Author(s): Faisal P

Abstract: Leila Halaby’s Once in a Promised Land serves as a powerful counter-narrative to post-9/11 Islamophobic discourses. The novel critically explores the racial profiling, state surveillance, and societal prejudices that Arab Americans faced in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Through the experiences of Salwa and Jassim, the narrative dismantles stereotypes surrounding Islam and Arab identities, while interrogating the American Dream. Halaby also challenges Orientalist perspectives on Muslim oppression and highlights the intersectionality of race and gender in Islamophobic violence, offering a nuanced critique of post-9/11 societal and political practices.

Keywords: Post-9/11 literature, Islamophobia, Arab American identity, Racial profiling, Counter-narrative

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.51.57