Syrian immigrant khadra shamy is growing up in a devout, tightly. The author is a syrian muslim immigrant, now a professor at a us university. Kahf provides a look at muslim communities in the midwest and elsewhere, racism and sexism directed both to and from muslims, and the immigrants dislocation. No, im not bald under the scarf no, im not from that country where women cant drive cars. Mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf openedition journals. Mohja kahf was born in damascus, syria, to a family of practicing. In this essay i look at how her literary representations negotiate religious and feminist discourses in doing so. Mohja kahf reads an excerpt from her novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf at the levantine cultural center on july 14, 2010. Mohja kahfs novel the girl in the tangerine scarf highlights a broad spectrum of muslim feminist agencies. The girl in the tangerine scarf was published in 2006, and it tells the story of khadra. Excerpts from the girl in the tangerine scarf, part i levantine cultural center. In the book, the girl in the tangerine scarf, by mohja kahf, it shows the life of a daughter, khadra shamy, of two syrian parents. Allah is also the one that i love the most and the one that i have when i have nothing to hold on.
Our hypothesis in this article is that in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf the main character negotiates her subjectivity in the space of diaspora and she does so through her choice of clothes, as we will show below. From what we seem to know, her young parents opted to leave syria to continue their studies abroad. Along the novel, khadra shamy strives to give meaning to. She earned a phd in comparative literature from rutgers university and is the author of the poetry collections hagar poems 2016 and emails from scheherazad. Mohja kahf s 2006 novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf, follows the protagonist, khadra, in her journey back home, to the state of indiana, where she grew up and where she ran away from, in search of herself, her identity, and a. Syrian immigrant khadra shamy is growing up in a devout, tightly knit muslim family in 1970s indiana, at the crossroads of bad polyester and islamic dress codes. A study of mohja kahfs emails from scheherazad and the girl in the tangerine scarf article pdf available january 2017 with 1,031 reads how we measure reads. Mohja kahfs reading at the levantine center on july 14th. Her family moved to the united states in 1971, and kahf grew up in the midwest. Mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf by martina koegelerabdi, university of copenhagen, denmark abstract. Ive just finished reading mohja kahf s book the girl in the tangerine scarf.
A cultural translator in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf aje vol. Negotiating liminal identities in mohja kahfs the girl in. A story of muslims in america the girl in the tangerine scarf, a new novel by mojha kahf is about a syrian girl transplanted to the american midwest in. Resistance and uncanny moments of inbetweenness in mohja kahfs the girl in tangerine scarf 2 constituting a major part of the fabric of asianamerican literature, arabamerican writing has proved to be an efficient venue for oriental subjects of variegated languages, cultures, races, and histories to express. Pdf the girl in the tangerine scarf download read online.
In particular, i focus on the jordanianpalestinian american novel, west of the jordan by laila halaby, and the syrian american. Sholawat and salam is also delivered to our prophet muhammad saw who has brought islam rahmatan lil alamin. Poet and scholar mohja kahf was born in damascus, syria. This paper aims to examine the novel the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006 by mohja kahf b. Khadra shamy, a young syrian girl, moves to indiana with her family to be missionaries to the evil western world and help the american muslims navigate the difficulties in clashes between shariah law and american law. In her own eyes, she has not yet reached selfrealization and does not see herself as a fullgrown woman. Mohja kahf s the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006 narrates the experience of a syrianborn muslim woman, khadra, living in a tightknit muslim community in a small town in indiana. Culture analysis in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine. A coming of age that is strongly marked by recurring cycles of encounter, clash and confluence on various levels. Negotiating liminal identities in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf susan taha alkarawi, ida.
Our hypothesis in this article is that in mohja kahf s the girl in the tangerine scarf the main character negotiates her subjectivity in the space of diaspora and she does so through her choice of clothes, as we will show below. Her tangerine scarf represents her connection to teta, syria and her quest to find herself. They hold a similar view to ameris that indeed, kahfs novel helps demystify the persistent notion of. The girl in the tangerine scarf, part i mohja kahf s reading at the levantine center on july 14th. A study of mohja kahf s emails from scheherazad and the girl in the tangerine scarf article pdf available january 2017 with 1,031 reads how we measure reads. A story of muslims in america the girl in the tangerine scarf, a new novel by mojha kahf is about a syrian girl transplanted to the american midwest in the 1970s. Homeland america, bismillah mohja kahfs the girl in the. Mohja kahfs 2006 novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf, follows the protagonist, khadra, in her journey back home, to the state of indiana, where she grew up and where she ran away from, in search of herself, her identity, and a.
Syrian immigrant khadra shamy is growing up in a devout, tightly knit muslim family in 1970s indiana, at. Resistance and uncanny moments of in betweenness in. The fourth space as an escape from colliding cultures in. Aug 18, 2010 mohja kahf reads an excerpt from her novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf at the levantine cultural center on july 14, 2010. Her family has been involved in syrian opposition politics, a theme reflected in the life of her character khadra of the girl in the tangerine scarf.
Aug 17, 2010 mohja kahf s reading at the levantine center on july 14th. Negotiating muslim womens rights and identity in american. Beautifully written and featuring an exuberant cast of characters, the girl in the tangerine scarf charts the spiritual and social landscape of muslims in middle america, from five daily prayers to the indy 500 car race. Muslims, and migrated to the united states in 1971 at the age of four. Mohja kahf syrian immigrant khadra shamy is growing up in a devout, tightly knit muslim family. The girl in the tangerine scarf ebook by mojha kahf. Hampton 2011 argues that these young protagonists have made american choices altogether, some with dreadful consequences, others with less traumatic ones, but none that. His project investigates the poetics and politics of identity in arab american fiction produced in post911 by female authors a corpus of novels include mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf, diana abujabers crescent, and laila halabys west of the jordan. Ive just finished reading mohja kahfs book the girl in the tangerine scarf. Pdf mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006 narrates the experience of a syrianborn muslim woman, khadra, living in a tightknit muslim.
An awkwardly written novel that becomes more compelling as it gathers steam, the girl in the tangerine scarf is worth reading for content, though not for style. The girl in the tangerine scarf mohja kahf, author. Pdf the process of faith development in mohja kahfs the. The symbol of the veil in mohja kahf s the girl in the tangerine scarf dr. Where to download the girl in tangerine scarf mohja kahf the girl in tangerine scarf mohja kahf the girl in tangerine scarf girl in the tangerine scarf is a novel, and, as such, is fictional. Arab american women s identity crises in mohja kahf s the girl in the tangerine scarf and laila halaby s west of the jordan book summary.
Mohja kahf born 1967, damascus, syria is an arabamerican poet and author. In her novel the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006, syrianamerican mohja kahf engages in the representation of an experience similar to hers, the comingofage narrative of a young girl in a muslim community in the heart of indiana. Mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf am not saying that islam does not permit polygyny. Areen khalifeh assistant professor english literature and criticism philadelphia university jordan abstract this paper discusses the symbol of the veil in mohja kahf s the girl in the tangerine scarf from a postcolonial critical perspective.
In the novel, kahf presents how bigotry and prejudice can be. The symbol of the veil in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf dr. The girl in the tangerine scarf, a new novel by mohja kahf, is about a syrian girl transplanted to the american midwest in the 1970s. Mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006 narrates the experience of a syrianborn muslim woman, khadra, living in a tightknit muslim community in a small town in indiana. It is set mostly in indianapolis, against recent historical events. Okay, youre probably wondering what im talking about if you havent noticed the title of the post. The novel is a work of fiction which relates to the writers own experiences of being an arab muslim woman living in the united states of america henceforth referred to as u. Mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf and the dissonance of nationhood. The story chronicles syrian immigrant khadra shamy, a young woman growing up in a devout, tightly knit muslim family in 1970s indiana, at the crossroads of bad polyester and islamic dress codes.
The symbol of the veil in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf. The girl in the tangerine scarf, part ii mohja kahf reads an excerpt from her novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf at the levantine cultural center on july 14, 2010. You dress strangequot said a tenthgrade boy with bright blue hairto the new muslim girl with the headscard in homeroomhis tonguerings clicking on the. Spirituality in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf, 30th annual meeting of southwest texas popular culture and american culture associations, february 2528, 2009. The girl in the tangerine scarf was published in 2006, and it. Pdf the process of faith development in mohja kahfs the girl in.
Mohja kahf s reading at the levantine center on july 14th. In particular, the analysis will focus on mohja kahfs poetics of dissonance that challenges. Buy a cheap copy of the girl in the tangerine scarf. In her novel the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006, syrianamerican mohja kahf engages in the representation of an experience similar to hers. Imagining hybrid identities in mohja kahfs the girl in the.
Mohja kahf author of the girl in the tangerine scarf. Read the girl in the tangerine scarf a novel by mojha kahf available from rakuten kobo. The girl in the tangerine scarf august 22, 2006 edition. Resistance and uncanny moments of in betweenness in mohja. Khadra sees herself as a girl for she has not yet completed her journey of selfdiscovery. Mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf in her novel the girl in the tangerine scarf 2006, syrianamerican mohja kahf engages in the representation of an experience similar to hers, the comingofage narrative of a young girl in a muslim community in the heart of indiana. Culture analysis in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf. Mohja kahf presents an insiders loving view of islam through this comingofage immigrant novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf. Self and identity in the girl in the tangerine scarf femtales. Although the three identifications are true of khadra, they do not all happen at the same time. Areen khalifeh assistant professor english literature and criticism philadelphia university jordan abstract this paper discusses the symbol of the veil in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf from a postcolonial critical perspective.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Islamic identity constructed in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf. If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four. Resistance and uncanny moments of inbetweenness in mohja kahfs the girl in tangerine scarf 2 constituting a major part of the fabric of asianamerican literature, arabamerican writing has proved to be an efficient venue for oriental subjects of variegated languages, cultures. The symbol of the veil in mohja kahfs the girl in the. It is a riveting debut from an important new voice. Muslim feminist agency and arab american literature. The practice of immanent critique in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf 223 however, in their eagerness and fear, they are also guilty of instilling superiority in the children by being suspicious and critical of members of the larger community, particularly the non. The girl in the tangerine scarf is a novel written by american author mohja kahf and published in 2006. An arab american poet and feminist, mohja kahf wrote about the experience of american women of arabic origin. Kahf explains the ups and downs of growing up in a tightknit muslim community and tries to portray a certain type of characteristics of these american muslims.
This thesis adopts a transnational and postcolonial feminist approach in exploring arab american womens literature. Aug 11, 2007 okay, youre probably wondering what im talking about if you havent noticed the title of the post. They hold a similar view to ameris that indeed, kahfs novel helps demystify the persistent notion of muslim women as submissive or. Aug 22, 2006 mohja kahf presents an insiders loving view of islam through this comingofage immigrant novel, the girl in the tangerine scarf. Syrianamerican writer mohja kahfs novel the girl in the tangerine scarf was published in 2006,1 within the framework of a remarkable increase in literary production by arabamerican writers and poets, starting at least three decades ago. Its about khadra shamy, the daughter of syrian immigrants to indianapolis, whose parents become heavily involved with the dawah centre. Identities in mohja kahfs the girl in the tangerine scarf 20, also focuses on the notion of muslim womens identity and the expression of their identity through the veil or headscarf. A cultural translator in mohja kahfs the girl in the. This research investigates the elements of culture implied in the girl in the tangerine scarf, a novel by mohja kahf. Orientalism and the iconography of the veil in mohja kahf.
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