,
10.37654/aujll.2021.171114
Abstract
Negative stereotypes of Muslims have become the frequent feature of contemporary Islamophobic discourse and the icon of the "War on Terror". Perceived differences in race and religion, false depictions of Muslims and misconceptions about Islam have been recruited by mainstream discourse to create "the Muslim Other" or the Muslim enemy. "The Muslim Other", thus, has to live under the fierce measures of the "PATRIOT ACT" and the "Homeland Security State" that have created a new phase of Islamophobia in post- 9/11 world. Therefore, the first objective of this paper is to examine stereotyping Muslim identity in Akhtar's Disgraced in the light of Postcolonial Theory via the concept of the Other. It will also investigate the Western Islamophobic view of Muslims. The second objective is to investigate the Islamophobic setting created by "the Homeland Security State and the PATERIOT ACT" and supported by the "political discourse and Mass media". The significance of the study stems from the fact that it provides an investigation of the way Muslims are othered by adopting a postcolonial reading of the representation of Muslim identity in the aftermath of 9/11, thus, enriching the academia with contemporary literary studies in dramatic field. Ayad Akhtar's "Disgraced" (2012), is selected because it shows the quandaries endured by Muslims under the measures of "the Homeland Security State" and the "PATERIOT ACT" that have conceptualized Islam as a threat. The selection of Ayad Akhtar, the playwright, stems from the fact that he has experienced the dilemma of being Muslim in post- 9/11 America. The study concludes that Akhtar's "Disgraced" condemns "the Homeland Security State" and the "PATERIOT ACT" that have criminalized the Muslim Other.
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