Paradise

The society in this novel is pluralistic with several ethnicities and religions represented. Islam is the primary religion of the characters in the story, though each has a slightly different relationship to the faith. In addition, characters’ opinions on the religious beliefs of others defines their way of relating to those people.

Yusuf is Muslim, though his mother gives him a Christian rosary when he leaves. He regrets the loss of the rosary, not as a religious item but as a connection to the mother he has just lost. This co-existence of beliefs is present with others, as well, such as Amina and Yusuf regarding the amulet having magical properties, capable of calling up a jinn. The idea of jinns and other supernatural beings originates in folklore yet is often part of a person’s faith. Kalasinga is the best example of co-existing faiths, considering his childhood “in a devout Sikh household” whose family shrine also contained “a bronze statue of Ganesh, a small painting of Jesus Christ the Redeemed and a miniature copy of the Koran” (81). However, Kalasinga makes sure that Yusuf fills his mind with more practical knowledge, such as mechanics, rather than only that of religious devotion. Kalasinga’s plan to translate the Koran into Kiswahili is not so that he can promote Islam, but so he can expose what he sees as the faults of Islam, stating, “Maybe I don’t know what God is, or remember all his thousand names and his million promises, but I know that he can’t be this big bully you worship” (85).

Several characters use the difference of religion as a metric to look down on other cultures or raise up their own. Hamid is at once defensive and offensive about his practice of Islam. He is uncomfortable with those who seem to know the Koran more than he does, saying of Hussein, “I’m not saying there is ever any harm in quoting from the Book, but he does it out of spite not out of piety” (95). He also worries when Yusuf starts spending much more time studying the imam’s lessons than working around the shop, thinking he’s being too pious. However, he also uses his religion as a weapon against those who do not practice it, claiming that the practice of fasting during Ramadhan is “what distinguishes us from the savage and the pagan, who denies himself nothing” (95). Because the first word in the Koran is “Read,” Hamid also becomes overly dramatic when he discovers that Yusuf cannot read, declaring, “If you cannot read His word or follow His law, you are no better than these worshippers of rocks and trees. Little better than a beast” (100). Therefore, in his eyes, non-Muslims are “savages” and pagans, as are those who have not learned to read.

Mohammed Abdalla is an interesting counterpoint to Hamid. Both men are Muslim, and both refer to the non-Muslim people who dwell in the country as “savages,” but Abdalla is equally harsh toward people of his own faith who call upon any supernatural entity, whether God or some animistic spirit. When a destructive storm hits on the eve of departure, “the porters groaned God’s name and wailed for mercy,” which enrages him. He mocks their fear of the storm, saying “Don’t you know any spells? Why don’t you slaughter a goat and read its stomach? You people are obsessed with fiends and omens” (112).

However, Abdalla’s mockery makes him too dismissive of the tribal beliefs they encounter on the journey. Simba Mwene realizes that a person’s beliefs, no matter what an outsider thinks, can lead a person to take actions that may be dangerous. He reports that in the town where they left the two injured men the people do magic. Abdalla sneers, but Mwene clarifies that their magic may involve doing something to Yusuf, so they had better keep guard him. Mwene understands that one doesn’t have to share a belief to know that violating it could spell danger.