The Attack

The most dominant theme in the text is an examination of radicalism and fundamentalism. Amin’s journey is an attempt to understand how a seemingly happy and content woman could commit an atrocity that kills so many people. He is forced to consider his surroundings, his history, and himself in the pursuit of answers. Amin is a man as far removed from radicalism as is possible. As he is told by numerous religious and military figures, he has purposefully divested himself of political involvement. Amin’s comfortable life has ensured that he does not need to touch upon the issues that dominate the lives of so many of his people. Numerous characters commit radical acts. Sihem and Wissam both kill themselves in an act of politicized murder; Faten plans to do the same; and Israeli soldiers and operatives of the state overextend their response and commit acts of violence. Amin examines the horrors brought about by radicalism and fundamentalism, but he cannot empathize with the reasoning behind it. He stitches together victims of a bomb attack, but he cannot understand why the bomb was detonated. 

However, Amin is not allowed to exist inside his ignorance. Sihem becomes his portal to understanding; if he understands why Sihem acted as she did, then he will better understand radicalism and fundamentalism.