The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan

by Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller

He taught me to practice my religion in action—not just in thought. He was adamant that a true Muslim didn’t kill other people in order to force their religion on them or hurt other people in a business or personal dispute.

My mother, Miriam, was a Muslim,

Though she was a Siddiqui—an ancient family that traced its ancestors back to a relative of Muhammad,

The years between 1965 and 1978 were the times of the greatest democratic and modern reforms in the history of Afghanistan.

I flopped onto the grass, my face in the muddy water. What had I done to deserve this? Tears erupted, racking my body with uncontrollable sobs. I couldn’t understand why she would leave me behind.

talk to anyone here. Don’t trust anyone.

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.