The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is my favorite book that we have read this semester. Not only is it a very interesting and compelling book, but it is also very uniquely written. The Brooklyn Rail describes it as "Fascinating, haunting...what makes this novel such an absorbing read is the unsettling dialogue it creates within the reader. its minimalism, which leaves room for argument, also renders our complicity, forcing us to actively talk back." This novel forced me to form my own opinions and challenged me to think more critically on certain issues. It also gives readers a sense of what it is like to be a Pakistan living in America. For example,e Changez declares "being of a suspect race, I was quarantined and subjected to additional inspection"(Hamid 157). Personally, I have never had this problem, because I am white, but I have friends who have undergone situations like Changez experienced. It is not fair to be discriminated against because of race, but I see where people think more inspection is necessary in order to maintain security and safety. However, this has led to many stereotypes. Changez is often looked down upon or treated differently because of his race. He states "you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Americans are all undercover assassins"(Hamid 183). People often make the assumption that because someone if Pakistani, then they could be a terrorist. Loewen frequently talks about these sort of stereotypes throughout Lies My Teacher Told Me. Loewen believes that teachers and textbooks do not teach about this sort of thing and instead spend time on issues that are less relevant.
I was shocked when I read the part about Changez's reaction to 9/11. After watching the twin towers collapse on television, he smiled and said "Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased"(Hamid 72). This is because he was "caught up in the symbolism of it all, the fact that someone had so visibly brought America to her knees" (Hamid 73). His reaction is surprising to us, but Americans are often not so innocent themselves. For example, U.S. troops killed Osama this past week and millions of Americans are rejoicing and celebrating his death. Newspaper headlines range from "Burn in Hell" to "The Bastard id Dead." People are reacting to this situation just as bad or even worse than Changez reacted to 9/11. The reason that these topics are so interesting to us is because "Emotion is the glue that causes history to stick"(Loewen 342). When things in history affect us emotionally, we are more intrigued by it. We want to learn more about it and we become very emotionally when the topic comes up.