The Domestic Crusaders

The Domestic Crusaders is a play by Wajahat Ali about a Pakistani-American Muslim family. The play made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Nuyorican Poets Café on September 11, 2009. The story is about the lives of a Pakistani-American family grappling with their own internal trials and tribulations, the changing dynamics of American society and a globalized, post-9/11 world. McSweeney's published the play in the Fall of 2010. Summary The play takes place over the course of one day, in an upper-middle-class suburban family home of a Muslim-American family of Pakistani origins. Six members of a Pakistani-American Muslim family, spanning three generations, reunite at the family home to celebrate the youngest son's 21st birthday. Each individual family member, or "domestic crusader", attempts to assert his or her individual definition of self and destiny in the face of collective family and societal constraints, fears and misunderstandings. Characters Hakim is the grandfather, a retired Pakistani army officer Salman is the father who oscillates between prideful exuberance and the daily grind that preys on his feelings of self-worth Khulsoom is Salman's wife who misses her native land and struggles to impart her traditional values onto her American-raised children Salahuddin is the eldest son who is a successful businessman Fatima is the middle child and a social justice activist Ghafur is the youngest child