Final Reading Response for Sweet Dates in Basra

    * SPOILER ALERT!!

     "Sweet Dates in Basra" really shows the element of coming of age throughout the book and in the three different parts. Kathmiya represents the rebellion inside a teenager defying her parents and her religion with her forbidden love for Shafiq. The book really grows into the coming of age and challenges between Shafiq and Kathmiya with Omar becoming more of a sub character after being a main character in the first two parts. Omar seems to be saddened by the death of his father. The book really strings together well the beginning of identity searching to finish.
     Kathmiya really shows her rebellion against he religion with her love for Shafiq. Kathmiya really wants to hide her love and kind of rid it from her but her love for Jewish boy Shafiq begins to show and breaks one of the more important codes in Islam. In 1940's Iraq Jews became the scapegoat for hatred and issues that were breaking down the country. This was a time when Jews held high ranking political offices and were judges in the Middle East. Jews and Muslims have had along long time dispute between themselves over the land of Israel/Palestine over who is the rightful owner of the land and who was there first.
     The book begins with the start of his coming of age with his confusion over his feelings for Kathmiya and the world around him. With the troubles in Iraq and the feeling that the whole world hating against him as with the news of concentration camps beginning to spread and the Iraqi people beginning to turn against the Jews after hundreds of years of living besides each other. Also, the closeness between Shafiq and Omar seems to end as Kathmiya and Shafiq become closer as what happens often in puberty. Lastly, Shafiq feels like unity between the two religions that could be used to free them of the British rule as the people of Iraq feel they're being used or the country's rich oil fortune.
     A main feeling for Shafiq and Omar's closeness to end is that Omar seems to have lost his hero in his dad as when he dies a part of him is lost. Omar's part in the book is significantly lowered as it seems that he rarely appears in the book. The topic of love and gore in the country seems to overtake a non issue/topic the case of the two's friendship. Lastly, Omar feels that Kathmiya is stealing him from Omar  intentionally or not.
    In the end, Shafiq seems to abandon them both for his personal ambitions as he immigrates to America after meeting an American man near the consulate one day. His love is strong for Kathmiya and his friendship with him and Omar is important despite everything but he still feels that he should come first. He feels that the Middle East is unsafe and that the only safe-haven for him is to go to America with Israel not yet established and uncertainty for any Jewish state. Nothing is told of what is the future for Kathmiya and Omar but in the years to come the Iraqis vanquish the Brits from Iraq as do fellow Muslims in the Middle East as in the next decade there is no British rule in the Middle East and throughout Asia.