Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz tells an extraordinary expedition from Islamic fundamentalism to a liberal western life. The book portrays life in a manner that few westerners can imagine. From his schooling in rural Pakistan to the United States as a teenager and back to Pakistan to look for a devout life, Ali’s book reflects everyone’s search for identity and the lures of religious extremism. Though Children of Dust is the story of a young Muslim, it finds a broad audience because it contains the collective message of sticking to our priorities in a world where individuals are regularly influenced and inhibited by political, religious, and national attachments lead to the notion of “us against them.”
Ali’s book is more than just a memoir of an American Muslim. It describes the complex journey of a young Muslim into the centre of his faith. I believe that the name he adopts at various stages of his life are the pointers of his journey. Even before his birth, his father promised God that if he were to get a son, he would be a servant of God. He was christened Abir Ul Islam, which translates to the perfume of Islam ( Eteraz, 2011) . Thus, Ali grew up trying to fulfil his father’s promise. As a teenager, Ali changes his name to Amir to avoid being called “a beer” by classmates due to the close similarity between Abir and a beer. After joining a college in Manhattan, he changes his name to Abu Bakr Ramaq. The decision is informed by the belief that he descends from a great Islamic leader. He becomes Amir ur Islam and later Ali Eteraz to signify his reform from militant Islam. One can conclude that Ali is a religious shape-shifter, which is not the case at all. During his journey and the resulting changes to his name, he remains faithful to his religion.
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The self-deprecating tone adopted in the book saves it from the annoying arrogance of the true believer. Even during the pinnacle of his piety. Ali struggles with the problems common to teenagers such as self-doubt and hormonal changes. He chats online with girls because to him, conversing with women is just a thought crime (Eteraz, 2011) . Nonetheless, he understand the implications of this behavior of his beliefs and proceeds to muffle the implicating screech of the modem by covering the PC with prater rugs and using a Qur’anic recitation as background noise.
The other interesting aspect of Children of Dust is how it captures the joys and excesses of religion. As a small boy growing up in a desert village, Ali hugs all the pleasantness of his youth among his parents and extended family. His descriptions of life in rural Pakistan are mesmerizing with his wonderful mother Ammi combining lessons from the Quran with Islam folk stories into daily living. In his young mind, these stories bordered on reality and imagination ( Eteraz, 2011) , but they mirror the innocence of youth in a rural village. However, he also describes the excesses of religion in detail. He dedicates a full section urine and describes the fear that a single drop of urine on your skin or body could lead to impurity. It is this fear that turned urination into a complex operation. He captures the intricacies of religion by claiming that after learning the Arabic alphabet, his next important lesson was how to urinate without contaminating himself. His descriptions are not the accounts are not religious quirks narrated by an insider, but he desires to be a model Muslim disseminating the “perfume of Islam.” Regardless of his humour, he does not fail to highlight the pain of religion from personal experience. For example, teachers beat students during madrassah lessons. Even during his journey back to Pakistan, he encounters the true picture Islamic fundamentalism. The perception among locals that he is just an American and probably a CIA agent forces the family to flee their rural home under military escort ( Eteraz, 2011) . Even in the United States, the baggage o religion causes his life to be a daily struggle to be a good Muslim in a non-Muslim country, plagued by temptation. For instance, he shies away from college girls on an airplane because their short T-shirts offend his religious beliefs and introduce temptation. As the leader of the Muslim Student Association, Ali is requited to be infallible and holier-than-thou, expectations that make his life daily struggle.
Children of Dust is cognizant of the challenges faced in our modern society, more specifically, Islamic fundamentalism. Muslim extremism is a problem that most countries grapple with on a daily basis. Most young people are drawn to Islamic fundamentalism without understanding the implications of their beliefs. After joining the college in Manhattan and discovering his noble lineage from the prophet, he changes his name to Abu Bakr Ramaq, reflecting his hunger for Islam. However, an intriguing aspect of this part is the exploration of his Muslim faith and collision with two of its greatest enemies, extremism and secularism. U least expected him to dismiss Osama bin Laden as a messianic pretender and opportunist pursuing his course in the guise of safeguarding Islam. During this time, Osama was viewed by many Muslims as the savior of their savior from western domination, but Ali’s discovery shows his religious maturity. His readings of writings by Islamic thinkers such as Zaid Shakir and Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses who asserts that secularism is un-Islamic is the turning point in his religious awakening ( Eteraz, 2011) . Hus realization that the real battle is between religion and reason gives the book universal appeal. It is not just Islam that is struggling with unreasonable religious beliefs and practices, but also other mainstream religions such as Christianity.
The struggles faced by young Muslims in western countries are brought to the fore in Children of Dust . Following his failure in Pakistan, Amir willfully enrols at a Christian university in Atlanta to study postmodernism, a subject that is the curse of Islam and most religions. His honesty in revealing his failure due to ego and the need to impress others with his piety is admirable. The need to impress others with piety is a typical young pretension that few people are willing to admit. During this time, he also experiences unlimited sexual freedom, which is uncommon among Muslim adherents. Nonetheless, he was also burdened by his father’s promise before he was even born. Therefore, he becomes the President of the Muslim Student Association and adopts responsibilities such as championing the Palestinian cause, leading Friday prayers, and acting as an imam ( Eteraz, 2011) . These conflicting tasks reflect the struggles faced by young Muslims as they attempt to be good Muslims and at the same time pursue the pleasures of life. Furthermore, the need for the approval of other believers is a common problem faced by many religious adherents. Religion stops being a sacred responsibility, but a status image between a person and other believers. It is here that the book critiques believers across all religions because, for most people, religion has become a status symbol that enhances their reputation among peers and not a sacred responsibility.
The final journey of self-discovery is captured in the fifth section of the book where is he adopts the name Ali Eteraz or the “noble prophet.” Following the events of September 11, 2001, he dedicates his time to saving Islam from its “idiots,” a pursuit that cost him his job, money, apartment, and family (Eteraz, 2011) . His move to Las Vegas is the textbook metaphor of his promise to serve Allah. Las Vegas is known for its sinful practices, and Ali’s move to the city as part of his final journey of self-discovery is fundamental. I believe that the author is trying to show the infallibility of human beings. He experiences several months of hopelessness in Las Vegas, but he is also reenergized for his quest to reform Islam. Ali offers a vital lesson that resonates with many people that despite our weaknesses and mistakes, we can still redeem ourselves and make meaningful contributions. It is after confronting his demons in Las Vegas that he becomes fully aware of his promise.
Children of dust is an enlightening read due to its renunciation of religious, intellectual, and political baggage. No one would have expected Abir to be a moderate Muslim embracing all humanity. In a world that is divided along the religious, political, and ideological line, Children of Dust offers the important lesson of accepting all humanity. Additionally, the book highlights the importance of self-discovery. Through his journey that started in rural Pakistan and took to the United States and finally Kuwait, Ali is able to discover is a true calling. It is through self-discovery that he realizes his obsession with the wrong covenant, which has pushed the main promise into the background. His acceptance of Islam as a primary level devoid of all the intellectual and political baggage is an acceptance of all humanity instead of the religion itself. The main covenant is that of mutual belonging or simply “the children of dust” ( Eteraz, 2011) .
His conversations with his host in Kuwait enhance his understanding of himself and leads to the realization that he may have missed his life’s main objective. Ali completes his journey of self-discovery while visiting his mother in California. The solace derived from self-realization led him to his smother. Her statement that he grew up all these years to become innocent again captures the full extent of his transformation (Eteraz, 2011) . Children of Dust is a long and poignant and at time humorous tale, but Ali’s willingness to share his tribulations and triumphs allows us to consider our own promise and baggage. It is a book about self-discovery, which is relevant to modern life. The demands and challenges of modern life can confer baggage and leads us to miss the primary covenant. However, Ali’s book reminds us of our common humanity, which should be the true covenant regardless of our religious and cultural differences.
Reference
Eteraz, A. (2011). Children of dust: A memoir of Pakistan . San Francisco: Harper.
