“How do you tell an artist – or a kuni for that matter – to stop being himself?”
(kuni is a slang/derogatory term used in Afghanistan during the 1970s when referring to a gay man)
Nemat Sadat’s The Carpet Weaver is a story of questioning traditions in the face of strong political upheaval. It is a romantic story that’s not like any other. It is the manifesto of navigating through a homophobic culture and achieving freedom on one’s own terms.
The coming-of-age story of a young, gay Afghani boy takes place in 1970s Afghanistan, a country wrapped in political tension with a civil war brewing up. Sadat places this tale in the middle of such a setting and sprinkles in a forbidden homosexual romance in the face of a blatantly homophobic environment. This presence of love in the background of civil wars in Afghanistan provides an interesting antithesis and further contributes to the feeling of ‘love is war’ because homosexual love is, indeed, a political war.
Author’s Style
Nemat Sadat, an openly gay man, is one of the first Afghans to have come out, and his activism for LGBTQ+ rights is notable among the Muslim community. Today, he lives in New York, USA. Him living as a gay man in Aghanistan, being persecuted and eventually moving to America, implies an autobiographical influence on his debut novel The Carpet Weaver. While it is a fictional story, it can be easily deduced that some major milestones of the protagonist’s life might overlap with Sadat’s own experiences. The audience that Sadat invites through his novel is that of South Asian Muslims who belong to the LGBTQ+ community who either dream of moving or have moved to the West, seeking acceptance in a more progressive society.
Sadat's style of writing is lucid; the narration is easily trackable and not confusing. The lack of complex narration, however, does not reduce the beauty of the story. In fact, the rawness of the language makes the reader confront reality in a more direct manner. There are many instances in the novel where the protagonist recounts verses by Rumi and other folktales. And the romantic plot of the novel is beautifully placed with parallels from such myths and legends; no one can deny that homophobia is a bigger villain than any in a love story.
‘Traitors’ to a culture
The book begins with the verbal criminalization of queerness by the protagonist’s godfather in the middle of the celebration of his sixteenth birthday – i.e. his entrance into the adult world. This kicks the reader right into the middle of homophobia, exposing the intolerant setting of the story. The novel progresses to showcase a closeted Kanishka Nurzada traversing through the politically and culturally unstable city of Kabul, Afghanistan in the late 20th century.
Kanishka’s father, or ‘Baba’ as he calls him, is himself concocting a revolt against the established regime. His alliance with the Maoists (social revolutionists who are inspired by Mao Tse Tung) and his defiance when it comes to marrying out of the community is juxtaposed with Kanishka’s identity and sexuality. Both of them are ‘traitors’ to the culture and politics of Afghanistan in their own ways. Even their visits to the hammam (a communal bathhouse) in the first part of the novel puts forth their separate ideas of rebellion. While his father sees the hammam as a safe space to discuss his Maoist ideas, Kanishka himself is more focused on the attractive men and views it as a place where the kuniha (a slang for the community of gay men) can indulge in their sexuality.
Internalized homophobia
There are significant portrayals of internalized homophobia that Kanishka harbors, given his socialization into a society that deems sodomites or homosexuals as sinful folk. He often wishes that he were straight and questions his masculinity.
The question of being a real man in the face of homosexuality is often raised by other characters which further intensifies Kanishka’s own internalized homophobia, and he questions his own abilities as the real man. He does so even after killing the goons at the prisoners’ camp and saving his family from death. This display of self-hatred and the desire to be ‘normal’ is especially relatable to the LGBTQ+ people who belong to conservative Asian families.
Sexuality is not limited to sex
Kanishka’s romantic experiences are aptly portrayed by Sadat in the novel. His aversion to touching a girl and his undeniable sexual arousal on seeing grown men is described vividly. As a coming-of-age novel, we see the protagonist struggling with his sexual maturation as his libidinal response to the ruthless sexual assault from a tyrant-like figure of Tor Gul is to indulge in sexual exploitation rather than fight it. He craves sexual degradation from older men which could be read as a result of his repressed sexuality.
Even though he saves the lives of his family, his mother never accepts his sexuality. She detests it and eventually learns to ignore it but never embraces Kanishka as a gay man. His sister, on the contrary, is his true companion. It is she who makes him realize that what he had always sought was not Maihan (his first love) but acceptance from his loved ones. This becomes an important part of Kanishka’s character development as he stops seeking sexual gratification and romantic indulgence. He realizes his identity is not limited to simply seeking the arms of a strong man but is much more nuanced than that. His identity as a gay man is not simply hiding in a closet, kissing a boy, but it is made up of rejections, trauma, acceptance, love, and familial strength.
The symbolism of the carpet
The Carpet Weaver holds a multitude of meanings in its title. Afghani and Persian rugs and carpets are world-renowned art and hold significance in the economic sense. It is this business of carpets that kept the Nurzada family sustained through the years (except later when Baba’s shop was confiscated). Kanishka’s artistic abilities had always drawn him to the business but his Baba believed this field to be too confining and socially inferior. He tries to repress the artist in Kanishka (which could be a metaphor for repressing his sexuality). However, later in the novel, it is through carpet weaving that Kanishka is able to sustain his family and save them from death.
The metaphor of carpet has been used throughout the novel through various proverbs and poetic verses but mostly, the carpet in the novel is the symbol of life and the stories life carries within itself. The designs Kanishka weaves on the carpet at Haftballa are full of his love for Maihan; it is this love that saves his life. Throughout the novel, Kanishka weaves the carpet of his life. It is the symbol of art, love, and perseverance. While a carpet is seen as a luxury for the buyer, it is the weaver of that carpet who knows about the hardships and pain that come with it. The Carpet Weaver is, therefore, the perfect metaphor for a life which might seem happy and gay (pun intended), but behind the rich carpet-like veil, it hides several scars of trauma.
This book is a must-read if you are looking for an unconventional coming-of-age novel or if you are trying to find a good book under the LGBTQ+ literature. Though it can be read as a romance novel, if you are looking for a story with a typical ‘happily ever after’, this one might not be for you. Sadat’s narration is lucid enough for novice readers and therefore, this novel is also a good recommendation for beginners.
Writer: Yashica Editor: Yelil Perumal, Cam Khalid
Designer: Kayleen Lee
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