Religion in "My Son, the Fanatic"

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When talking about a family, it is almost certain that there is going to be tension at some point throughout the lives of the members no matter how frequent. People will argue and will have different interpretations of the subjects being argued upon. Every argument can have numerous sides and it is unfair to say which side is correct or incorrect before you fully consider all of the arguers’ views. In the short story “My Son, the Fanatic,” author Hanif Kureishi offers numerous interpretations of an ongoing argument between a father and son. The father argues with his son about religion and how/if it should be practiced in a Western culture. This argument can be seen from a multiple perspectives and both sides have good reasoning. One such perpective comes from main character Parvez. Parvez has a son named Ali. Parvez does not take much consideration for his religion. Parvez and Ali are both technically part of the Nation of Islam. Parvez does not follow some of the strict rules such as not eating meat from pork or the consumption of alcohol. On the flipside, Ali progressively becomes a strict follower of the Nation of Islam and very religious as a result. Parvez argues that Ali should not be so open about his religion because he thinks that the Muslim people are hated throughout much of the world including his home in England. Parvez does not want his son to live in such a world where he is hated by anyone who looks at him just because of what he believes and how he practices it. Parvez worrying about his son is understandable. Ali seems to have exiled himself from his friends, developed odd habits, and even withdrawn himself to the point where Parvez suspects him to be a drug addict at one point. Ali tells his father that he desires to drop out of school to follow his religion. Dropping out of college is reason for any parent to be worried. Parvez is only
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