Discourses on Terrorism and the Disintegrated Humanity in Mohsin Hamid’s Novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist

There has been a long study on terrorism in modern times. This issue peaks after the attack on the Twin Tower, USA, in September, 2001. Literally, the attack does a lot of damage and brings the moment of a tragic day in world history. In reaction to this, George W. Bush (the president of the USA at that time) declared ‘The War on Terror’ project, finding the suspected terrorists. Behind the scenes, this makes a ‘U-turn geopolitical’ chapter and divides the world with an invisible shadow line of power dominance. The US-led powers construct a discourse of terrorism to control other countries, especially those with Muslim majorities. Thus, this discourse has legalized the dominating power politics and the hegemony of back-and-call projects. After the 9/11 event, powerful western-dominated machines like media, institutions, printing presses, etc., worked as the producers of discourses. The Muslim world became confined and fell into crises through the lens of dominant discourses. After all, the west disgorges its primitive Islamophobia through the devil hinting. The 9/11 issue has opened a new literary genre in the field of transnational and diasporic studies. The objective of this study is to analyze the justification of discourses on terrorism in the context of 9/11 and also investigate the consequences of such discourses that have resulted in fragmented personalities as depicted in post-9/11 fictional work. A Pakistan-born author, Mohsin Hamid’s novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, examines these geopolitical crises of terrorism and identity, focusing on the plot and protagonist. It also determines the unstable relationship between the West and the Muslim counterpart. The research is framed by literary theories of power and ideologies, postcolonialism, neo-orientalism, and discourses. Some historical papers, political speeches, articles, and online materials are used as secondary sources for this research. However, this research opens a door of discussion on new geopolitical relationships and makes a cross-examination of discourses and politics that ultimately result in identity crises, suspicion, trauma, and fragmented personalities.