The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan

by Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller

I am one fabric of existence: a tapestry of past and present.

The world was opening up for her the way the petals of a flower unfold in the sunshine.

“One cannot exist with a heart torn in half between two loves, two decisions, or two worlds, because it will eventually break in two.”

I had witnessed up close how rude and violent men were determined to force their version of love and safety on others using guns and blood. It didn’t matter what the men called it, political order or religious fervor, it was all from the same place—the hellish dark side of man that is motivated by hate.

Their actions were motivated by hate. Hate is not from God. People who use religion to hate can’t love God. It is impossible.

An even deeper mystery I wrestled with was that I believed we existed in the hands of God. He evidently carries us with a light touch. He does not clench his fist around us and force any of us to hate or love—these are choices.