A well-intentioned novel can silently reproduce a society’s anti-Muslim fears

Evidence

As Ranasinha puts it, Kureishi’s work “ does not present an undiscriminating picture of the dominant majority. However, he uncritically reflects and embodies rather than questions its predominant fears, prejudices and perceptions of devout British Muslims as ‘fundamentalists,’ constructed as particularly threatening to the West” (Hanif Kureishi, 82). — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 677

Categorization

• DEFINE: Ranasinha’s pass is the clearest statement of Morey’s core definition: fiction can reflect rather than question prevailing fears of devout Muslims.