Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

Uncle Rahman is Yusuf’s uncle and the younger brother of Amma and Sarah. Rahman gives the story another perspective in terms of voice and context. Via Rahman’s journal, the novel switches from a third-person narrator to a first-person narrator and supplies an account of what it was like for a Muslim American person around Yusuf’s age when 9/11 occurred. There are many parallels between the two characters. They’re optimistic and thoughtful. Rahman is excited to start middle school, and he ponders the meaning of 9/11 in 2001, while Yusuf researches it 20 years later. Rahman faces anti-Muslim prejudice from disparate sources, but the main culprit is Rahman’s friend, Jonathan, whose uncle died in the Twin Towers. The relationship between Rahman and Jonathan imperfectly parallels Yusuf and Jared’s friendship, with Yusuf deviating from Rahman’s example and staying friends with Jared, as Jared truly regrets writing the notes. Thus, Rahman serves another purpose, foreshadowing. His journal previews and hints at what’s ahead for Yusuf.

In 2021, Rahman is a research scientist and a mentor for Yusuf. He’s Yusuf’s favorite family member. When Danial invites Yusuf over to build LEGOs, Yusuf declines because he must eat dinner with Rahman. The narrator adds, “Yusuf didn’t say that a LEGO set sounded cooler. That was a given. But Uncle Rahman came a close second” (12). Rahman’s beliefs about history support the theme of The Personal Impact of 9/11. He tells Yusuf, “History informs the present, my dear nephew, and so it affects the future” (33). By teaching Yusuf about 9/11 through his journal and their discussions, Rahman familiarizes Yusuf with the Black Muslim boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, who serves as a role model for Rahman. Rahman is single and doesn’t have kids, but there’s gossip he met a woman at a conference in Seattle.

Danial is Yusuf’s best friend, and the two have been close since kindergarten. Like Yusuf, Danial is Muslim and loves coding and creating robots. In terms of personality, Danial is different from Yusuf, making him Yusuf’s foil or opposite. While Yusuf is optimistic, Danial tends to be weary and negative, declaring, “I think this will be the middle school of sorrows” (17). Yusuf mostly tries to give people the benefit of the doubt, but Danial is judgmental, criticizing Cameron for acting “so…white” and suggesting that Cameron’s white friends “make fun of him behind his back” (43). Danial is also possessive, and when Yusuf befriends Jared, Danial becomes jealous. Yet Danial isn’t a static character, so he and Cameron become friends again, though, unlike Yusuf, Danial never becomes comfortable confronting Ethan or bullying behavior.

Danial and Yusuf occupy different economic classes, with Yusuf’s father driving a “piece of junk” (29), and Danial’s mother recently buying a brand-new Jeep. Danial’s mother and father have money because they are computer engineers for a large, global oil company, Exxon. Danial’s background contributes to the Countering Monolithic Representation theme, demonstrating that Muslims, like other types of people, don’t exclusively occupy one economic class.

Cameron Abdullah was Kamran Abdullah, and he, Yusuf, and Danial formed a friend group until the fourth grade when Cameron began to change. Aside from his name, Cameron changed his style, wearing one earring and baggy clothes. Initially, Cameron represents assimilation, with Danial implying that Cameron sacrifices his Muslim identity to fit in with Ethan and the white kids. Yusuf fleetingly supports Danial’s hypothesis, accusing Cameron of authoring the notes, telling him, “You seem to hate Muslims just as much as Ethan Grant and his father” (157).

As the narrative unfolds, the reader learns that Cameron’s situation is complex. He doesn’t hate Muslims, and he doesn’t mindlessly follow Ethan. When Ethan and Sammy start bullying Yusuf and Danial in the cafeteria, he tells them, “Hey, guys, come on. Chill” (171). Ethan tries to get Cameron to write the notes, but Cameron refuses. Cameron has agency, and his style doesn’t reflect assimilation but his individuality. With Cameron, Faruqi indicates that a Muslim person can dress differently and change their name because they want to, not because they’re ashamed of their Muslim identity.

Jared Tobias, Ethan Grant, and Trevor Grant are a part of the same family. Mr. Grant is Jared’s uncle and Ethan’s dad, making Jared and Ethan cousins. Mr. Grant and Ethan are vehicles for anti-Muslim prejudice. Ethan harasses the Muslims in Frey Middle School, and Mr. Grant and the Patriot Sons persecute Frey’s Muslim community by protesting the mosque and vandalizing Abba’s store. In a sense, Mr. Grant is a bully, and Ethan emulates his father. Mr. Grant and Ethan don’t have a healthy relationship, and Faruqi creates a modicum of sympathy for Ethan when Jared tells Yusuf that Mr. Grant abuses him.

At first, Jared perpetuates the anti-Muslim prejudices of the family by following Ethan’s directives and leaving the notes in Yusuf’s locker. Yet Jared isn’t like his cousin and uncle. He’s introspective, admitting that he made a mistake and acted unthoughtful. Jared explains, “Ethan made me. He said we needed to send a message to our country’s enemies […] but now I know he’s wrong. You’re a good person. You’re my friend. I stopped delivering those notes as soon as I realized that” (327). Jared is capable of change, and realizing that Jared isn’t a bigot, Yusuf remains friends with him.

Jared experiences The Personal Impact of 9/11 through his mother, who serves overseas. The 9/11 attacks impacted people in the military, putting them in multiple war zones. His mother’s precarious position gives him nightmares, and he paints to help him deal with his anxiety. About his mother’s Thanksgiving visit, Jared tells Yusuf, “She’s not the same mom, though. Grandma says the war changes people” (300). Due to the War on Terror, Jared’s mom is different, and his relationship with her permanently alters.

Yusuf’s abba (father) is Mohammad Azeem, and he runs a dollar store. His amma (mother) is a freelance writer and editor, and a fantastic cook. While Abba cares greatly about what people think of him and the Muslim community, Amma is more contrary and questioning. Their relationship somewhat mirrors the friendship between Yusuf and Danial, with Abba maintaining a positive outlook, and Amma tending to be more critical. When Amma complains, “We’ve been proving ourselves for the last twenty years,” Abba asks, “What are you talking about? What’s brought this on?” (113-14). Later, Amma questions the feasibility of love defeating hate, but Abba endorses the cheery slogan.

Abba is from Pakistan, and he wishes he could have had a Western education and a job in the science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) sector. He encourages Yusuf’s interest in coding and robots, as Yusuf reminds him that it’s a path to success. The people in Frey consider Abba a hero for how he stopped a robber, and Faruqi uses the hero narrative to show how all people, not just bigots, are capable of distorting reality. Danial alludes to the possibility that the robber wasn’t as dangerous as the story implies when he says, “There wasn’t really any shooting. Only a guy waving his hands around. Who knows if there even was a gun in his pocket?” (95). Nevertheless, Abba and Amma are principled people who believe in putting their Muslim values into practice. Abba continually shows generosity and embraces the New Horizons Church, whereas Amma stands up to the severe Sameena Aunty and promotes a kinder way to teach Sunday school.

Madison Ensley is the sole girl in the robotics club. When she ends up as the notetaker, she acknowledges that she’s in a stereotypical role, complaining, “Like a secretary or something. Perfect!” (179). The quote indicates an awareness of gender dynamics, which Yusuf subverts by pointing out the centrality of notes for coding and building robots. Madison names the bot Miss Trashy, so she proudly turns the creation into “a she.”

Separate from the club and TRC, Madison has a fraught interaction with Yusuf in the library where she pronounces Muslim as “Muz-lim or whatever” (176). The dialogue is important to the story because it breaks up the monolithic representation of anti-Muslim prejudice. Not everyone who pronounces Muslim is a bigot. Some people, like Madison, require education or instruction.