58 pages • 1 hour read
Salma El‑WardanyThese Impossible Things
Salma El‑WardanyFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: Islam in the United Kingdom
Islam is the second-largest religion in the United Kingdom: As of 2011, which is the year that These Impossible Things is set in, there were approximately 2.7 million Muslims living in England and Wales (“2011 Census: KS209EW Religion, Local Authorities in England and Wales.” Office for National Statistics). The British Empire engaged in trade with various Muslim-majority countries for over a millennium, and the first record of an English person converting to Islam comes from the 16th century (“History of Islam in the UK.” BBC). British colonial incursions into what is now Bangladesh in the 18th century led to greater numbers of Muslims living within England’s borders.
British colonialism, in conjunction with labor shortages, led numerous Muslims to move to Britain after World War II. Even after Britain no longer held colonialist control over several Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan (which is Kees’s family’s country of origin in These Impossible Things), Muslim immigration to England occurred in significant numbers. In the late 1960s, British Asians, including British Muslims, faced significant racist violence from far-right political groups. As this racist violence continued in the 1970s and 1980s, anti-racism activist groups grew in number, following the murders of Muslim youth.
In the 2000s and 2010s, the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes in England rose; various political researchers have attributed this rise to Islamophobia instigated by anti-Muslim media and political rhetoric (Dood, Vikram. “Media and politicians ‘fuel rise in hate crimes against Muslims.’” The Guardian, 2010). However, in 2016, Sadiq Khan, a British Muslim from a British Pakistani family, was elected as Mayor of London. This has been cited as being indicative of a decrease in anti-Muslim racism in England’s capital. In 2024, Khan became the first Mayor of London to be elected for a third term.
Political Context: 25 January Revolution in Egypt
The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution, occurs near the end of Malak’s time living in Cairo in These Impossible Things. The revolution, which began with occupations, nonviolent protests, and strikes, was organized by various student and youth groups to demand the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. The protestors cited police brutality, lack of political freedoms (including freedom of speech), corruption, and economic struggles as their central demands. Cairo was the center of the revolutionary activity; numerous violent clashes between protestors and military troops occurred in the capital.
Despite government efforts to quell protests with curfews and military presence, demonstrations continued. On February 1, 2011, Mubarak offered concessions and said he would not seek reelection, but this did not satisfy the protestors. Violence between Mubarak supporters and protestors continued to take place over the following week, leading to an estimated 300 dead between January 25 and February 2, per the Human Rights Watch (“Violence Erupts in Cairo; Army Mostly Stands By.” CBS News, 2011). On February 11, Egyptian Vice President Omar Sulemain announced Mubarak’s resignation.
Following Mubarak’s resignation, the Egyptian government was led by the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces (SCAF). Though some protests continued, seeing this transfer of power as inadequate, much of the revolutionary action ended after February 11, leading most to consider this the official end of the revolution. Political upheaval continued throughout the next several years, leading to a period commonly referred to as the “Egyptian Crisis,” which lasted from 2011 to 2014. The longstanding military control during this crisis led the emerging government to be considered a “counterrevolutionary regime” (El-Ghobashy, Mona. Bread and Freedom: Egypt's Revolutionary Situation. Stanford University Press, 2021).
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