Terrorism in Home Fire

     Home Fire's theme of terrorism is one I found particularly interesting. I think the book does a great job of humanizing terrorists, many of whom are just young people that get caught up like Parvaiz. I also read Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel, which is a story that goes to great lengths to describe precisely what creates terrorists. Most often. they are young people, who, unfortunately, are charmed by some institution. Patel doesn't necessarily forgive terrorists, but he does understand that they are more a symptom of a failure of positive institution's ability to connect with youth. 

    Parvaiz represents this exact thought. He is particularly lost, not having parents and slowly losing his sisters to their own pursuits. All of this is made worse by the society around him, which is full of Islamophobia. The Pasha family is forced to suppress their own identities and live in fear of their own homeland. This, I believe, is what makes terrorism so alluring to Parvaiz. Patel describes being saved by the YMCA. Even something as simple as a club can give a young adult a feeling of belonging, which can prevent the temptation of charming extremists like Farooq. 

    Home Fire's depiction of terrorism condemns not just the terrorists, but also the society that creates young people lost enough to be drawn into terrorism. Parvaiz is a perfect example of someone who society has pushed to the edge. The irony of fearing Muslims for being potential terrorists is that Islamophobia only creates more extremists. Karamat Lone and people like him are just as responsible for terrorism as terrorists are.

Comments

  1. Paulos HabtewoldOctober 8, 2022 at 6:38 PM

    I really like how you talked about both sides of the problem. Farooq becoming Parvaiz's role model and convincing Parvaiz to go to Syria was only possible because of the islamophobia in Britain and the situation he was in where he had no club or program to look for help. He had no safe option where he felt like he belonged, so it was much easier for him to make the decision to go to Syria.

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  2. Eloise DanielloOctober 10, 2022 at 12:08 AM

    Hey Jalen! I, too, think it does a good job of showing a different perspectives on terrorists and how there is way more to the story than people assume. Your insights on Parvaiz I agree with too. He got handed a hard life and just felt lost and misunderstood. Also, the last sentence is super interesting. People like Karamat Lone project their power and misuse it.

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  3. Andrew BautistaOctober 10, 2022 at 11:45 PM

    Nice job mentioning Acts of Faith, it's crazy just how much matches up between the two books. Indoctrination of the youth is a major theme in both stories, and it is represented very well.

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