Journal Title: International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies (IJHCS) - Year 2015, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper examines how Muslims are harshly treated after the backlash of 9/11 in in Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist and how they become victims and legitimate targets of hate crimes, negative media stereotypes, physical beatings, disappearance, racial profiling, interrogations at American airports, and detentions in secret places. It addresses how such treatment sheds light on the questions of Muslim integration in the American society, citizenship, multiculturalism, identity, and alienation, belonging, and national affiliation. It also disrupts the dominant American official discourse, which links Islam with terror and portrays Muslims as potential terrorists and a threat to America and values of Western civilization. I also argue that Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist offers a counter literary response not only to the American public rhetoric but also to the dominant literary discourses that prevailed after 9/11, inflamed the American sentiments, and consolidated stereotypes against Islam and Muslims. The study concludes that Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist renders a stark warning message, through its character (Changez) that the harsh treatment of Muslims, American domineering policies, and the blind War on Terror will force many ordinary Muslims to relinquish the American Dream, like Changez, and turn into radicals. The study also reveals that the American reaction toward Muslims after the tragic attacks on 9/11 have been blind, indiscriminate, and disproportionate to such an extent that the very concept of multiculturalism on which the American society is based is threatened. The American society will be prone to internal fissures and disintegration if they fail to accept the “Other†and fail to stop blaming all Muslims for few isolated tragic incidents that they are not actually responsible for. Finally, the research concludes that the mistreatment of Muslims, promotion of Islamophobia, and the War on Terror that followed 9/11 may lead to the exclusion and alienation of Muslims in America, disintegration of the American multicultural society, and the rise of Islamic radical groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Authors and Affiliations
Isam Shihada| Al Aqsa University, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP17256
- DOI -
- Views 123
- Downloads 2
The study aimed to formulate the content of mathematics curriculum at the level of primary school students according to the elaboration theory, and measure the effectiveness of this mathematics content to develop the a...
Schools are considered as a momentous phase in children's life as they exemplify an extensive rite of passage for active learners craving for education and educational success. Recently, the dynamics of the contemporar...
Borders are phenomena that are essentially human nature through understanding the differences between human beings, they are drawn and studies in the field of geopolitics, as a significant issue to be considered. In th...
In order to acquire dominant position in the market in today highly competitive world, it is crucially important to present high-quality products to the customers so that it can be called as a leveler to create stable...
Children all over the world have a right to education. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana even provides for Free, Compulsory, and Universal Basic Education for children in the country. This education ought to be quality so...