In the play Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar, he discusses the characters and their views on Islam and the bitterness and gratification that lies within Amir, giving us an insider of his life. Amir has heavily neglected Islam and portraits it has a pessimistic religion because of how Islam is quickly linked to radicalism and terror, due to that, he encounters with racism and oppression throughout his day to day life because of his Pakistani descent, which causes him to refine his last name from Abdullah that is very much a common Muslim last name to Kapoor. In his defense he felt like it was obligatory to hide is religion and background to be able to move forward in his workforce which happens to work in his favor. Amir was now working as an acquisitions specialist with a Jewish law firm.
Amir’s relationship with Islam is very much complex and a contradiction of his identity. During the reading of the play, Amir has appeared to be someone who is not devoted to the religion entirely. In Islam, there is a religious restriction on the consumption of pork and how it is a sin, but to Amir, it was a meal that he enjoys to devour. “ Emily: I made pork tenderloin, and guess what… they had La Tur! And that liver mousses you love so much. Amir: Great.” however Amir is unbothered by it, indicating his unfaithfulness to his deen. He has even gone to the point to profess to rebut to be Muslim. “ I'm not Muslim I'm an apostate. Which mean I ’ve renounced my faith.” his reasoning to renounce his faith was because he doesn't see eye to eye with Islam, how the Qur'an is just about extremism to him. Amir then further on explains that Muslims don’t have a sense of thought is all about submission to the religion, claiming passages in the Quran is a “very long hate mail letter to humanity” which verifies his bitterness regarding Islam. Throughout the play we see Amir struggle with self-loathing. When Amir and Isaac were having a discussion about feeling secure at the airport, he narrates it has being a “nightmare”, and he just turns himself to the security beforehand since they are already prejudging him as a terrorist. He then follows that up and states “ the next terrorist attack is probably gonna come from some guy who more or less like me.” indicating that people have every justification to marginalize people like him because of the way the media demonstrates middle eastern Muslim in that set of light. which are dangerous stereotypes that are linked to terrorism and extremism which is socially-accepted cruelty of American society that he has adapted and applied it to his western lifestyle. Though amir works for a Jewish law firm and is able to buy a six-hundred-dollar Charvet shirt, Isaac who is Amir's colleague husbands believe that Amir wears these expensive clothing to hide his self-hatred to conform into a society he feels like Amir doesn't belong. “Amir: The question? Isaac: Of your place. For the viewer, of course. Not you. It’s a painting, after all..”No matter how much Amir feel like he tries to avoid his heritage, he still is seen as a Pakistani Muslim man and can’t escape it.
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From an early age on Amir knew that his upbringing was different from his white friends. As he told his nephew Abe and his wife Emily (American artist, influenced by Islamic art) were having deliberate conversation about his first love who was a Jewish girl named Rivkah, Amir and Rivkah started exchanged notes numerous times a day, once his mother found one on the notes she stated to him “ if I ever hear that name in this house again Amir, she said, I’ll break your bones. You will end up with a jew over my dead body”, his mother then proceeds to spit in his face. The next day he repeats his mother's action and tells Rivkah “you’ve got a name of a jew”, then spats on her. Amir then repeats this type of behavior as an adult when he and Isaac who is a jew were having an argument when he finds out that his wife Emily is having an affair with Isaac. What triggered this occurrence was a sensitive matter discussion that was brought between Amir and Isaac about 911 and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demolishing Israel. Amir felt a sense of pride on the day of September eleven which he felt like it was coming from his religion. Additionally, he then asks Isaac how does he feel about Ahmadinejad about him “wiping Israel into the Mediterranean” Isaac quickly responses “outraged, like anybody else”. However, Amir thoughts on it were the complete opposite. He was fond of the idea that Ahmadinejad illustrated about Israel. Amir is someone who likes to hear intention to inflict pain or damages to hurt people that are stated by a Muslim dictator. He feels like this sort of behavior that Muslim inherit is due to Islam. Amir belief is completely false, his resentment toward Jew and Israel is not caused by Islam, but more about his upbringing, which he was taught that by his mother’s anti-Semitism views.
Overall, Amir's relationship with Islam is deeply rooted in pessimistic views from what he has experienced throughout daily life has heavily shaped his views on Islam and Muslims. The Gratification that he get from on radicalism and extremism that are committed by people who assert to be Muslim is from what has been taught to him to think is an ordinary logical way of thinking throughout his life. He has adopted the life of a Westerner and will continue to neglect is heritage. Amir self-loathing is something that cannot be comprehended but to be an eye-opener to non-muslim to see the perspective of a Muslim man struggles with his identity.
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