Rashad Alariki

Religious and sociocultural values play a significant role in constructing a person’s self-identity and influencing their choices. This paper explores the religious and sociocultural values depicted in Akwaeke Emezi’s The Death of Vivek Oji (2020) and the impact of those values on Vivek's life decisions. Vivek's self-identity construction is highlighted, as well as how religious and sociocultural values influence his decisions and isolate him from the world of adults in favor of spending time with peers he trusts and who show more tolerance and openness toward his choices. Through a sociocultural and textual lens, this study traces Vivek's transformation, and how his lifestyle choices impact both his appearance and the discovery of himself. This paper outlines why the choices Vivek makes do not match the sociocultural and religious values of his community, which leads him to isolate himself and choose a life he prefers, away from his family and the world of adults. His c...

     Class conflicts are mostly based on competing ideologies embraced by different segments of a community. These values may be religious, economic, political, social, etc. in nature. This study explores the class conflicts, the ideologies behind these conflicts and investigates how these ideologies both control the different classes’ behavior and dominate the form the relationships between them take. Using a Marxist approach and the concepts of class/sect conflicts, ideology, economic superstructure domination and hegemony, this study traces Jivan, a poor Muslim girl who lives a miserable life in the Kalabagan slums of Kolkata who is accused of terrorism in the aftermath a train burning; the transgender Lovely, a hijra who is a male but who lives as a female and wants to be an actor; and PT Sir, a physical education teacher. It does so to assess their progression in life as they negotiate the ideologies of contemporary India. The study finds that class conflicts emerge from the di...

The Jewish character has passed in a variety of transformations through different stages of history. The study explores the position of Jewish character in the world narration, how the Arabs depict the contemporary Jewish character in their literary works compared to the Western/Christian community and their attributes in the Nobel Quran. The Jewish character becomes in a position of concern for the world writers during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Jewish character has occupied a large part of writing, particularly in the area of narratives. Is there a difference between the past writers and the contemporary ones in addressing the Jewish character in the literary works? The focus is on some selective contemporary Arabic narratives: Ali Al Muqri’s The Handsome Jew (2009) and Ala Al Aswani’s Chicago (2007), in addition to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Vince and Christopher Marlow’s The Jew of Malta as presented the Jew character in the Elizabethan era. The study of th...

Secularism and secularization as concepts come to the arena of academic writing very early. This paper explores how secularism/secularization movement in Europe has changed the vision of the man and the masses towards life and religion. However, the focus here is on Arabic narrative and Islamic community and how a host of Arab writers are profoundly influenced with such western ideologies despite discrepancy in circumstances of both blocs: the western and the eastern. The focus here is how secularism has been reflected in Arabic narrative and how Arab writers initiate in addressing such concepts in their literary works, being distanced from religious concepts themselves or propagate secularization in varied facets of life for a better understanding and more liberal style of life as claimed. The influence of secularization in Arab and Muslim literary writings countries are reflected in literary writings whether in defending of such ideologies involved with secularization or rejecting them. Results showed characters mocking the religious and the sacred concepts which are consider in Islam as prohibited; mocking such Islamic basics is a sort of blasphemy or apostasy and would not be admitted by Islam and Islamic community. It was found that most of secular Arabic literary works reflect the secular thought of the writers themselves and in what way they understand secularism and secularization.   Key words: Secularism, secularization, post-secularism, religion, Islam, Arab, Muslim.

Psychoanalytic criticism probes deeply into human behavior, uncovering unconscious anxieties, desires, and problems. This study examines Abdulrazak Gurnah's Gravel Heart (2017) from a psychanalytic perspective, highlighting Salim's different stages of life and tracing the troubles he encounters. Psychoanalytic theory is applied to the concepts of family and early childhood experiences, as well as defense mechanisms: fear of abandonment, social shame and inferiority, low self-esteem, avoidance, fear of intimacy, and death and loss. The theme of death and loss becomes a hallmark of Salim's mysterious family, which is full of secrets. Despite Salim's accomplishments as a teenager, he finds himself occupied by his family conflicts. Later, he accepts his uncle Amir's invitation to move to the United Kingdom (UK) to attend college. This study found that Salim's traumatic experiences at an early age influenced his future choices and behaviors, particularly when he moved to the UK and met friends of different races from all over the world, each with their own story, which was definitely varied from his own.

The article explores the image of the Muslim and the mosque in postcolonial literary texts. E. M. Forester’s A Passage to India is taken as an example of the postcolonial text which will be traced to recognize how the western novelist portrays the Muslim’s life and how he has shaped the indigenous identity of the Muslim in this narrative. Further, the article highlights the Muslim’s relationship with non-Muslim in India, whether they are Indians or English people and its repercussions in their daily lives. Forster’s visit to India and his real experience would help him to reflect the reality of the situation in India. How Forster does manifest the Muslim and the mosque in this narrative? How does Dr. Aziz receive the strangers, particularly, the English people, the colonizers who are different in their culture and religion? In addition, what are the Islamic values incarnated by Dr. Aziz in the novel? The argument focuses on Dr. Aziz as a Muslim and his relationship with the mosque i...

The Jewish character has passed in a variety of transformations through different stages of history. The study explores the position of Jewish character in the world narration, how the Arabs depict the contemporary Jewish character in their literary works compared to the Western/ Christian community and their attributes in the Nobel Quran. The Jewish character becomes in a position of concern for the world writers during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Jewish character has occupied a large part of writing, particularly in the area of narratives. Is there a difference between the past writers and the contemporary ones in addressing the Jewish character in the literary works? The focus is on some selective contemporary Arabic narratives: Ali Al Muqri's The Handsome Jew (2009) and Ala Al Aswani's Chicago (2007), in addition to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Vince and Christopher Marlow's The Jew of Malta as presented the Jew character in the Elizabethan era...

The article explores the image of the Muslim and the mosque in postcolonial literary texts. E. M. Forester’s A Passage to India is taken as an example of the postcolonial text which will be traced to recognize how the western novelist portrays the Muslim’s life and how he has shaped the indigenous identity of the Muslim in this narrative. Further, the article highlights the Muslim’s relationship with non-Muslim in India, whether they are Indians or English people and its repercussions in their daily lives. Forster’s visit to India and his real experience would help him to reflect the reality of the situation in India. How Forster does manifest the Muslim and the mosque in this narrative? How does Dr. Aziz receive the strangers, particularly, the English people, the colonizers who are different in their culture and religion? In addition, what are the Islamic values incarnated by Dr. Aziz in the novel? The argument focuses on Dr. Aziz as a Muslim and his relationship with the mosque i...

Abstract: Literature and culture are involved with each other to mould the community and the style of life. Sometimes it is not easy mission to differentiate between literature and culture: who makes the other? Teaching literature requires unique skills that may mingle between two or more techniques or approaches and let them working together to motivate the students to participate in the class and stimulate their critical thinking. This article highlights the scio-cultural and personal experiences in the life of students of literature to encourage them to be creative and effective participants in the class and get them out of the traditional circle of teaching. No one can underestimate the influence of literature with its different areas: novel, short story, drama and poetry in shaping the personality of the students and reconstruct their identity according the cultural and social variables studied through literature courses. Through class room teaching models and different types of examination questions that lead the students to recognize well different types of questions and how to answer such literature questions of examinations. This article proves the significance of using appropriate approaches in teaching literature that assist in reconstructing the identity that matched with the cultural, social, religious values of the community. To depend on one technique or an approach would be ineffective to create a person comprehends literature and life. Keywords: teaching- testing- eclectic- literature- Scio-cultural- approach-techniques

Abstract—Search for freedom is one of the most demanding requirements of the people who were under the hell of slavery in the past, particularly in America; nowadays slavery adopts different aspects in the contemporary era. Morrison is one of the Afro-American novelists who dedicated their literary works to uncover the tyranny imposed on the African Americans in the past and how they unfettered from its chains. This article explores a long journey from slavery to salvation argued in Tony Morrison's A Mercy and what its repercussions in the lives of enslaved people in America regardless of their race, religion, color or country. On the road of freedom, they would lack their honor, their home and their trust in themselves, even their faith in God to change their lives to better. They will be vulnerable religiously, socially, psychologically, and culturally and exposed to sever torment involved with physical, spiritual and psychological sides of their lives. The focus in this article is on such transformations that may change different aspects of the enslaved lives, particularly the females, under the pressure and tyranny of the slavery traders who cares only for their interests regardless of their breaching to the laws of humanity and human rights. It was found that the females are more vulnerable and a mercy of a man interferes to salvage their lives, however, that salvation and protection would not continue forever.
Index Terms—slavery, salvation, mercy, female, freedom, transformation, black, white

Abstract
The article explores the image of the Muslim and the mosque in postcolonial literary texts. E. M. Forester’s A
Passage to India is taken as an example of the postcolonial text which will be traced to recognize how the
western novelist portrays the Muslim’s life and how he has shaped the indigenous identity of the Muslim in this
narrative. Further, the article highlights the Muslim’s relationship with non-Muslim in India, whether they are
Indians or English people and its repercussions in their daily lives. Forster’s visit to India and his real experience
would help him to reflect the reality of the situation in India. How Forster does manifest the Muslim and the
mosque in this narrative? How does Dr. Aziz receive the strangers, particularly, the English people, the
colonizers who are different in their culture and religion? In addition, what are the Islamic values incarnated by
Dr. Aziz in the novel? The argument focuses on Dr. Aziz as a Muslim and his relationship with the mosque in the
text. The article found that Muslim represented by Dr. Aziz as a true believer and a respectful character in the
world of difference and diversity as Mrs. Moors represented the brilliant side of Christianity and the human side
of British colonizers in India. Aziz’s manifestations of counter discourse are argued throughout the narrative and
Dr. Aziz’s loyalty to the mosque, faith, and to his country is unquestionable.
Keywords: Muslim, Mosque, colonizers, colonized, tolerance, cultural conflict, discrimination, identity

Diaspora and counter discourse become a mark of Palestinian Diasporas to express their
sufferings and sacrifices for their country. This paper examines how Palestinian writers reveal
diasporas and counter discourse in their literary works. Diaspora has detached them from their
families and friends, from their people and place. Mourid Barghouthi's I saw Ramallah is one of
autobiographical works but it brings to the memory of the reader many stories of diasporas that
brought an end to the lives of many creative Palestinians who realized in their thought and
writing a counter discourse to raise awareness of international community in general and
Palestinians in particular about the fairness of Palestinians' issue. The paper found Diasporas a
means of escape to initiate a new life of struggle; it is a quest for an identity in a world endeavors
lastingly to reshape their identity. Diasporas struggle to give a voice for a voiceless nation and
they think their Diaspora would bring to them safety and security while it would become a way to
death. Sometimes Diasporas die strangers, attempting to give a voice for voiceless nation.
Key words:
Diaspora- Counter- Discourse-
Identity- Exile-Unhomeliness-
Colonizer- Homesickness

It is not easy to write about a home you are enforced to be away of it. Undoubtedly, your words and lines will be
expressive and impressive because they come to reveal a fact would not be ignored by the Palestinians or the world
in general. Mohmoud Darwish is one of the Palestinians who were enforced to be dislocated, jailed, but exiled. He
has an experience in exile with homelessness and homeliness. This article attempts to analyze four of Darwish's
poems that address home and homeliness, identity and exile of the strangers who spend their lives dislocated. The
selected poems will be analyzed to probe deeply into the location of home, homeliness, exile and identity in the
poetry of Mahmoud Drawish. How the strangers feel while they are detached of their homes and families searching
for their identity, searching for their home. The article explores the influence of the words of Darwish's poetry in
expressing homesickness, homeliness and how a Palestinian finds his life away of his motherland, Palestine. The
focus will be on the thematic and attitudinal structure and the aesthetics of using the expressive words, symbols and
images that manifest the postcolonial identity that always stands against dominating power of colonizers.
Keywords: home, homeliness, identity, exile, discrimination, stranger, Palestinian, poem

Secularism and secularization as concepts come to the arena of academic writing very early. This paper
explores how secularism/secularization movement in Europe has changed the vision of the man and
the masses towards life and religion. However, the focus here is on Arabic narrative and Islamic
community and how a host of Arab writers are profoundly influenced with such western ideologies
despite discrepancy in circumstances of both blocs: the western and the eastern. The focus here is
how secularism has been reflected in Arabic narrative and how Arab writers initiate in addressing such
concepts in their literary works, being distanced from religious concepts themselves or propagate
secularization in varied facets of life for a better understanding and more liberal style of life as claimed.
The influence of secularization in Arab and Muslim literary writings countries are reflected in literary
writings whether in defending of such ideologies involved with secularization or rejecting them. Results
showed characters mocking the religious and the sacred concepts which are consider in Islam as
prohibited; mocking such Islamic basics is a sort of blasphemy or apostasy and would not be admitted
by Islam and Islamic community. It was found that most of secular Arabic literary works reflect the
secular thought of the writers themselves and in what way they understand secularism and
secularization.
Key words: Secularism, secularization, post-secularism, religion, Islam, Arab, Muslim.