Commentary: The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood

By Chava Possum

The plan this week was to finish The Reindeer People, but I was pulled away from that book by another— The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood. (Don’t worry, we’ll chat about The Reindeer People too soon enough.)

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Bad Muslim Discount through NetGalley. I don’t normally go out in pursuit of ARCs, but this year I’m serving on a local committee to select the Deschutes Public Library’s “A Novel Idea” book for 2022. The book that is selected is read by the entire community. The library puts on special programs touching on the themes or topics of the book. The Bad Muslim Discount was the first new release I chose to read, to see if it might be a good fit for A Novel Idea.

Masood’s novel follows two immigrant families as fundamentalism and nationalism take root seemingly everywhere, pushing families into dire situations, where right and wrong aren’t so simple. Anvar Faris and his family move to the U.S because his father is idealistic about the freedoms afforded in America, compared to the stifling oppression he faced in Pakistan, where simply listening to the wrong kind of music could incite an angry mob. Meanwhile, Safwa and her family in Iraq are surrounded by violence, initiated by American imperialism and “the war on terror”. Her older brother falls gravely ill and her father is captured and tortured, leaving Safwa to choose between sticking by her brother’s side— even if it kills her— or flee and survive. Safwa gets involved with a despicable man in order to gain access to safety in America. But America is not as safe as they think. The Muslim community of San Francisco brings Anvar and Safwa— re-named Azza— together. The apartment complex they both live in is run by perhaps the only good landlord in the world, who gives a “Muslim discount” to those who he thinks may need some support or just a break from the harsh world around them. Here dramas unfold that impact Anvar, Azza, and both their families. Through a string of fuck ups (on everyone’s part) we witness the complications of “justice”. At one point, Azza asks Anvar if we should be guided by our limits or priorities. Do we make decisions based on what we can’t do or what we must do? The terrible dilemma of conflict is feeling you are right, but that rightness coming at a cost. The struggle for one’s soul is central to this story. It’s also a love story, a tale about family dynamics, and a commentary on American violence.

I loved it.

The cover of the book really caught my eye. Based on the design, I thought it might be more YA than it turned out to be, which is fine. One of my priorities with my selections for A Novel Idea 2022 is to find titles that can bring in younger readers, rather than exclude them. The problem is that I’m really bad at determining what is “age-appropriate.” (I’m 25 without kids, so I’m a poor judge.) I would have read this book as a kid, but that’s because I read everything I could get my hands on. The stories in The Bad Muslim Discount are terrifying and brought me to tears a few times. There’s violence, though not in bloody detail. But the violence we see isn’t for grim effect; it’s there to tell truths. And these are truths I think American kids should hear, should know, and should reckon with. Maybe, then, we won’t keep repeating the same crimes against humanity. I felt the writing was accessible to a wide range of age groups— simple to understand, yet lyrical and rich in theological discourse. The characters start as teens and young adults, then grow into adulthood. Perhaps I can make a case for it, after all.

More importantly, however, is how much I learned about Islam through this book— a topic most Americans aren’t familiar with at all, and some never want to be. What a shame that is. Here in Central Oregon, there aren’t many Muslims, unfortunately. I’m a Jew and there’s a small community of us here, but far fewer Muslims. Learning about Islam as a community could have a ripple effect that changes that. Who knows? I am not naïve about how Americans think… how our minds work. At one point in my life, I might have believed that diversity in fiction could be enough to shift a culture away from white supremacy. But I don’t really believe that anymore. It requires so much more. But who knows what a single book could start, what the domino effect might be, what could change.

If you’re interested in reading The Bad Muslim Discount, it is now available!