The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf

What struck me just as much as Khadra was how her cousin Afaat and her friends acted. Khadra was in a Muslim country and not just any Muslim country, but the Muslim country were Islam started (177). She expected the people here would adhere to Islamic laws and customs. Furthermore, she thought she would be home here. However, she had never so far from home. These girls Khadra was with took their veils off and were wearing lots of makeup. She was also in the presence of boys. Drugs were being offered to her as well. No one seemed to care that what they were doing was wrong. All they were concerned about was just having a good time. Kharda, on the other hand, could have none of this. Everything that was going on around her made her sick and want to leave.

Even more striking was the expectations that Afaat and her friends had of Khadra. Khadra was American and they thought that she would be engaging in the things that they were doing. They also thought that she would approve of these things. This is clear when Afaat says, “Is this not as fun as what you do in America?” (178). But Khadra was not a typical American. She never did any of these things. Afaat and her friends’ notions of what American are probably influenced by the media. In the end, everyone’s perception of each other was not what they had envisioned.