Zeitoun Essay

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, is a book about the Zeitoun family, a family “caught between America’s two biggest policy disasters: the war on terror and the response to Hurricane Katrina.” Zeitoun decided to stay behind during the storm to hold down their business and make sure their properties were safe, while his wife Kathy and their children went to go stay with her sister and her family until the storm passes. While help rescuing people, Zeitoun was arrested for being stereotyped as a terrorist. Kathy shows change in identity from the start of the book to the end of the book; she is more independent by the end of the book and is not reliable on her husband. Throughout this essay examples of how Kathy is more independent by the end of the book will be discussed, starting with how Kathy converts to Islam then moving towards how Kathy is not like other Muslim women.

Kathy had to overcome not only being looked down upon because she is a woman but also because she is Muslim. In her early twenties, Kathy decided to convert to Islam; even after 15 years of being Muslim, her family would tell her, “now you can take that thing off” (57) Although being Muslim was looked down upon, Kathy stood by her religion and did not back down. By Kathy challenging herself to convert to other religion after going up with one religion shows her independence and willingness to try something new instead of sticking to what is seen by others as “normal”. Even though Kathy was harassed for wearing the hijab and her family did not respond to her being Islamic very well, she stood by it and did not give up. One day when she was shopping with Asma trying to find where she parked, “a girl about 15 was crouched behind Kathy trying to grab her hijab; Kathy cocked her hand, ‘you got a problem?’ she barked” (46). The teenagers called her names and made fun of her thinking that she will not do anything about it, but she was not like other Muslim women and spoke up and talked back to the teenagers. This shows that Kathy is not going to let other people affect her identity and chooses to be independent and strong on her own. She does not need to rely on her husband or anyone else to speak up for her or her beliefs. Before “in middle school she was the one being picked on, pushed around and gawked at” (59); Kathy then started to grow to be “quick to fight, quick to argue”(59). This shows that Kathy started to change how she viewed herself and knew she had to stick up for herself otherwise she was just going to be bullied for the rest of her life. Kathy did not let anyone get away with treating her with disrespect. Even though she was a Muslim woman in the United States after the September 11^th attack, she did not let those stereotypes or comments get to her and affect her identity. Kathy only allowed herself to change her identity.

Kathy is not like typical Muslim women; she does not relied on her husband and is not suppressed. Kathy wants to do what is best for her and her children whether it is with or without her husband. An example is when Kathy wants to leave their home before the storm hits New Orleans. “’Honey’, Kathy says [to Zeitoun], ‘I think we should go’ Zeitoun’s reply is ‘you go, I’ll stay;’”(50) Kathy then leaves their home with some belongings and their 4 children to go stay at a family members house for a couple of days. Kathy can make her own decisions and will do what is right and smart even if it means to leave her husband behind. Although they are coming back in a couple days, it takes strength to leave him behind because the worst could happen and he could pass away while they are gone. By Kathy being able to leave it shows that she is independent from her husband and does not need to rely on him like other women in her society have to. She knows that she is capable of doing fine without her husband if it came to that because otherwise she would not have left him behind. Her society or the authorities do not suppress Kathy, when her husband is arrested she did not give up fighting until he was out of jail. Kathy did everything she could to get her husband out of jail, such as find a lawyer and find out exactly where Zeitoun was so she could get him out of jail. Although it was tough on Kathy, she stayed strong and prevailed. She set out to accomplish something and she was able to accomplish it. Kathy is a good role model for young women and women today because she was an underdog, both a woman and a Muslim, but was able to be strong and was not suppressed by her society or men.

Although Kathy is not the main character of Zeitoun, she plays a key role in this book because without her the story would not be as strong or intriguing; Kathy is a heroine herself, by overcoming all the obstacles in her life and having to work in the shadows of her husband even though she is doing hard work as much as he is. She tries to make this world better by making phone calls about mistreatment of others to protest against it. Kathy’s identity changes throughout the course of the book; she goes from the girl being bullied in middle school to the woman who does not let others put her down for being Muslim and a woman who speaks up. Kathy does not let how others view Muslim women affect her identity; she stays true to herself and does the best she can in day to day life.

September 11th

With the September 11, 10 year anniversary passing it makes me really mad and upset that people still stereotype a group of people that look like each other together. I understand that a group of people have done something terrible to our nation, but I do not think the people living in the United States that share the same culture or beliefs should be punished for something they did not do or did not even know about. All people in the United States should be called Americans, not based on where they are from or what they wear; American means a citizen of America, the definition does not state what an American should look like or what they should believe in. Muslims, Arabs and people from their religion/ culture should not be stereotyped or put down because of what other people, who they might not have anything to do with, in their culture/ethnicity decided to do on September 11, 2001. I am really disappointed in the so called Americans who still stereotype them and judge them when they do not know anything about the individual. Americans should stick together and come together as a nation no matter what the ethnicity, culture, religion or beliefs are.

Sufism

Sufism is a denomination of Islam also known as the “mystical inner tradition of Islam”(407). Sufism is a more self based religion by the individual putting themselves first and figuring out who they are because in Sufism, people believe that if an individual does not know who they are, how are they suppose to know what is good for them and their well being. Sufis also believe that an individual has to know him or herself in order to know their creator. Sufi asceticism is based more on inner detachments. Having complete trust in and surrender to God is an essential step in the voyage. In order for an individual to become a Sufi they have to encounter direct experience. Being taught knowledge from someone else does not make an individual a Sufi, they have to experience it themselves and study it on their own. To be a Sufi a person has to experience a connection with God; they cannot just study about it or hear about it from someone else they have to experience it first hand. To become a Sufi it takes many years of studying and dedicating time to God. Sufis are the opposite of fundamentalists; they do not follow a strict view of doctrine. Sufis do not focus on the faults of others. It takes a lifetime to become a Sufi because an individual could not experience their epiphany until their late adulthood after they studied Sufism for many years. Sufis believe everyone has a true self; they also actively work towards something/ yearn for something. Sufis practice to discover reality behind the 5 Pillars; they also meditate, which quiets their mind. The aim of Sufism is for an individual to become so purified that they are the perfect mirror for the godly attributes.

Outsider

A time when I was seen as an outsider was when I was at my friend's graduation/18th birthday party. All of the people at the party were Muslim and Fijian and I was the only white person there that did not know anyone. It was very uncomfortable to be in a surrounding like that. I just kept to myself and followed my friend wherever he went because I did not want to feel even more of an outsider. But that back fired on me and made me feel even more uncomfortable because I felt like I was bothering my friend. This really put things into perspective for me because I found out how it feels to be "different" than the rest of the population. People who aren't outsiders do not see how they make or affect how a person feels so they do not do anything to change it. By experiencing feeling like an outsider I now know that if I see an outsider or feel like a person is feeling left out, to talk to them and invite them so they feel more comfortable and have more confidence about themselves.

Divided We Fall

Watching the film Divided We Fall surprised me when the Americans would stereotype people who wore hijabs and call them terrorists. It was sad to see our country fall apart right in front of our eyes; people fear others that they know nothing about. Since Americans did not know much about them they would gang up on them. They were the same people who lived in the United States before the attack, so how are they different after the attack? It did not make any sense to me; just because one group of people from their religion decided to hijack the plane and crash it into the World Trade Center does not mean that everyone from that religion had a part in it. The story in the film that resinated with me the most was the story about the women who came to the United States from India to attend her husband's service; the Americans were very supporting towards her during his service and showed concern and love towards her. She had nothing but nice things to say about the Americans even though they were targeting and stereotyping her community of people. I would like to say thank you to her for being the bigger and better person and only seeing the positive things from the situation. I would also like to thank the Americans for putting aside the stereotypes and mean thoughts and for being there for her when she needed someone to be on her side. American means of or pertaining to the United States or its inhabitants, it does not say that a person can only be from a certain religion or ethnicity so why are people focus all their negative thoughts against this one group of people?

Volunteering at Crestmoor

I volunteered at Crestmoor Elementary during their open house night and watched the little kids while their parents went to go meet their teachers and learn about their classes. I really enjoy volunteering because it not only gives me good karma but also makes me feel good about myself. I love to give back to my community and that's why I want to be a nurse. A little over a year ago, a terrible fire happened in San Bruno. Ever since so parents have not felt safe to leave their kids at home or anywhere alone, so that's why they had the babysitting service during open house so parents would feel safe enough going to open house knowing their kids are in safe hands. Although the fire ruined many homes and killed a few people, it brought our community closer and made people realize to appreciate the small things in life. By volunteering I feel like I am doing my part in giving back to the community to make the world go around. Volunteering is my role of service. The religion I most agree with is Buddhism based on the fact that a person creates their own karma; I believe that is what Buddhism has taught me to do which is why I love to do things to better other people. It also relates back to our service role in the Connections Project class. I gave back to my community by volunteering for those parents who do not feel safe leaving their children at home alone.

My View of Religion

Growing up I was introduced to two different religions; my father’s side of the family is Buddhist and my mother’s side of the family is Catholic. I was never really pressured into going for one religion over the other; my parents wanted my siblings and me to be able to choose what religion we liked most on our own, even if it was not Buddhism or Catholic. Although my father and grandmother both practice regularly, my mother’s side of the family does not practice regularly. My grandmother, on my father’s side, is a pioneer member of Buddhism. Growing up I would see my grandmother and my dad chant and would attend meetings with them but was never really interested in practicing the religion. Throughout elementary school, I went to CCD and made my first communion and later in high school made my confirmation; although I went through with both ceremonies, I was not interested in making my first communion or confirmation but did it for my family. After being introduced to both religions and practicing, or attempting to practice both religions, I came to the conclusion that I do not completely believe in a religion; I believe that things happen for a reason and people’s actions affect their lives instead of their lives being set out for them before they were even born. I do not believe in a higher God and do not believe in a second or other life. I believe people where brought to this earth to make whatever they want to make of themselves and those who do good deed will have better karma. Since I do not believe in God and do not like going to church, I do not want to get married in a church, which my mother’s side of the family hates so they try to force me to getting married in a church instead of a beach where I want to get married. My godparents, who are also my aunt and uncle, say it is their duty as my godparents to raise me as a Catholic and to get me to go to church weekly. It’s my life and I should be able to determine what I believe in and do not believe in right? Whenever I tell them that they all just get worked up even more and try to get me to go to church more, which I do not understand because none of them go to church weekly or read the bible. My religious lineage is lenient with my parents but with the rest of my family it is a big deal. My spiritual views have changed my life because I do not believe my life has been set out for me by a higher power, so I know what I do now will affect me later, whether it’s an hour from now or 5 years from now. I do not believe in fate; people change their minds and decisions all the time, which will change the coarse of your life or their life. I make my decisions based off of what I know will be good for me and others in the future rather than thinking things will sort out somehow. I am not the type of person to just sit around hoping God has something better in store for me; I take action and make the best out of every situation because only you can change your life, no one else can change you or your life. Although I do not believe completely in one religion, I do believe in parts of Buddhism; I do believe in karma and that that if you have a positive attitude about something negative in your life, you have the power to change the outcome to a source of benefit. Now that I am older, I do believe more in Buddhism than in Catholicism; I do not believe in chanting myoho-renge-kyo, but I do believe that tapping into your inner-self will help you with communicating with others and change the outcome of the situations you have to face by preparing you to have a positive attitude and having the power to overcome any obstacle. I am still trying to figure out all my thoughts on what makes the life go round but each year my thoughts on religion become clearer and clearer.

Group Presentations

It was helpful to learn and see how each person interprets the different religions and what they think the most important details are. I really like the group presentations because it not only allowed us to get to know each other better but it also helped our communication and group work skills a lot by us having to communicate and plan the presentation with our partners/group. The group presentations also gave the class a taste of each religion before actually having to read and learn about it. Also by groups presenting the information rather than us just reading the book really helped me comprehend the material better. I really enjoyed the visuals groups brought in. I also liked having group presentations because it allowed each student to figure out where their strong points are and where their weak points are. By having group presentations on the religions we were also able to see the similarities and differences within the religions; it also helped me comprehend which religion was developed before the other. I think the groups should be only 2 people though so that each person has to learn and prepare more information for the class instead of relying on others to do the work. Also it seems more organized when 2 people are in a group because it is less people to have to work around.