Female Muslim Characters and the Lure of the Hybrid. "My name is Salma" by Fadia Faquir

The intention of this essay is to give one important literary reflection of how female Muslim existence is presented in the contemporary English speaking novel. The choice to concentrate on a female Muslim author results from the fact that (female) Muslim writing at the moment represents one of the strongest and most influential movements of writers coming from an Islamic background. It is novelists like Bapsi Sidhwa, Qaisra Sharaz, Umera Ahmad, Kamila Shamsie, Sara Suleri or Monica Ali who have shown in their writings that most publications of female writers seem to present their characters in a more convincing and more multiple way than their male counterparts.

The structure of this essay is as follows. The beginning will consist of some sort of background information which will cover fields all of which will help to understand the background these writers (and their characters) come from. This literary analysis therefore starts with a (critical) reflection of Muslim writing. This will then be followed by an excursion on the concept of hybridity under an Islamic focus because female hyprid existence in the West is the central parameter chosen here.

This essay will be followed by a closer analysis of Fadia Faquir's novel My name is Salma (2007) in order to give an example of female Muslim existence in the West and in the East. It is exactly this span of two opposing worlds which finally brings about the main character's failure and death.
The end of this essay then will result in some sort of outlook where female Muslim writing might head to.