Hey there 🙂
According to Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, if readers consider the book as a thriller, then “they have already been afraid”. Instead of making a clear narration of the ending of his work, Hamid intentionally, as my classmate Anthony mentioned, left the “huge picture” for people to imagine and think. In other words, without any hint from the book, the only resource we can get to analyze the central idea is from both the cultural and political background of the world in recent years. In this case, if people feel strained and anxious after reading the book, then their response clearly demonstrates the fact that: we are now helplessly living in a tense situation filled with numerous security propaganda which we are suffered from. Then, here is the question, since a culture of fear has been swirling around the world, who are the real victims of it? And whether those so-called “victims” really fit into the frame?
The most magnificent point of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, in my perspective, is that Hamid depicts a culture of fear but with no further insights or explanations. Readers are exposed to such an inspiring condition to figure it out by themselves. No matter in the novel or real world, the United States seems like a permanent owner of the tag: a culture of fear. From national governments to local organizations, the propaganda of fighting against terrorism, including setting the Homeland Security Advisory System, indirectly push American people into the terror from time to time. Actually, what we cannot deny is that as a “favorite” attacking aim for terrorists, America can act as the victim of the game. However, instead of making a response like “Ok, you attacked me, then I will punish you attackers”, the United States took a much more radical attitude towards the attack: “Ok, you attacked me, then everyone sharing the same cultural or blood relationship with you will all go to heck”. To some extent, it seems that the real game has just begun after a series of terrorist attacks since 9/11 and this time America may not enjoy the title of “victim” anymore. So, where has the label gone?
Of course, innocent people like Changze who belong to Muslim but have nothing to do with the terrorism relay the baton. Raising the flag of Humanity (for its own citizens), America has taken an extremely sensitive position towards Muslims. Standing with American people, it is right and justifiable, but what about the situation of other innocent Muslims from the Middle East? It seems that these people are too foreign, like Changze, so they must be excluded from the scope of humanity by the United States. For instance, whenever people from the Middle East enter American airport, they are suffered from the fear of being detained. Why? Because they are Muslims with the beard, so they are treated as “bad” guys who may plant a bomb somewhere. Although the logic sounds unfair, that’s what actually happened nowadays. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changze acts as a representative of a particular group, living a life that each Muslim who seeks for life opportunities and success in America may have to go through. Therefore, comparing to innocent Muslims, American people are definitely not or not the only one who bear the pressure of culture of fear.
There’s no reason to doubt the existence of the other side of a coin when we see a coin dropped on the ground with just one side upward, nor do our comprehensive perspectives of a culture of fear. No one owns the dominant power over the tag. Under the propaganda of American cultural of fear, Muslims, no matter you’re “good” or not, all have to walk in the shadow everyday. In order to provide security for their citizens, western countries make a huge effort to play up the negative image of countries which may be a hidden threat. Such a humanity, just like the coin on the ground, could show one side of it but hide another one forever as if it doesn’t exist. In other words, no one owns the privilege of humanity. Far from spreading and sharing the culture of fear like a joy to everyone, the real humanity is the one which still pursues justice for the innocent even if something unpleasant happens.
Thanks for reading.
Recent Comments