Religious and Racial Profiling in Mohsin Hamid's Novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist"

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Methodology
1.3 Aims of the Research
1.4 Significance of the Research

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

3. DISCUSSION

4. Conclusion

5. References

ABSTRACT

The paper under study is about the plight of the Muslims of the world especially living in America because of religious discriminations. This discrimination is the result of the religious profiling of the media and the institutions which are working to spread the ideology of the West to the rest. They are making white of black. Everything is under their control so they manipulate the facts. Many Asian writers have tried to portray the true picture of the scene but still it is a great crisis need to be resolved. This paper will usher the core issues resulting from the religious profiling with the references from the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, written by Mohsin Hamid in the context of post-9/11 milieu of the world, especially about the dealing with the Muslims.

Keywords: Muslims, discrimination, profiling, post-9/11 milieu, Mohsin Hamid.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1- Introduction

September 11, 2015 was a date of changing world’s scenario. The people’s behaviour and attitude have been changed after the disaster of 9/11 in the USA. USA attacked on Afghanistan and Iraq in the revenge of her own destruction of World Trade Centre. USA became more sensitive to her security. The people living in every corner of the world suffered because of this security issue especially Muslims of the world faced serious problems because of this treatment. They are facing identity crisis in the Europe and the USA. They are being treated discriminately everywhere. The dresses, physical appearances and the traditions of the Muslims are considered as the symbol of terror and horror everywhere. They are maltreated in every field of life not only in the non-Muslim countries, but in some Muslim countries as well. This is called religious profiling when a person is considered different because of his/her religious beliefs. Sam Harris states about the psyche of the Muslims that they are religious robots; they do not think what is right or wrong. He says that the Muslims believe “Saddam may have tortured and killed more Muslims than any person in living memory, but the Americans are the "enemies of God." (Harris 128) Harris writes that the Muslims are the “people who hold beliefs for which there is no rational justification”. (Harris 128) He says that “Islam has bloody borders.” (Harris 130) Through this discourse Sam Harris tries to portray Muslims as fundamentalists and extremists. Americans are in schizophrenic and paranoiac conditions. They feared every man having beard on his face or a woman having veil on her body. Much literature has been written to highlight this problem to the world. Writers like John Updike, Sam Harris and Mohsin Hamid are considered the top icon of this genre of literature written in the post 9/11 situation of the world. This paper is about the religious and racial profiling of Muslims in the United States. It roots out the aftermath of this profiling in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a best seller novel. Most of the novels of Mohsin Hamid have innovative ideas. He focuses on the sensitive issues of the day. The current study is an illustration of his idea of religious profiling.

1.2- Methodology

The researcher has used qualitative research and collected data from different sources. The books in print and in soft forms have been used as a source of data collection. The researcher has also read different articles about the phenomenon of religious profiling. This research is descriptive piece of work to analyze the idea of religious profiling in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a novel by a Pakistani writer, Mohsin Hamid. He was born and grew up in Lahore. He studied in Princeton University and also attended Harvard Law School. He worked as management consultant in New York for many years. His first novel Moth Smoke got much popularity in literary circles. Now he lives, writes and works in the UK. While close reading of the novel, the researcher has dig out the problem of religious profiling and its impact on a man’s personality.

1.3- Aims of the Research

- The research will prove that discrimination of any type leads to hatred.
- It is to prove that a man’s personality is driven by his inner feelings and attitudes of the people towards him.
- It is to prove that The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an illustration of religious profiling of the Muslims in America.

1.4- Significance of the Research

There are two main reasons of the significance of the research. First, in the current scenario of the world, terrorism is being associated only with the Muslims because of media profiling, despite of the fact that Islam strictly bans any type of facade in a peaceful environment. Secondly, it is essential to inform the world that Islam rejects it and some Muslim writers also wrote about this cruelty. Muslims are being treated as terrorist. After a glance at this piece of research, the readers shall easily understand about the phenomenon of religious profiling and especially its impact on the Muslims.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

There are proofs that from historic times, man is being treated according to his race, religion, sex and country. The construction of one’s identity with respect to these standards is called ‘profiling’ of his identity. This is basically a concept of self and other or discriminating one from his or her surrounding milieu. The people have been disregarded and mistreated because of their identities. The Holocaust by Hitler, the crusades, slave-trade between Americas and Africa, the Protestant-Catholic warfare, Puritan brutalities, the massacre during the division of Hindustan in 1947, etc. are examples of religious and racial profiling.

In the most recent scenario, the Muslims of the world are at the top of the list. They are being discriminated from the other identities of the world. Despite of the fact that Islam means ‘peace’, the terror and horror are being associated with this religion. The attack on the World Trade Centre in the United States became the initiative of this profiling. Muslim children, young men, old women of all ages are being harassed physically and mentally. They are punched and tortured in many of European and American states. The masjids and other holy places of the Muslims are being polluted with the flesh of pigs and wine. The term ‘islamist’ and ‘terrorist’ are being considered as synonyms.

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