A Most Wanted Man

The entire basis for the book A Most Wanted Man revolves around conflict. There is always the external conflict of Muslims and the "war on terror," but there is also conflict within the Muslim religion itself. Melik, a Turkish Muslim living in Hamburg has very different views than the Chechen Muslim, Issa. Melik says "When I came back into the room an hour later, where was it [the Koran]? Lying on the floor. My dad's copy of the Koran and it is lying on the floor. For any decent Muslim, never mind my dad, that's unthinkable" (71). These differences tear apart what should have been a good friendship, and lead them to forget about their similarities. Meliks mother Leyla stops her son, asking "who are you to bad-mouth your brother?" (72). Leyla feels that although the two are not actually brothers, they are united in their faith and they should consider each other as brothers, despite the differences between them. Later in the conversation, Melik does refer to Issa as a brother, and starts to take on the mind set of his mother.

Melik and Issa are a good example of how small differences can mask the similarities between people. Cultural differences have split the world ever since the first humans inhabited the earth. They cause so many conflicts throughout time and all over the globe. The different ideas and goals of these cultures keep people apart, keeping them from seeing that everyone has something much in common with each other. I am not saying that seeing the similarities will necessarily bring world peace, but it is a place to start.