The Tangerine Scarf

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The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf is written by Mohja Kahf and is a coming of age story as the main character, Khadra tries to find her true identity. Khadra Shamy is the daughter of Syrian immigrants who moved to Indianapolis. Khadra grew up in a strict Muslim community and both of her parents were very involved with the Da’wah Center. In the strict Muslim community that Khadra was raised in, all children were brought up believing in one definition of Islam and rejecting all other definitions and practices. Throughout the book we learn how Khadra’s parents lied to her about some of the Islamic teachings she thought to be true during her childhood, which interferes with her search for her identity. There are several examples of social pressures and realities throughout the book that help shape Khadra’s identity, many of which girls of any religion or culture would struggle with in their own way, making this novel relatable across different cultures.
The first life-changing event that Khadra encounters is the rape and death of her close friend Zuhura. Zuhura represented a hybridization, in the sense that she was a strong muslim woman, but also wasn’t afraid to interact with Americans, unlike most of the community. Zuhura was like a sister to Khadra as well as a mentor. Upon the rape and death of Zuhura, Khadra tightened her grip on her religion. She saw Zuhura’s death as what could happen if you try to interact with Americans and don’t abide by the community’s strict Islamic teachings.
Khadra gets married to Jumu’ah al-Tashkenti upon returning from her trip to Saudia Arabia for the Hajj. Khadra marries him because she thinks he is an ideal, strong Muslim man, and that is what she thinks that she ...

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... of a different religious background. She depicts Khadra’s journey not as her breaking free from the strict rules of the Muslim community she was raised in, but rather focused on situational experiences that Khadra had to overcome to find her religious identity. It is in a sense a coming of age story in which the Khadra experiences things that are realistic and relatable because they can happen on a daily basis to anyone. The novel depicts that how you react to the social pressures defines you as well, which is a concept that is often lost, yet Mohja Kahf depicts this clearly. The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf shows how social pressures and obstacles shape your identity and without them, you could be stuck just adopting the same identity as your parents.

Ashley Fleetwood
Word Count: 1,040
Kahf, Mohja. “The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf”. Public Affairs. New York. 2006.

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