Identity and Victimization of the Muslims in America: A Literary Study

Created differently, human beings identify themselves with what they have and what they aspire to have. But at times, though not very often, some incidents and circumstances bring people to such a crucial point in their lives that they have to prove or disapprove, show or conceal their identities to ward off existential crises. 9/11 was one such incident that divided the global world into two halves, Muslim, and non-Muslim. Muslims, wherever they were in European countries, especially in America – the center of the so-called civilized world, were seen as enemies and uncivilized. Such debates were raised worldwide in different fields of inquiry including literature. This research tries to explore the identity crises of immigrant Muslims in The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid and Home Boy by Mohsin Naqvi. The study shows that protagonists of both these novels were considered progressive and civilized before the fall of the twin towers but immediately after that they were labelled negatively even though they were not directly or indirectly involved in acts of terrorism on American or any other soil. The sudden and undeserved typecasting, otherization and marginalization of Muslim lovers of America made them rethink, redefine, and restructure their identities