Research Interests
Throughout my reading of Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, there are a few topics that have struck out to me as interesting topics for research. I think that I might do my research project on the hijab and the politics associated with it. It would be interesting to learn more about what the hijab means for the Muslim community as well as the political criticisms that women might face because of the hijab. It was interesting to me how Isma and Aneeka take pride in wearing the hijab as it showcases their religion, and Aneeka also used the hijab to empower herself as a woman. I think that the hijab might have different meanings other than just religion, so it would be fun to learn more about the different views on the hijab. I think that part of the reason why Isma gets interrogated at the airport is because of the wearing of the hijab and the discrimination against it. If I do my research project on the hijab, I think I would also look into what caused people to discriminate more strongly against people wearing hijabs. I believe this has a lot to do with the 9/11.
Another topic that struck out to me was the ISIS recruitment process. I do not know much about how ISIS works, so I think researching this might help with the understanding of Parvaiz's chapters. Also, another research suggestion could be the Islam religion. Researching the Islam religion and its beliefs could be helpful as it would give us a better understanding of what exactly the characters in the book believe in religiously. It would help us understand the religious references in the book to things like Allah.
I think that your topic regarding hijabs and political implications is so cool and thought compelling. I sometimes see comments or hear the mainstream media critique Muslim women for wearing hijabs, like they aren't feminine or are being controlled by men or "extremists". I think that this topic of conversation is so riveting and will address that.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be interesting to see how the ISIS recruitment process works. It was devastating to hear how Parvaiz was recruited, so I have to wonder if cases like this happen more often than not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marc, I wonder if how Farooq was able to trick Parvaiz happens more than we think
DeleteI really like your idea of examining hijabs in the Muslim community. I think it would also be interesting to look at the differences between a turban (what Isma wears) and a hijab (what Aneeka prefers).
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ISIS recruitment process sounds interesting, especially for understanding Parvaiz's story. Just from the book, it sounds sketchy and kind of brutal, but it also seems to have worked and still be working. I'd also be curious to get deeper into research about it.
ReplyDeleteThe ISIS recruitment process is one of those odd real-world mysteries that we actually get to read about in this book. Sure, we get individual accounts of what goes on from defectors, but nobody truly knows what is going on except those who are in charge of ISIS. Good point and very interesting!
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