Anvar Faris's experience as diaspora in Masood's the bad Muslim discount

This study aims to analyse the diaspora experience and forms of resistance encountered by Anvar Faris in Syed M. Masood’s novel The Bad Muslim Discount. The novel recounts the life of Anvar Faris, a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan who moved to the United States and faced various challenges in adapting culturally, religiously, and in terms of identity. These circumstances placed Anvar in a situation that required him to negotiate with values derived from his family, the Muslim community, and American society. There are two problems to be solved in this study, namely: (1) How does the diaspora experience affect Anvar Faris after moving from Pakistan to the United States? and (2) How does Anvar Faris employ resistance in navigating his life in the United States in The Bad Muslim Discount? This study employs a qualitative descriptive method with a literary approach. The research data were obtained from the narratives, dialogues, and monologues contained in the novel The Bad Muslim Discount. The data was then analysed using Steven Vertovec’s theory of diaspora to identify the main character's diaspora experiences. The analysis was conducted by identifying relevant data, classifying the data according to the research focus, and interpreting the data in accordance with the theories employed. The research findings indicate that Anvar Faris’s diaspora experience is characterised by a migration from Pakistan to the United States, driven by a desire for a freer and more equal life. However, life in the diaspora also presents various identity conflicts arising from the cultural differences, social values, and religious practices he encounters. This research also found that Anvar’s resistance took various forms, such as rejecting family control that used religion as a tool of domination, criticising the exclusivity of the Muslim community, exercising freedom in choosing education and personal relationships, and his struggle as a lawyer in defending Muslim groups facing discrimination. Through these various forms of resistance, Anvar seeks to uphold individual freedom and his identity amidst the cultural, religious, and social pressures that shape diaspora life. Thus, this study demonstrates that the diaspora not only fosters a process of adaptation but also gives rise to a critical consciousness that encourages individuals to negotiate their identities and resist.