Home Fire

All main characters of the novel—Isma, Eamonn, Parvaiz, Aneeka, and Karamat—have different approaches to Islam and their Pakistani heritage, and Shamsie uses their varying perspectives to highlight how problematic the concept of national identity is for Muslims living in Western countries.

Two of these five characters, Isma and Karamat, have jarringly opposing views of the issue of identity. Isma, when asked by the airport security if she considers herself British, responds that she had lived in Britain all her life, meaning that “there was no other country of which she could feel herself a part” (9). For people like her, who were born and raised in one country but have strong cultural and religious ties to another one, a struggle to assimilate while keeping their identity is something that often accompanies them throughout life. Although wearing a hijab and practicing Islam are integral parts of Isma’s identity, other people might use them to cast her as a radical Muslim. Moreover, by preserving her identity while living in modern Britain, Isma unwillingly opposes people like Karamat, who believe that those who “set [them]selves apart” (87) from British society deserve to be “treated differently” (88) or even denied a homeland.