Countering the Patriarchal Official History in Tahmima AnamThe Good Muslim

Abstract

This research paper examines how Anam counters the official history of Bangladesh in The Good Muslim. In the novel, Maya is the central character and she is projected as a very rebellious and dynamic character. She fights against the ideology of patriarchal society which imposes women even they have fought for the sake of state. Maya has challenged the absurd characteristics of soldiers as well as the state. She has countered the patriarchal norms and conventions practiced in the society. The major thrust of the thesis is to explore how Anam projects the idea of equal rights and justice for both male and female as they have equally participated in the war. The researcher in order to justify the claim mobilizes the theoretical insights of Margot Badran's Islamic Feminism. Islamic Feminism claims that Quran carries the principle of equality of all human beings but the patriarchal society hinders it and imposes its ideas and practice to subvert females. Therefore Anam raises questions to the state that why the state ignores the presence of female in the independence war of Bangladesh instead of honoring them as male. Anam opposes the trend of male centric history writing tradition in the past in this novel. She struggles for the position of women who were participated in the independence war of Bangladesh. Anam fights for both male and female for equal rights, justice and honor who were participated in the independence war of Bangladesh.