for justice with forceful, outstanding contributions by respected scholars, expert practitioners, and provocative contemporary artists. This profoundly humane book spotlights our historic inhumanity while offering insights for survival and transformation.

Reaching beyond sensational headlines, Land of the Unconquerable at last offers a three-dimensional portrait of Afghan women. In a series of wide-ranging, deeply reflective essays, accomplished scholars, humanitarian workers, politicians, and journalists--most with extended experience inside Afghanistan--examine the realities of life for women in both urban and rural settings. They address topics including food security, sex work, health, marriage, education, poetry, politics, prisoners, and community development. Eschewing stereotypes about the burqa, the contributors focus instead on women's empowerment and agency, and their struggles for peace and justice in the face of a brutal ongoing war. A fuller picture of Afghanistan's women past and present emerges, leading to social policy suggestions and pragmatic solutions for a peaceful future.

Reaching beyond sensational headlines, this book offers a three-dimensional portrait of Afghan women. In a series of wide-ranging, deeply reflective essays, this book examines the realities of life for women in both urban and rural settings.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART 1. The Way We Were; The Way We're Seen -- 1. Before the Wars: Memories of Childhood in the Pre-Soviet Era -- 2. Narratives of Afghan Childhood: Risk, Resilience, and the Experiences That Shape the Development of Afghanistan as a People and a Nation -- 3. Jumping Rope in Prison: The Representation of Afghan Children in Film -- PART 2. Ties That Bind: The Family in Rebound -- 4. Love, Fear, and Discipline in Afghan Families -- 5. Children Who Live with Their Mothers in Prison -- 6. Little Brides and Bridegrooms: Systemic Failure, Cultural Response -- PART 3. Survival by Any Means Possible -- 7. Confronting Child Labor -- 8. The Parakeet Boys: Performing Education in the Streets of Kabul -- 9. Child Soldiering in Afghanistan -- 10. Legal Protection: Offering Aid and Comfort -- PART 4. To Be Whole in Mind and Body -- 11. Children's Health: The Challenge of Survival -- 12. Food Security and Nutrition for Afghan Children -- 13. Desperately Seeking Harun: Children with Disabilities -- 14. "Life Feeds on Hope": Family Mental Health, Culture, and Resilience -- PART 5. Education: Nurturing the Future -- 15. Education in Transition: A Key Concern for Young Afghan Returnees -- 16. Primary and Secondary Education: Exponential Growth and Prospects for the Future -- 17. Music and Literacy: A New Approach to Education -- PART 6. Communicating Empowerment -- 18. "Thanks God for the Twitter and the Facebook! Thanks God for That!" -- 19. The New Storytellers of Afghanistan -- 20. Six Epiphanies: Testament to Change from Inside an Afghan Orphanage -- Epilogue: Imagining the Future -- Selected Bibliography and Filmography -- About the Contributors -- Index