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Aa Safianna mentioned, it was a really insightful paper and I personally did enjoy reading it. I'd like to talk a bit about the instances the Desi ballers take in relation to blackness, I believe that they actually navigate complex relationships with Blackness, queerness, and the model minority stereotype through basketball. They appropriate elements of cultural Blackness, such as urban aesthetics and stylized expressions, to assert their masculinity and "American-ness" but distance themselves from stereotypes of hypermasculinity, often excluding African Americans from their leagues. These spaces reinforce heteronormative, patriarchal masculinity through homosocial bonding while marginalizing queer identities and relegating women to spectator roles. Although they resist the asexual "model minority" trope by constructing an assertive masculinity, their practices often depend on class privilege and selectively commodify Black aesthetics, reproducing other racial and gender hierarchies.

In Exalted Subjects, Thobani draws upon re-imagining race in terms of culture and I think there are couple of points that are worth considering in the whyness of such re-imagination. Based on my understanding from the text, one of the important reasons to do so is providing the immigrants with a change of better integration in the society. And the other point is the way it affects the White supremacy. It actually kind of changes the discourse to cultural tolerance. I assume changing the discourse to cultural tolerance can be very important in a way that it sustains the white dominance. In other words, White Canadians (or similar dominant groups in other nations) can retain the power to define and govern the cultural expressions of minorities, while presenting themselves as cosmopolitan and tolerant. This allows whiteness to be reimagined as neutral or even progressive, rather than a racialized and dominant identity.

Many interviewees point to their non-European faciès (facial features) as a key marker of exclusion. This physical difference perpetuates a sense that they do not belong, regardless of their citizenship or cultural assimilation. (what I myself faced many times in my not so long experience as a migrant. The sense the people want to affiliate with SOMETHING, always the first question is: Are you Arab? Are you Indian? Are you Iranian? Are you ...? Are you ...?; It is as if the nationality which comes with my face needs to introduced first before anything goes further.)

In this reading we have Karim who notes that his appearance ensures he will never be truly accepted as French: "A foreigner remains a foreigner forever." Even his children, despite having French mothers and being mostly white-passing, are still perceived as "foreigners" due to subtle physical traits like "kinky hair."

Despite adopting French norms, language, and values—what some describe as being "more French than the French"—interviewees still face rejection. Karim's "false assimilation" exemplifies this: while he has embraced French values and identity, he ultimately realizes that his efforts will never fully erase his outsider status in the eyes of others.

Moreover, experiences with racism in education, employment, and public spaces reinforce the idea of permanent foreignness. For instance, Karim recalls being treated with condescension in his village, and others recount being scrutinized in stores or rejected in social settings because of their ethnicity.

The rejection experienced by interviewees often leads to a fractured sense of identity, as they feel neither fully French nor fully tied to their countries of origin. Karim encapsulates this with his statement: "I feel like I have no country." The feeling of living lives in between and never fully belong to what was once the home and what you try to make home out of it.

Throughout the course, I often reflected on the version of Islam that I grew up with. I even discussed this with my mom, and now, after reading For the Love of God, I realize that many Iranians—regardless of factors such as gender or place of living—share similar experiences. The text’s examination of Iranian trans people was particularly interesting to me, and there are some points I’d like to explore further regarding this reading.

Reflection on Islam and Identity
First, I want to address the version of Islam I mentioned at the beginning of this post. The first time I truly reflected on my Muslim identity was in the second grade of high school during one of my EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes at the Iran Language Institute (ILI). The ILI has an interesting history. Initially known as the “Iran-USA Anjuman,” it underwent multiple name changes until 1979, when it became the ILI and was affiliated with the Ministry of Education. As a government-controlled institute, it embodies certain unique characteristics:

Boys and girls attend separate schools, and classes are strictly single-gendered.
Girls are required to wear proper hijab, despite the schools being gender-segregated (due to the presence of male teachers or admin staff).
Working there is considered prestigious due to higher salaries and benefits compared to private schools. Employees must not only be well-educated but also adhere to certain ideological or religious values.

One of my teachers posed an intriguing question during class: “Do you think we are Muslims or merely Muslim-borns?” This prompted me to think deeply, not only about the question itself but also about my classmates’ reactions. Some firmly believed they were Muslims, others saw themselves as only Muslim-borns, and a few, like me, had no clear answer. I found it thought-provoking that a teacher would raise such a question in that context, where being a practicing Muslim was often taken for granted. This question made me contemplate my relationship with Islam for some time.

I began observing my family and relatives and noticed a recurring pattern: religious mothers and atheist or agnostic fathers. This made me revisit the question—are we Muslim-borns? I also reflected on why grandmothers tend to be deeply religious while grandfathers often seem more "open-minded" (to borrow my high-school terminology). Within families, religion often became a source of serious conflict. It was common to see men mocking women for their prayers or religious practices, a dynamic I believe persists even today.

The Trans Experience in Iran
Another aspect of the text that resonated with me was its discussion of trans experiences in Iran. While gender-affirming surgery is legally permitted, societal acceptance remains fraught with challenges.

I recall a popular movie I loved as a child, around the age of 8 or 9. I rewatched it so many times that I memorized entire dialogues, reciting them alongside the actors. The main plot focused on a couple seeking therapy for their marriage, but embedded within the story was the narrative of a trans man pursuing gender-affirming surgery. Reflecting on it now, I see how the movie subtly depicted the complex relationship between Islam and trans individuals.

Key moments from the movie stand out:

• The trans character, referred to as “he,” insists, “I’m a she, not a he.”
• They express frustration, saying, “Everyone is imposing something on me—my mother, my family, everyone. Now you’re imposing something on me too!”
• They reveal bruises on their body and express their attraction to men.
• They recount their mother’s reaction: crying and cursing while praying, removing their scarf, cutting their hair while they sleep, and destroying items they purchased with their trans friends.
• In a pivotal scene, another man comments, “Men do not cry,” criticizing their appearance and gestures. To defend themselves, the trans character shows their surgery note, affirming their identity and intention to undergo surgery.

At the time, when we watched this movie, most people paid little attention to the trans narrative, often laughing at the character’s mannerisms and gestures. Now, after reading For the Love of God, I see how societal perceptions complicate the already challenging process for trans individuals, even when the government legally permits gender transition. This societal resistance adds additional layers of difficulty.

Progress and Remaining Challenges
Although Iranian society has made strides in addressing these issues, thanks to education and social media, there is still a long way to go. For trans individuals living outside Iran, it’s understandable that they may struggle to believe in this progress, given the deeply entrenched societal views they left behind. The fear of returning home and facing harm is rooted in the complex interplay of family dynamics, gendered Islam, and societal expectations in Iranian culture. This makes collective societal adaptation incredibly challenging.

Actually, "identifying as Arab" is a complex process shaped by both internal and external elements. This identity was complicated by racial and legal challenges imposed by Canadian immigration laws, which often classified Syrians alongside other "Asiatic" or "non-European" groups. There were a couple of alternatives they could adopt:

1. as Syrian or Lebanese 2) as White or Caucasian and 3) Religious Identification (Christian, Muslim, or Orthodox)

1: This was partly because "Syrian" or "Lebanese" allowed for more precise self-representation and avoided the negative connotations associated with racialized groups labeled as "Asiatic."
2: This identity allowed them to argue for exemption from restrictive immigration policies by emphasizing their assimilability and alignment with European cultural norms.
3: This could facilitate integration by aligning with religious communities in Canada, such as Christian groups, which were more widely accepted in the country’s socio-political landscape.

In this article, Persian exceptionalism" comes as a recurring belief among some Iranians and Iranian-Americans that positions Iranians as racially and culturally distinct and superior, particularly through the myth of Aryan heritage and there’s mostly an emphasis on “our 7000-year-history”. This ideology roots itself in the idea that Iranians belong to a pure, ancient Aryan lineage that associates them with European and Caucasian identity, while distancing them from Arabs and other neighboring groups in the Middle East. For first-generation Iranian immigrants, this "Persian exceptionalism" often provides a sense of pride and a way to align with whiteness in the U.S. context, portraying Iran as a historically dominant, culturally rich civilization with ties to the ancient Persian Empire. And this is something that is “exceptionally” seen a lot among the immigrants and statically, we have fewer people with such beliefs in Iran based on my own experience and observations.

However, Maghbouleh's ethnographic study reveals that this belief creates tensions within second-generation Iranian-Americans. Many young Iranians find the concept problematic, as it contrasts with the discrimination and racialization they face in the U.S., where they are often perceived as non-white or foreign. This disconnect highlights a clash between the idealized racial identity promoted by parents and the reality of racial stigmatization experienced by their children​

I really liked what you wrote Grace and I just wanted to add a point. Considering Malcom's journey through Concord and Norfolk prisons we can say that this (the journey I mean) not only marked a physical confinement but became a powerful setting for intellectual and spiritual liberation. Norfolk, with its "intellectual atmosphere," opened doors for Malcolm that allowed him to critically engage with race, history, and identity. This shift—from the gossip-filled isolation at Concord to a haven of books and debates at Norfolk—helped Malcolm shape his voice, fueled by the intellectual rigor he found there. I also like to add that your mention of Silencing the Past, made me put this in my reading list!

The search for "authentic food" has been a frequent and animated topic of discussion among Iranians at various gatherings. This recurring conversation within the Iranian diaspora made me reflect on the significance of "authentic" Persian cuisine and the deep cultural connection it represents. Having been in Canada for just a year, I still consider myself a new immigrant. Yet, alongside family, friends, and my city, the flavors of home-cooked meals are among the things I miss most. I vividly remember the joy I felt when I first tasted authentic Persian food at a friend’s gathering, about six months after I moved. The familiar taste transported me back home in a way that music or literature—my usual comforts—hadn’t managed to.

Gradually, I discovered Iranian cafes and restaurants in Montreal and found myself spending time there—studying, meeting friends, or simply being around something familiar—more often than anywhere else. Observing the atmosphere in these spaces, I saw firsthand how Persian food becomes a unifying force in exile, bringing people together. I noticed that many Iranian cultural or literary gatherings are held in these cafes, where people enjoy Persian tea after a good meal, a customary tradition in Persian culinary culture.

These cafes have become havens for Iranians seeking a sense of comfort; as many have told me, they feel as though they’re briefly back in Iran. This fleeting but familiar experience is unique to the act of sharing food, embodying what Mannur insightfully describes in Chapter 1 of Culinary Fictions, where food becomes central to creating a sense of home after immigration.

The language used by the officials at the time not only cloaked discriminatory attitudes with a veneer of politeness but also revealed a strikingly detached and impersonal perspective. Immigrants were described in terms that distanced them from Canadian society, framed as fundamentally "unsuited" for life in the country. This detachment allowed officials to rationalize exclusion as a matter of practicality, rather than an expression of prejudice. By emphasizing the "difference" of immigrants, they subtly conveyed their inferiority while avoiding the appearance of overt racism. Their language implied that these individuals were not being excluded because they were lesser, but because their "customs, traditions, and habits" made them incompatible with Canada's social and economic fabric.

This detached tone served to further justify exclusion by making it seem inevitable and even charitable. As the article mentions, officials argued that preventing immigration was in the best interest of the immigrants themselves, who were "ill-suited" to Canada's harsh climate and social environment. This rhetorical strategy effectively dehumanized the immigrants, reducing them to mere subjects of policy rather than individuals with rights and aspirations. By framing exclusion as a pragmatic and benevolent decision, the language obscured the deep racial hierarchies and fears of cultural dilution that were driving these policies.

Maimuna and Saarah, I really liked your discussion posts and I was also thinking about this matter while reading the text. It is really fascinating that despite the discrimination and the racial inferiority which was imposed upon the peddlers, there had been this great demand for exotic goods which as Maimuna said, makes this condition a double edged sword. However, I was thinking of the power of culture when it comes to the systematic discrimination and exclusions. The desire for Oriental goods allowed these peddlers to establish networks and livelihoods across the U.S., despite systemic discrimination. The text even describes how Americans' fascination with the “mysterious and exotic Orient” created both opportunities and exclusions for these peddlers​ Actually this desire for the Oriental goods and the mysterious and exotic Orient made me think about the significance of culture on both ends. The opportunities and the possibilities of inhabiting a culture other than their own have played an important role in this context. The culture indeed found its way into American homes, but the people behind it were still often treated as inferior.

Reading these three texts, I was thinking about the notion of self and identitywhich were to some extent shared among these three readings. In Bowen's article we have the religious adaptation as and self-definition in the continuum of early encounter with Islam to the time they had their own communities. Thinking of self-definition which is brought up in Bowen's text, I wanted to trace that in our other readings. In Morale's reading, I encountered the role of dawa and its role in shaping the Latino Muslim identity. In Cook's article, the dynamics behind the religious identity was interesting to me. The fact that at this point, the religious identity is no more a personal belief but it has entered the realm of a politicized category under the surveillance of the state.

I totally agree with you.
I would like to talk a bit more on the fact that people immigrated so that their next generations wouldn’t be in the situation they were before and wouldn’t struggle with those challenges and difficulties.
At least in case of Iranian migrants, and based on my lived experience, I know a lot of these immigrations happened with the phrases like “for the future of our children” or “I don’t want my child to live my childhood” etc. I remember when I was in the first year of my high school, at the same time my two best friends with whom I did grow up, immigrated to Canada. Their mothers were my mother’s best friends and I remember we went there to say goodbye and I vividly remember the words “oh dear, do you think I love leaving everything behind and go to Canada? No! I’m doing this only for my children. For their future.” Then I thought to myself “how inconsiderate my mother is! She is seeing her friends immigrating but doesn’t take any action!” Now, I look back and I see as a teenager how difficult it was for me to see my closest people leaving and in how much I was thinking of the BAD future that was going to wait for me as I didn’t immigrate then! (I think for the people who witness all the leavings a certain sense of melancholia starts its life at this very stage, the stage of being the witness of all the leavings and all the relations loosening!)
Now, I am here and I am seeing how my friends are living the lives differently and now we are all in that coming future.
We have immigrated with different paths and we all have one thing in common: the melancholia which was born in us with our moving away from the home to which we belonged. We are taking it to the new “home” and we try to make a meaning out of it.

Reading Rana's text, I was thinking of how intertwined are the notions of religion and race and how politically controlled they are being transferred and even 'exported' in Rana's words.

The relationship between the blood and the race, the religion and the race, the nation and the race and how it has changed overtime gives a very complex nature to "Islamophobia". Being "central to modern nations- and to modernity itself" (27), this concept sets on a spectrum of premodern era and modern era onwards and this distinction in timeline adds another layer to this complexity.

Blood, race, religion and nation have been significant and controversial concepts throughout the history and their relationships have also changed over time. As Rana beautifully takes us through this chronological continuum, we need to trace all the instances in which a change in the register or in the correlations led to what now we have as Islamophobia. I assume comparison between the modern state and what lies in the previous era is crucial in understanding Islamophobia.

I am thinking of the anti-Muslim instances before the modern era and I am curious to think about the way they were interpreted when there was not a notion such as Islamophobia. I am curious to know how similar or different those instances where from what we have now in the modern state. And how they were effective in what we see now as Islamophobia.

Throughout the time, we have had different theories of race as Rana points out e.g. when "a theory of race is socially constructed between concepts of the cultural and the biological" (28) or when the religion was the lens through which racial differences were seen (32) or when race started to have this close relationship with blood and in general the concept of 'scientific racism' was born (34) etc.

Thinking of these different aspects associated to racism, I think we need to consider where anti-Muslim instances did stand with regards to them and how their positionality in the pre-modern era is different from what we see now in the modern state and how they have played a role in constructing what in the modern state we see as Islamophobia. The complexity of this concept constantly makes me think of the roots and the very beginning instances where the world saw the first signs of Islamophobia and the first global receptions of this notion and specifically, how they were taken (or supported, or exported, or exaggerated, or etc. ) politically which did result in the current status.

The lived experience is what captivated me the most in this week’s readings. There is definitely a lot of theories and written content supporting the anti-racism spirit that seems to be very important in the Northern American countries. However, those are written from the ‘whites’ perspective. It is as their translation and understanding of how we should not be racists but the idea of lived experience is what comes to life here. How the colored have experienced living or in other words, their lived experience is what matters and that is what Yancy beautifully brings up in the article. Being the center of attention merely for the sake of color is per se a very huge burden that colored people experience living in these countries and other tags coming along I believe go under this same umbrella, being the object of gaze! No white can experience what comes along this specific objectification. The « look a white! » constructs a very moving dynamics with shifting the object of attention structure. It also shifts the attention of the whites and gives them a new perspective towards themselves which includes a novel and to some extent terrifying experience. Now, theory is not working anymore and they are going to live the experience they had just read about and this is when they feel the tension and the insecurity but still as they have the cover of being whites, the real lived experience of the colored ones is way ahead of them.

To answer this question, I want to relate some of the readings to my lived experience:

This was not my first interaction with Edward Said’s text, but reviewing the first few pages, along with the class discussions and suggested questions, made me think about this subject differently. Most of my previous readings of Said were part of the literary criticism syllabi, so I always approached his work through an analytical lens, examining a text or something similar. However, this class has opened a new door for me—one that encourages me to reflect on my lived experience as a Middle-Easterner who has recently migrated.

Living in Iran, I share many of the experiences of Middle-Eastern people. I once remember a Lebanese colleague telling me, "This is the difficult responsibility of being Middle-Eastern! Whenever you want to travel home, you're thinking about the possibility of bombs and missiles—things that not many Canadians (as she put it) are familiar with." That day, I reflected on her words and on the contrast between the life we are trying to build for ourselves in this "whitened" space. There are experiences we've lived that others simply cannot imagine. It takes a huge effort to navigate this space as a Brown person, where there is little understanding of the burdens and difficulties that shaped our past.

However, this sense of displacement doesn't end when you're back home. There are moments when even your own home feels exotic, as if you're a foreigner in your own land. Speaking from my lived experience, this has often left me with a feeling of dislocation—a feeling that, at times, closely aligns with the notion of "disidentification" that we discussed in the last session. Suddenly, you find yourself in unfamiliar dimensions, lost in this "whitened" space, struggling to find—or create—meaning in life.

As Said states, "because of Orientalism, the Orient was not (and is not) a free subject of thought or action." I find it fascinating, yet unsettling, that this statement resonates on an individual level as well. Much like the systemic and individual racism we talked about last session, this Western-dominated framework has persisted for so long. The fact that European culture "gained strength and identity by setting itself off against the Orient as a surrogate and even underground self" makes the discourse between the Orient and the Occident even more complex. This is evident when such discussions occur on a personal level, especially among young adults.

There is an idealized version of Europe (or the West) that often takes center stage in these discussions, while the motherland is frequently blamed. At some point, you find yourself caught in a conversation with yourself, almost as if you're battling against your own identity. It’s as though there is no freedom of thought—you are compelled to obey what has been imposed upon you, that Western style of governance, even when you’re in your own homeland.

Hence, I assume the widespread "whitened" space does not merely concern you as the migrant but it is so widespread that even at home, in your motherland, there are instances where you find yourself fighting against the 'white' space which is being cast upon your life! And at some point you find yourself sacrificing and compromising even in your hometown which I find extremely complex.

I started my readings with Bald’s text and I encountered some really interesting points upon which I want to draw. First, the notions of desirability and undesirability were really interesting for me. To me, these two words are intertwined with the concept of migration. Once you leave your hometown, the starting point, and once you reach your destination, the final stage, you are struggling with these two key concepts. Looking at the individual level of the migration process, the very beginning stage comes with a sense of desiring what you do not have at hand and then comes the rest. Now, the desire and urge you have leads you to a realm where your desires do not matter that much anymore but you are the outsider and there is this huge shift in the perspective and the notions of desirability and undesirability are not your concerns but of the country or community you have joined. This time, these words are cast upon you!

At some point, you are the « undesirable alien » and you see there are attempts made around your existence as a foreigner. People try to give or assign you an identity they assume fits you. As we had in Bald’s text that at some point Singh was talking about the Indians as they are « goods » or « products » when he was paving the way for naturalization they were seeking for so long. I was thinking about the notions of desirability and undesirability when reading this part too and that was really captivating for me to see how these two notions circle around and among migrants.

And then reading Sivanandan’s text, I was tracing these two notions and I saw their powerful presence. In that text, immigrant labour was considered as the economic profit for the capital and the social cost to the labor. This time it was not the migrant who was struggling with these two concepts neither was it the debates around his/her presence but it was the society and the flow which had assigned them the desirable in one case and undesirable in the other although in the same working system and society. Actually the presence of the migrant is considered of these two integral notions.

Watching Lamar music video and listening to the music, again these two notions were very dominant for me. Specifically the verse where he says « you make us killers » was really moving for me as it was again the assigned undesirability speaking and this time it was going to the extreme. Then the violent scenes and the presence of gun made me think of the severe dialogues the desirable and undesirable have had during the time of the history specifically when it comes to racism and when the minority of migrants are at the heart of discussions…