Bifocal, written by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters, is the story of two high school boys, Haroon, a Muslim and Jay, who is white and a Christian. The narration switches between the perspectives of the two boys. The novel takes place in post-9/11 Canada, when Islamophobia was (and still is) rampant. Through the voices of Haroon and Jay, Ellis and Walters convey the argument that racism is a complex and prevalent issue in today's society. The authors use the alternating perspectives of Haroon and Jay to show not only the different ideas that people have about Muslims, but also the different forms of racism that exist. Haroon's perspective shows the reader the view of racism from the first-person perspective. Haroon is a Muslim from
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There is no doubt of very real racism against Muslims in the community. From the police interrogating Haroon, assuming he has something to do with or knowledge about the alleged terrorism just because he is Muslim, to the slurs painted onto the school, to the football team vandalizing Haroon and Zana's house, there is no shortage of racist acts committed against Muslims in the novel. However, the authors successfully proved that racism is not simply violent acts against another race. Racism is the slurs thrown at the women parked in the car. It is the term “sand monkey” that is used very freely throughout the book. It is when Jay ponders about his teammate, Moose and saying “he could be going to study the Koran, working in the library, or helping the homeless. Or making bombs” (Ellis and Walters, 72). It is the assumption that because somebody is Muslim, they are a threat to society and are going to plant bombs trying to kill “all white people,” because it is believed that all Muslims think all white people are racist. Haroon says, “when I walk down the street, white people look at me in fear, even though I am dressed like they are dressed. Even though my national anthem is the same as theirs” (Ellis and Walters, 155). Haroon is a normal member of society. He goes to school, has friends, has a normal family life complete with laughs, fun, and some dysfunction. His character represents the majority of Muslims in the world. While they have their own traditions and believes, they are normal. Of course, there are extremists. That is an undeniable fact. However, there are extremists in every single religion, race, ethnicity, or group of people. There are characters in the novel who are allegedly extremist Muslims (Azeem and the others arrested), but Kevin is the extremist in the opposite direction. He is an extreme racist who feels that being white is superior, as evidenced through his actions. However, the difference is
There is no doubt of very real racism against Muslims in the community. From the police interrogating Haroon, assuming he has something to do with or knowledge about the alleged terrorism just because he is Muslim, to the slurs painted onto the school, to the football team vandalizing Haroon and Zana's house, there is no shortage of racist acts committed against Muslims in the novel. However, the authors successfully proved that racism is not simply violent acts against another race. Racism is the slurs thrown at the women parked in the car. It is the term “sand monkey” that is used very freely throughout the book. It is when Jay ponders about his teammate, Moose and saying “he could be going to study the Koran, working in the library, or helping the homeless. Or making bombs” (Ellis and Walters, 72). It is the assumption that because somebody is Muslim, they are a threat to society and are going to plant bombs trying to kill “all white people,” because it is believed that all Muslims think all white people are racist. Haroon says, “when I walk down the street, white people look at me in fear, even though I am dressed like they are dressed. Even though my national anthem is the same as theirs” (Ellis and Walters, 155). Haroon is a normal member of society. He goes to school, has friends, has a normal family life complete with laughs, fun, and some dysfunction. His character represents the majority of Muslims in the world. While they have their own traditions and believes, they are normal. Of course, there are extremists. That is an undeniable fact. However, there are extremists in every single religion, race, ethnicity, or group of people. There are characters in the novel who are allegedly extremist Muslims (Azeem and the others arrested), but Kevin is the extremist in the opposite direction. He is an extreme racist who feels that being white is superior, as evidenced through his actions. However, the difference is