As I thought about the issues in the book and some of the issues of this year’s presidential election, none of them really jumped out at me as “resonating”. Then I saw the title of Chapter Sixteen – The Return of Magid Mahfooz Murshed Mubtasim Iqbal. In this chapter, Samad’s eldest son (by two minutes) returns from Bangladesh but is clearly not the “good” Muslim his father was hoping he would be. His own mother says, ‘“… this is not an Iqbal.”’ (p. 350). His twin brother will not see him ‘on political, religious, and personal grounds.’ (p. 351) Senator Obama is the center of similar confusion about his identity. Many African-Americans feel that he is not Black enough because his heritage is mixed (his mother was White, his father Kenyan). People say that although he was raised in Hawaii (which makes him American) and spent much of his life in the South Side of Chicago (which is kind of like North Philly), he really can/does NOT relate to the struggles of “real” African-Americans because he is not the descendants of slaves. Many Whites (and other African-Americans) feel he is an “uppity Negro” because he is Ivy-league educated and has the tendency to be condescending (check out the following link for Chris Rock’s take on the use of the word “articulate” when referring to intelligent people of color: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkqwspFr3D8).
Like Magid, Obama does not really fit in any one place. Is it because of their intelligence? Or is it because of the expectations people have of “their kind”? Magid’s family considers him to be more English than the English. Whereas his intelligence was lauded in the earlier chapters of the book, he is not smart the way his family want him to be (ie. quoting the Qu’ran). Obama, on the other hand, is considered more White than White; not Black enough. Both sides (Black and White) seem to want him to prove that he fits yet criticize him when he appears to be too much of one or the other.
Marcus Chalfen loves Magid but for what he can do for him. He does not seem to question how much power he is giving to this Bengali boy. But then again, that is most likely because Magid’s goal is to ‘bring Chalfenism to the people.’ (p. 352-353) He believes in “the Chalfen way” and thinks that all people should live this way. Marcus loves Magid, not because of his ethnicity but because Magid is willing to spread that which Marcus believes. Obama is winning more and more Whites to his side, but which side: his Black side or his White side? Are they looking past his skin color because he is hands-down so qualified for the position that they just do not see it or do they have some ulterior motive like Marcus Chalfen?
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