Introduction
The personal identity of an individual is a highly complex set of factors that often influence each other reciprocally, and thus they all should be taken into account when discussing a person’s character. Among numerous such factors, it is possible to mention the following: the societal circumstances in which a person grows up, the impact of his or her parents’ beliefs about life and religion; the person’s childhood experiences, both joyful and traumatic, et cetera.
The book under consideration. “Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan,” written by Ali Eteraz, represents the story about the growth and continuous changes of the author’s identity, which is largely determined by his Islamic background as well as his teenage and young adult years in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to overview the book’s principal aspects to understand which lessons from it might contribute to a better social experience and personal growth.
The Book’s Narration as the Journey of the Author
The book is subdivided into five principal parts, and each of them is dedicated to the description and reflection over a particular period in the life of the author. The narration takes the approach which is considered common in religious or spiritual writings and stories: the motif of a journey that explores the individual’s evolution of self-understanding and spiritual maturation. Therefore, it would be logical to elaborate on each of the chapters in particular to understand the experience of the author.
The Promised
The first chapter of the book is highly significant for the overall understanding of the book’s message as it provides the context in which the rest of the narration should be perceived. The chapter describes the author’s childhood in Pakistan, a traditional Muslim country. Along with vivid descriptions of rural life in the desert Pakistani village and sentiments of the youth, the book offers a fundamental problem, which later will be the controversial leitmotif of the author’s life and search for his true personality. Eteraz’s father made a covenant with Allah, a mannat, that his son would grow to be a pious and faithful servant of Islam (15). In the following subsections, the burden of this promise on the author’s life will be revealed.
The American
In the second chapter, the author’s family moves to America since Pops, the father of Eteraz is allowed to work as a doctor there. The author, which was given the birth name of Abir ul Islam, which translates as “perfume of Islam,” changes it to Amir. This is the first instance in the book when Eteraz changes his name. These changes represent his growing feeling of uncertainty about his faith and complicated attitude toward Islam, as would be evident further. However, this particular chapter captures the author’s teenage years, and it exemplifies a very typical story of a teenager who distances himself or herself from their parents.
The Fundamentalist
The third chapter represents another turning point in the life of Eteraz. First of all, he discovers that he is the descendant of Abu Bakr Siddiq, who was the first Caliph of the Islamic world and the companion of the Prophet Muhhamed (229). Secondly, he enters the college in Manhattan and starts his education. He ponders profoundly over his faith, and he eventually becomes a fundamentalist, who sees extremism and secularism as primary opponents of Islam. Eteraz considers Osama bin Laden as another messianic pretender, who is, in fact, an opportunist and the enemy of the Islamic world.
Simultaneously, the author dismisses secularist approaches as well. Additionally, the chapter exemplifies the author’s discontent with the inability to find himself a bride that would share his orthodox views. The chapter ends with a plot twist that could only be found in real life: the author discovers that he is the descendant of a Hindu convert, and as he visits Pakistan after a long time abroad, he finds himself as a stranger in his homeland, which is full of Taliban proponents.
The Postmodern
The experiences of visiting Pakistan spur another turn in the spiritual and intellectual life of Eteraz. As he enters Christian university in Atlanta, he starts to study postmodern philosophy, which serves the purpose of taking revenge for the lack of understanding that he felt during the visit to Pakistan. This chapter portrays the author from a slightly different perspective: we see him as an egoist, whose pride is hurt by the fact that Muslims in his homeland did not recognize him as a pious follower of Islam. However, Etera still feels as he is obliged to follow his father’s covenant, and thus he becomes the President of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) in his university. At this point in his life, the author uses his religion as the extension of his social status rather than a sacred obligation to serve God.
The Reformer
The fifth chapter of the book represents the final turning point in the life of Eteraz. After the attack on Twin Towers on 9/11, the author loses his job, money, apartment, and friends to find people who would join him in his quest of reforming Islam. The path to the final revelation is not easy for the author, but finally, he finds people who are also interested in the same idea. For the last time, the author changes his name to Ali Eteraz, which translates as “noble protest,” and this name is in full accordance with the new approach of the author to his religious beliefs (388). With his friend Ziad, he strives to emphasize such aspects of Islam as peacefulness, justice, and equality.
The Comparison of Pakistan and America in the Context of the Islamic Ethos
It is apparent that in Pakistan, Islam is a traditional religion that is confessed by the majority of the population. However, in the United States, Eteraz encounters new social circumstances, in which religion is largely separated from social life. As it was already mentioned, secularism caused the author to question his faith, for example, when he studied philosophy at the university. Moreover, when the author comes back to Pakistan to visit his relatives, he discovers that people in his homeland do not perceive him as a pious Muslim, even though Eteraz considers himself to be the one. This situation exemplifies the fact that a person could be misunderstood in his or her community. It is also possible to suggest that this conflict was caused by the fact that Eteraz was influenced by life in the United States, yet he could not realize this impact to the full extent until he visited his homeland.
Islam in Contemporary Pakistan
The discussion of the role of Islam in contemporary Pakistan is an important aspect of the book. In the same situation, which was observed in the previous section, the author discovers that Pakistani Muslims are vastly impacted by the ideology of the Taliban. It was also mentioned previously that Eteraz perceived Osama bin Laden as the false leader of the Islamic world, and when the author discovered that bin Laden has so many proponents in Pakistan he was shocked. The expression of Islam in contemporary Pakistan, as the author describes it, became military-centered and aggressive. Arguably, this experience was one of the reasons why Eteraz finally decided to be the reformer of Islam by working toward the creation of the religion of equality and peace.
Conclusions about the Lessons Learned
Finally, it is essential to dwelling upon the discussion of the lessons that could be learned from the book and applied to the current societal circumstances. First of all, it should be stated that the book under discussion represents an honest and intelligent story about the quest for finding a personal identity that is not biased and truthful. In my opinion, every person who reads this book would acquire a more profound understanding of how to accept oneself and how to always strive for seeking the personal identity. Arguably, numerous people could be influenced by society too easily, and thus they might find themselves in the situation of losing their individuality.
Another lesson that should be learned is, of course, that the relationship between the Islamic world and the United States, despite being considerably complicated and often conflicting, could be the platform for dialog between two cultures. The author’s quest for finding a personal identity is largely determined by the conflict between his Islamic upbringing and experiences of Western society. Finally, he comes to terms with these opposing aspects of his individuality, and it might be the most important lesson that should be learned from his book.
Work Cited
Eteraz, Ali. Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan. Harper Collins, 2009.