NEEM Magazine

by, Sheheryar T. Sardar, Esq., Media & Policy Editor

In a matter of five minutes, the opening scene illustrates the dichotomous, often contrasting way of life Muslim-Americans, particularly Pakistanis, have adopted while trying to assimilate into American society. Khulsoom, the mother, strongly played by actress Nidhi Singh, opens the scene in the kitchen. Upon hearing the Azan, or call to prayer, she prays with her hands cusped in the air in front of her. When finished, she strides over to the radio and turns on her favorite performer, none other than Mr. Tom Jones. Dancing away to his tunes, she starts to prepare a lavish dish of lamb biryani, a special rice dish, for her youngest son Ghafur’s 21^st birthday. In the audience’s mind, this sequence of events seems irreconcilable. How can an immigrant, devout Muslim woman simply start dancing to Tom Jones?

The play presents this contrast subtly. Throughout its two-hour duration, it never prosthelyzes a culture or a faith, nor does it shy away from the variances between individuals who happen to be Muslim, Pakistani, and yet, American. The family consists of the husband and wife, two sons, a daughter, and a grandfather, all who bring to the play a diversity of experiences and perspectives on culture, religion, history, American foreign policy, and ultimately, the multitude of identities they have all adopted.

The play is set in the family house, where all members have convened for one day. The elder son is largely secular and capitalist, obsessed over the performance of his stocks; the daughter seems to possess activist tendencies, working towards a law degree; the youngest son is searching for an identity balanced between Islam and being an American; the father is a hardworking immigrant, focused on providing for his family and acutely aware of the ethnic bias against him in the workplace. The mother seeks to maintain the family bond, while the grandfather repeats his requests for a good cup of chai amidst his tempered moments relaxing on the couch.

Conversations abound. Fissures between the characters are revealed, offering insight into their personalities through the prism of American life, parental aspirations for their children, cultural virtues, even the history of the Indian subcontinent. There are quirky details known only to Pakistani and Muslim-Americans, and there are inescapable truths about generational conflict. Wajahat Ali navigates this complex world with ease, knowing his subject matter through the experiences of his own life, and indeed, the life of many Pakistani-Americans who live another day to work hard, to find their voice in a country which offers them everything, perhaps too much of everything. Indeed, Wajahat Ali precisely depicts this struggle his characters face.  Timely and authentic, The Domestic Crusaders is a first of its kind, now playing at the historic Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City until October 11.  The cast also includes:  Abbas Zaidi as Hakim, Imran Javaid as Salman, Adeel Ahmed as Ghafur, Kamran Khan as Salahuddin, Monisha Shiva as Fatima, and Nidhi Singh as Khulsoom.