Critique of Religious Discourse: Terrorism, Extremism in Fadia Faqir’s Willow Trees Don’t Weep

Author: Majed Alenezi (Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia)
Speaker: Majed Alenezi
Topic: Islamic Studies and discourses
The (SCOPUS / ISI) SOAS GLOCAL COMELA 2020 General Session

Abstract

This paper aims to address the issues of Islam, post-colonial ‎ theory/discourse and the role of Arab Anglophone writers in highlighting the internal concerns in the Arab World. Although Islam and post-colonial ‎ theory emerge from a different starting point and they are different at the core premises, the two make use of similar schemes for resisting hegemony and supremacy of the West. The relationship between the two, though, is not straightforward. Neither of the two can be put within the scope of the Other because of the solid principles of Islam in one part and the secular nature and still evolving post-colonial ‎ theory in the second. The absence of a structuring system leads to ambiguity. Post-colonial ‎ theory lies in the merger of multiple issues and using them for developing a better understanding of post-colonial ‎ nations and cultures, and at the same time deconstructing the colonial assumptions of the post-colonial ‎ countries. Therefore, the post-colonial ‎ theory/discourse engages in a direct dialogue with western institutions to revise perceptions and provides an alternative route toward the Other part of the world. Islam, as it is understood by its disciples, establishes a system of life given to people as an avenue for survival in the afterlife. This uncertainty between the two leads to an unfinished and unresolved ending.

Keywords: Postcolonial literature, Religious Discourse