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Taqwa
The Imam is how Taqwa refers to her father, Ahmed Saleem, born Everett Walker. He is originally from Ossacola, where he was the pastor of St. Peter’s Baptist Church. One fateful night, the Imam witnesses his best friend Michael’s lynching, and the following weekend delivers a sermon forgiving the perpetrators. Ashamed and enraged by his own cowardice, the Imam and his wife (Donna) pack up and leave without a word, though they tell their children another version of the story. The couple ends up moving North and converting to Islam. They have two children, Taqwa and Jabril, whom they raise Muslim. While the Imam and Jabril are estranged for the better part of their lives, Taqwa has always been a loyal daughter, and she and the Imam bond over their shared faith. But in the weeks before his death, the Imam had begun to read the Bible and listen to Gospel music, causing Taqwa to question her ideas about him. Taqwa’s confusion grows after his death, when, in spite of her devotion to him, his spirit haunts her. It turns out that the Imam had reestablished contact with his old church and was even sending them money. It is unclear what motivated his choices, but these revelations are especially unsettling for Taqwa, who had done everything she could to be loved and accepted by him.
The Imam Quotes in Temple Folk
The Temple Folk quotes below are all either spoken by The Imam or refer to The Imam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
10. Due North Quotes
The Imam appearing to me—all flesh and bone—should not have been possible and challenged everything I knew, and that my parents had taught me about my faith—my rock in this life, the one thing after their deaths I felt I had left to hold on to.
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I became entranced by the sight of this place that I had been a few times before, but whose beauty I had never perceived, perhaps because I only ever visited in the company of my parents.
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“I wasn’t surprised in the least when I found out he had joined the Nation, fed up like he was with the state of the country. I always wondered if saying all he said in them suits and bow ties was enough to clear him, to release the weight and the guilt of how he left.”
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“Because he was my father, and I was his daughter—a very good and dutiful daughter. I did everything he said was right to do because I knew the punishment I would suffer in the hereafter if I didn’t honor my parents. If it turns out that Dad was a Christian after all of these years of pretending to be Muslim, what does it mean —”
“What does it mean about you?” Jabril interrupted. “You don’t know where it leaves you if it turns out that he didn’t really believe the things he taught. Do you think it leaves you stranded, like you don’t have your own road to travel, like there isn’t something just around the bend waiting for you to find it?”
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The Imam Quotes in Temple Folk
The Temple Folk quotes below are all either spoken by The Imam or refer to The Imam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
10. Due North Quotes
The Imam appearing to me—all flesh and bone—should not have been possible and challenged everything I knew, and that my parents had taught me about my faith—my rock in this life, the one thing after their deaths I felt I had left to hold on to.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I became entranced by the sight of this place that I had been a few times before, but whose beauty I had never perceived, perhaps because I only ever visited in the company of my parents.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“I wasn’t surprised in the least when I found out he had joined the Nation, fed up like he was with the state of the country. I always wondered if saying all he said in them suits and bow ties was enough to clear him, to release the weight and the guilt of how he left.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Because he was my father, and I was his daughter—a very good and dutiful daughter. I did everything he said was right to do because I knew the punishment I would suffer in the hereafter if I didn’t honor my parents. If it turns out that Dad was a Christian after all of these years of pretending to be Muslim, what does it mean —”
“What does it mean about you?” Jabril interrupted. “You don’t know where it leaves you if it turns out that he didn’t really believe the things he taught. Do you think it leaves you stranded, like you don’t have your own road to travel, like there isn’t something just around the bend waiting for you to find it?”
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