Prompt: 1. What has sparked your research interest so far in your reading of Shamsie's novel? What has been mentioned or referred to that you would like to know more about? Include ideas for your classmates who may be looking for research excursion topics. Be creative!
After reading the first five sections of Home Fire, I have compiled a small list of topics that I would like to know more about. This includes the difference between hijabs and turbans, muslim womens' autonomy to wear/not wear a hijab, what a shalwar kameez is, the IRA's London bombing in 1939, and learning more about the events of Guantanamo that are referenced in the novel. At the moment, I am strongly considering focusing my research excursion on the topic of female autonomy with regards to the hijab. I believe that this topic would not only be extremely informative since I do not know much about it, but also very importantly related to current events in Iran. On September 16, 22 year-old Mahsa Amini was killed after being taken into custody in Tehran for not wearing her hijab properly. Since then, there have been many demonstrations of protest. Women, especially those of younger generations, have been taking to the street to fight the history of oppression related to the obligation of wearing a hijab. I believe this topic would help me better understand the greater theme of religion in the chapter, specifically the intersection of religion and gender. This topic specifically reminds me of the first scene at the airport, during which Isma is being questioned and having her bag searched because of her race and religion. I just think it would be interesting to understand the history of wearing a hijab, why it is required to be worn, and whether or not there is any impending change on that.
Hi Audrey, the hijab is a great topic to do research in and I agree that it is extremely relevant in current times. Not wearing the hijab correctly or wearing one at all as a Muslim woman when around people not in your intermediate family is undoubtably a sin in Islam. However, that does not mean that the punishment should be death or even anything close, just as how lying is not punishable by death in Islam. While Muslim woman should wear hijabs according to their religious laws, the punishment humans should give out for woman not doing so is not stated in the Quran (the holy text of Islam), so the punishment given out by religious elders is of their own volition and the harshness of this punishment is proof of the oppression Muslim woman are fighting against. Good luck on your research!
ReplyDeleteHi Audrey, I loved how you are connecting a piece of the book and important symbol (the hijab and how it relates to the female characters) with a current event that is sadly playing out in the Middle East. I think that the hijab is such a great topic to research because there are very polarizing opinions about it and I think that this topic is something that many non-Muslim people are unfamiliar with. It will be great to hear where this research takes you and what opinions you are left with.
ReplyDeleteHi Audrey! I really loved this post. It was so interesting how you connected something in the novel to a current event. I think this connection makes your research topic that much more relevant and may inspire you to dive deeper into it. I'm super interested in this topic too as I am also unfamiliar with hijabs and turbans. It fascinates me as well and I can't wait to hear about what you discover!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Audrey! I really like how you have a lot of different topics you're interested in. I also think it is super important that you're deciding to do a research excursion on a current event. Sometimes it's difficult to join our real lives and our academic lives, so this topic would be fascinating. I also think Shamsie really highlights this experience of oppression with Isma's visit to the airport. It's horrifying that women are continuing to suffer through under oppressive government authority.
ReplyDeleteThe connection to this current event sadly also reminds me of the scene in the novel where Parvaiz is forced to choose between helping the woman who isn't wearing a hijab and his acceptance by the other ISIS members. It's devastating for him but of course also costs the woman her life.
ReplyDelete