Essays

Selim and „ My son the fanatic“

On the 7th of July, 2005, the British people have been concussed by the most fatal islamic suicide attack in their history, which required 56 dead and over 700 casualties.
The assasins were 4 young guys of pakistani origin, who holded the government and Tony Blair accountable for the attacks and claimed that their terrorist group carries on a war against the demogratic british society and will maintain their ground.
As signified in this declaration, the motive for their act was an abysmally hate against the british or even the whole western society.
As religious fanatism like this isn’t an inborn disease, you have to ask yourself: What kind of social circumstances and cultural backgrounds create a fanatic? And furthermore: Do all their biographies somehow correspond to a pattern?
In order to answer this question I decided to compare two fictional characters who seem to have so much in common at the first sight: Selim Khan, an about 20 year old character from Amanda Craigs novel „Hearts and Minds“ and Ali, an about 19 year old figure from Hanif Kureishis shortstory „ My son the fanatic“.
To satisfy the complex structure oft he human mind, I will examine and compare several areas of their lifes and, according to our initial question, the circumstances which caused their gradual development to muslim fundamentalists, completed by some general facts about their whole appearence and the consequences of their attitudes.
As their names already suggest, both of them have a mideastern background; a pakistani to be exact, but they were born and raised in Great Britain. Selim lives together with his father Tariq, his mother and his two younger siblings Amir and Chandra in the northern suburbs of London. Though the family is dependent on Tariqs quite small salary as a minicap driver, they actually lack for nothing. All in all, the interaction between the different family members, despite Selim, is respectful but also very warm-heartened and open at the same time.
Unlike Selim, Ali has been actually the only one in his family, which includes his father Parvez, his mother and him, who enjoyed a privileged lifestyle as his father worked very hard since his sons birth to offer his boy a good education and a proper lifestyle in other ways as well, which suggests that this family is dependent on Ali’s little salary as a taxidriver as well, but this small amount of prosperity isn’t equally shared within the family. Other than in Selim’s case, a more mistrustful, cold and secretive atmosphere dominates in this small family.
In order to work out the reasons for the alarming development of these two young men, it’s most interesting to look at the two father-figures and especially their attitude towards life and religion. Tariq Khan is described as a very dignified, dominant, but still open-minded and caring man and father. He is aware of his pakistani origin and his religios faith and tries to integrate it in the families daily routine as good as possible, but without forcing anything upon somebody. Parvez in contrast has nearly nothing of a dignified, authentic man as he is obviously an insecure, mistrustful person who drowns his sorrows in drink. Though he claims not to be religious since his childhood, he is a Muslim when it suits him, which is, for instance, underlined by his dominant behaviour towards his wife, and somehow pressurizes his son to get a good graduation, a proper job and to found a family one day.
Even at this point you can state that Ali and Selim grew up in pretty different familiar surroundings despite their common ethnical and cultural background.
As far as it concerns me, the most remarkable thing about these two family stories is that both fathers try to teach their sons an open-minded, tolerant point of view, even if Ali breaks his silence when it’s already to late. At the turning point of the story he seeks a talk with his son and says things like: „ One day we’ll all die, but while I’m on earth, I want to make the best of my life. And I want you, to, as well!“ or „ people have to treat one another with respect!“
Tariqs attitude doen’t differ that much from Ali’s in this area despite the fact that he’s more influenced by his islamic belief, but he believes in a human, tolerant exercise of religion and doesn’t have any features of a fanatic.
As neither a non-religious man nor a humane, liberal- minded Muslim can form the basis for such radical religious fundamentalism, we have to look for answers to our intial question in some other areas.
One further thing the two families have in common is that they, despite their fanatic sons, have anything but an anti-western mentality. Tariq and Ali came to Great Britain voluntarily and are aware of the unique freedoms the western society offers. This thesis can be proved by quotes like „This is my country now. My children are British, though they do not feel it.“(Tariq) and „ You’re not in a village anymore; this is England and we have to fit in“ (Ali). I think the only difference is that Ali tries to enforce the integration of him and his family into the british society and is hardly aware of his pakistani origin. Tariq by contrast managed it to find a balance between integration and a healthy form of religous and national consciousness.
This implies that at least Ali’s antiwestern fanatism may have been, among others, an act of defiance as reaction to the more or less egocentric plans of his father to live his unsuccessful British dream through his son.
As your familiar setting is only one part of your life which shapes your character, I would like to compare Selim and Ali in their remaining social life as well.
Both of them have been good, if not outstanding students. At the time Ali startet to undergo this strange development, he was about to get his graduation, he had a lot of english friends as well as an english girlfriend and he was a talented sportsman. His relationship to his family members and to the rest of his social contacts is described as uncomplicated and no exact signal for the further development can be identified in his former biography. All in all, he conveys the impression to be a well-integrated and also well-liked citizen of the western society. Selim Khan attended the Samuel Smiles school, just like his younger brothers, and the unsustainable conditions and furthermore the cruel interaction between the students in general obviously left an imprint on Selim. After his suicide attack, several former teachers and schoolmates described Selim as just an „ordinary teenager“ (P. 35 and that nobody suspected what was going to happen as „ nobody knew anything, except that he was a bit of a loner“ (P. 35.
Other than in Ali’s case, the reader gets to know about the different incidents in Selim’s life which formed his character to the one of an antiwestern fanatic. In school he has been regulary bullied by some Bengalis and Bangladeshis as he hadn’t the same cultural background than themselves and was therefore treaten like a misfit, not least because the Samuel Smiles is dominated by these two nationalities. In the course ofhis further climb-down he joined several gangs, became a drug addict and totally got beyond control in general. In order to get his son back on the straight and narrow, Tariq sent him to Pakistan. This stay is outlined as the origin of Selim’s deep religiousness.
So far you can register that the personal background of a fanatic doesn’t always give clear answers to the question about the exact reason for his fanatism. Not even the incident with the beating at Selim’s former school can be seen as basis for an antiwestern mentality offhand because the offenders were Muslims like he is.
Before I come to my conclusion, I would like to look to this two young men’s behaviour ,after their doubtful attitude became obvious, in detail.
Both of them get rid of their material belongings, whereby their books, which probably serve as symbols for western literatur and education, are especially underlined by the two authors. They start to isolate, at least emotionally, from their families and friends, whereas you have to add that Selim loses no opportunity to indoctrinate his younger siblings with his fanatic ideas. With this intention he comes across fertile ground at Amir and Chandra, as they are very frustrated about the conditions at the Samual Smiles themselves at the moment.
Ali more and more avoids any contact with his father, who tries to find out about the reasons for his strange attitudes by hard, but in the wron ways. At their very view, if any encounters Ali holds the unislamic lifestyle of his father against him and even predicts him that he will go to hell. We don’t get to know too much about the people they spend their time with now, but Ali regulary resides at the mosque and says to his father that he doesn’t have time for him as he has „ an important meeting“, which suggest, that he prefers to surround himself with like-minded people. Also Selim had some accomplices for his suicide attack, as a police report suggests.
The very last interesting issue I would like to examine is to what extent these two guys live up to their own ideals. Obviously, their statements about the western civilisation are quite similar („he says we are corrupted by the west“-Selim; „The western materialists hate us. How can you love sth. that hates you?“-Ali); but if you look at the way how they defend the ideals which result from these accusations in the practical transaction, Ali is actually the only one who develops to a „prime example“ of a pious muslim. He prays five times a day, goes regulary tot he mosque, follows strict the guidelines oft he koran ( no alcohol, „antipathie towards prostitutes...) and also adopts the „typical“ outward appearence of a Muslim ( beard etc.). The quote „ We will be glad to give our lifes fort he cause“ indicates that he would be willing to draw the same consequences from his attitude towards the west like Selim (suicide bombing). Selim by contrast accuses the west for opressing „his people“ ( the Muslims) as well, but he doesn’t appear like a good Muslim himself, which is underlined by the fact, that he visited Sergei’s and Dimitri’s brothel a few times and brought some bottles of Whiskey with him as well.

Ultimately I would like to draw the conclusion that there’s actually not a biography which predetermines somebody to become a fanatic, terrorist etc., though these two characters might exhibit some significant similarities.
But for all that you have to remark that neither the western society nor the Islam can be generalized as fatal institutions which opress ethnical and social minorities and therefore create phenomenons like terrorism. They share a more a less equal guilt for these trends, which are, from my point of view, mainly caused by a lack of communication and tolerance on both sides.
As a reaction tot he attacks of „7/7“, mosques in whole Britain had been damaged and set ablaze by white British citizens and a 48-year old Pakistani had been even bullied to death. As violence breeds more violence, we will never have a peaceful coexistence of the different in Europe and the world if we continue with this kind of social intercourse.
As not all Muslims are fanatics and not all Christians are intolerant egomanicals, I may close this essay with a quote from Hearts and Minds:
„There are as many kinds of Muslims as there are Christians“ (Job).