Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - Book Report/Review Example

"Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers Zeitoun, a non-fiction book d after Abdulrehman Zeitoun, is written by Dave Eggers. The protagonist of the book is a middle-aged Syrian-American businessman, a prominent building contractor and a painter. He is considered a hero in real life for he sculled from house to house in a canoe; helping his neighbors and giving out food supplies after hurricane Kartina hit the New Orleans, America. His wife Kathy converts to Islam because she finds comfort in this religion and an affectionate husband in Abdulrehman. However, regardless of all his good qualities, he is arrested by the U.S. Army National guardsman as an alleged terrorist mainly just because he is a Muslim. The book in general is highly relatable for the Muslims currently residing in America as it is unbiased in its description of the ordeals Muslims have to go through to sustain in American atmosphere. Eggers has successfully portrayed the themes of Islamophobia and increasing hatred against Muslims in America by weaving them intricately with the heart-wrenching story of Abdulrehaman Sheikh who, despite all the assistance he offers to his distressed American neighbors, is mistreated on the account of his religion and Syrian roots. The book has more to offer than a simple description of a natural disaster. In fact, if the main focus of the book was the atrocities Hurricane Katrina brought; it would not be as effective as it is now. When Hurricane Katrina hit the City of New Orleans, Kathy is forced to leave New Orleans with her four children to a safer place, Baton Rouge while Zeitoun stays back to look over his home and job sites. After the storm settles down a bit, Zeitoun begins travelling around the city in a secondhand canoe in order to help the affected citizens. He distributes whatever food and other supplies he possesses to the neighbors and their pets. Keeping in view all his noble deeds, it is relevant to say that he chooses to prefer humanity over religion. However, the misunderstanding regarding Muslims and the misinterpretation of their activities seem to increase day by day in the United States of America and other western countries. This can be elucidated by the example of Zeitoun and the torments he has to go through for helping out his distraught neighbors. Apart from Zitoun’s troubles, his wife Kathy experiences detestation as well when her Hijab becomes a problem for her husband and family. In fact, the whole book revolves around instances of Americans’ misdemeanor towards innocent Muslims (Egan). One of the major flaws of the society in general and Americans in particular is the appalling judgmental behavior. Most of the people tend to judge others on the basis of their appearances, cast, creed and religion without taking into account their circumstances. The same thing happened to Zeitoun, his family and many other Muslim families living in America with the hopes of a better future for their children. Even Dave Eggers acknowledged that the main purpose of the book is to combat the entire concept of Islamophobia and to make Americans realize that Muslims are normal human beings too. They, too, have dreams for a bright future of their children and are fundamentally same at both physical and mental level. Through Zeitoun, Eggers paints a picture of a human being who is more than just a Muslim or a Syrian. His personality outweighs the total sum of his belief and nationality. For instance, Zeitoun helped a woman reach safety and it proved to be an arduous task given the fact that the woman weighed almost ninety kilograms. However, even her weight did not dissuade him from finishing what he had set out to finish in the first place. Zeitoun recalled the incident in the following words: "She was inside the house holding on to the bookshelf with water up to her shoulder. She must have been in the water for about 24 hours by then.” (Eggers). Regardless of all the efforts he put in to save the dying Americans, he was arrested on September 6 when he was on the phone with his brother in Syria. Six men, carrying pistols, approached him and demanded Zeitoun to show his ID card. Upon identification, they arrested him at once accusing him of terrorism. The incident has been narrated in the book very effectively in the following words: "All he did was look at my ID and that was enough. Nothing else. No other questions. The moment he saw my name he said, Get into the boat!" (Eggers) The incident thoroughly explains the exploitation and maltreatment Muslims have to endure in the United States of America. Moreover, it cannot be neglected that the whole incident was based on biased opinions and wrong assumptions regarding Muslims and their activities (Pilkington). As a Syrian Muslim, Zeitoun encountered discrimination and severe bigotry even while acting as a hero in the post-hurricane Katrina crisis. He was accused of terrorism when his services should have been acknowledged by the American government. Conversely, his religion and Syrian nationality reduced him to the status of an alleged terrorist. In the same way, Kathy’s Hijab became a source of consternation between her and her sisters with whom she resided with during the storm. Meanwhile, Zeitoun and his three companions were attacked by rifles and dogs when they arrived at the prison. Most of those soldiers had served in Iraq and they handled the whole situation surrounding Zeitoun with the same war-zone mentality. Zeitoun and his companions were reminded of Guantánamo. One of the soldiers said while addressing Zeitoun and his companions: "You guys are Al-Qaida" while still another said: "Taliban" (Pilkington; Eggers). These were mere accusations and were not supported by facts or statistics of any type but the baseless hatred and bias towards Muslims prevented the American soldiers from any kind of penalties or even condemnation. The incidents mentioned in the book regarding American’s brutality towards Muslims and those connected to them can be related to the current state of Muslims in the United States of America. As far as my own life is concerned, I have experienced the effects of this discriminatory behavior against Muslims as well even though I am not a Muslim myself. The horrors of this unfounded prejudice hit me with full intensity when my own boyfriend, a Muslim, who I dated for almost three years, had to break up with me because the society did not approve of this relationship. The whole system is so defined by the standards society has set for us that I look at our people and cannot help pitying. I am a twenty years old girl who has spent a very hard life. From the beginning, I had not been given the attention I required for my mother was not able to look after us due to her addictions and my father had to go through a lot of troubles raising me and my three brothers. Moreover, when I moved to Oakland California from New York, I was mocked at due to my white skin and finally, when I came across an affectionate boyfriend, I had to part ways with him too just because he was a Muslim. The word Zeitoun seems strange at first; however, at the end of the book, it becomes a signifier of the frustration and prejudice experienced by Muslims. It is high time that America stops treating Muslims the way they have been for quite a few years now. They are average people just like us and need to be recognized in order to ensure equality and avoid such heartbreaking instances in the future. Works Cited Egan, Timothy. “After the Deluge.” The New York Times. 13 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 July 2013. . Eggers, Dave. Zeitoun. London: Hamish Hamilton, 2011. Print. Pilkington, Ed. “The amazing true story of Zeitoun.” The Guardian. 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 July 2013. . Read More