Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz allows every reader a very intimate understanding of one Pakistani man’s upbringing under the veil of Islam. He provides a unique perspective when telling the story of growing up in a Muslim family that fundamentally believed Allah to be a prodigious leader of Islam. Even though his adolescent years were spent growing up in the “Bible Belt” of the United States, retained his identity; believing he had been given a great responsibility years before he was even born. His ideals and beliefs were instilled in him at a young age by his family, and became devoted to living life in the name of Allah. Ali’s journey began when his father struggled to find work in Pakistan as a medical physician and was given the chance
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This was a clear indication of the point at which he began to lose the innocence that his family worked so hard for him to keep. He began to notice things about the girl he played these “games” with, such as the translucent fabric of her clothing and what it was meant to be covering. This sparked a predatory desire to continue pressuring her to play this "game" with him again. He even went so far as to force the girl to reveal herself to him to which he then reciprocated. He went so far as to begin kissing her body until only the odor of her unclean body left him disgusted and made him physically ill. The servant girl, offended by his reaction, went to his parents in retaliation to tell them what had transpired. His mother created a punishment for his sin, forcing him to repeatedly write “I will ask Allah for forgiveness” one hundred times. He wept from the realization that he had disappointed Allah, for whom he had to thank for his very existence.
Soon after, Ali’s father made the decision to abandon his teaching position in Saudi Arabia in hopes of becoming a medical doctor in the United States. Unfortunately, after some setbacks, his father was forced to move back into the village that he had grown up in. Ali began a new life in the company of his extended family, which offered the chance to strengthen his relationships with them and encounter new experiences, good and
This was a clear indication of the point at which he began to lose the innocence that his family worked so hard for him to keep. He began to notice things about the girl he played these “games” with, such as the translucent fabric of her clothing and what it was meant to be covering. This sparked a predatory desire to continue pressuring her to play this "game" with him again. He even went so far as to force the girl to reveal herself to him to which he then reciprocated. He went so far as to begin kissing her body until only the odor of her unclean body left him disgusted and made him physically ill. The servant girl, offended by his reaction, went to his parents in retaliation to tell them what had transpired. His mother created a punishment for his sin, forcing him to repeatedly write “I will ask Allah for forgiveness” one hundred times. He wept from the realization that he had disappointed Allah, for whom he had to thank for his very existence.
Soon after, Ali’s father made the decision to abandon his teaching position in Saudi Arabia in hopes of becoming a medical doctor in the United States. Unfortunately, after some setbacks, his father was forced to move back into the village that he had grown up in. Ali began a new life in the company of his extended family, which offered the chance to strengthen his relationships with them and encounter new experiences, good and