ZAKHO: A TOWN OF TOLERANCE AND COEXISTENCE IN ARIEL SABAR’S MY FATHER’S PARADISE

Abstract

Despite the fact that Zakho provides a safe sheltering for multi-faith/ethnic groups, little has been documented about tolerance and coexistence regarding people residing this town. This paper analyzes a book titled My Father’s Paradise, written by Ariel Sabar, published in 2008. It focuses on the initial events of the book that take place in Zakho; a town located in Kurdistan region of Iraq. This town plays an important role in the development of Sabar’s main characters of the story. Additionally, the paper focuses on the notion of tolerance among various religious groups co-existing in the same town. In exploring the notions of tolerance and coexistence, researchers closely approach the development of major character in order to gain insights into characters’ lifestyle and how they are represented in the world of the story. The paper concludes that the ambience of Zakho town, including cultural, traditional and geographical elements as well as personal names, have essentially influenced individuals’ moral, intellectual, and spiritual character development of My Father’s Paradise.