Reflection on Habibi

When discussing Habibi by N. S. Nye my class questioned the text through social context, culturally, linguistically, and religiously. As a whole we thought that the book was a good representation of the Arab culture, but not of Islamic religion. We also talked about Omer being the only positive portrayal of Jewish people. Dr. W informed us of the need to the text to be supplemented with another text showing the Jewish perspective of the historical events that are brushed over in Habibi. He went on further to explain that it was not clear which war was being talked about and it was not told from a mutual conflict perspective, but a one sided story.

When talking in small groups, I raised my own idea about a stereotype in the book. I wondered as I read why Liyana was so precocious, strong minded, and stubborn. I think because Liyana identified herself as being half American she was stereotyped as not holding back her opinion or thoughts, which was thought of as inappropriate in Israel. Her father used her American heritage to forgive her offensive nature. Liyana doesn’t play by the rules, which is shown through her relationship with Omer, yet another stereotype of Americans. As Dr. W said, “lines don’t mean anything to her,” and “she is a crosser of boundaries,” which allows her to fit the stereotypical depiction of American teenagers in their coming of age stage. He also used the word “cosmopolitain” to define how accepting of things that were typically not accepted.
This stereotype is also depicted in Liyana’s mother. She is shown as being open to letting Omer take Liyana to the Art Museum and stands up for her daughter’s strong personality. Her mother seems to not understand the ramifications of the differences of the cultures, allowing Liyana to follow her “American” instincts.

It didn’t occur to me until my small group meeting that the stereotype of the book didn’t lay within the Arab culture but within its representation of American and Jewish cultures. My observations don’t make this fact, but it is an interesting perspective to look at when reading critically or against the text.