Amina's Voice

A few weeks have passed, and it is the day of the Quran competition. It was Amina’s idea to move the competition to Soojin’s church, the Milwaukee Central Presbyterian Church. The Church’s members enthusiastically agreed, and with community support, including Mr. Heller and Ms. Holly from Amina’s school, as well as committees of students and volunteers from the local synagogue, the competition has come together.

Amina also finally confessed her stage fright to Imam Malik, who surprised Amina by saying that, despite his leadership of the Center and frequent public speaking, he himself still gets stage fright. He offers to let Amina go first, so that she doesn’t have to sit through the other contestants’ time onstage. Also, the opening passage of the Quran, called the Surah Fatiha, is something Amina has been reciting since she could speak, which will make it much easier for her. Amina has agreed to this.

Amina takes the stage. She’s worked tirelessly with Thaya Jaan and focuses “on the sounds of each letter with the rules of the Quranic pronunciation” (187). As she stares at the Arabic script, she imagines that it is musical notes:

In this way, with my vocal cords as my instrument, I glide through the verses, wavering slightly at first, but getting stronger as I continue. As I speak, I think of the meaning of the words that praise God for his gifts and protection and seek his guidance to overcome every difficulty (187).

After her recitation, Emily excitedly and sincerely praises her. It’s easy to think of Emily as a friend now: She has assured Amina that the entire affair with Justin, Bradley, and Luke is a thing of the past.

When Mustafa takes the stage, the faithful practice with Thaya Jaan that he has put in pays off: “His voice rings clear and steady, filling the church with lyrical notes and giving me goose bumps” (189). She also recognizes that “the concluding phrases of Mustafa’s passage [...] refer to forgiveness and God’s mercy” (190). Mustafa ends up winning first prize in the competition. He pledges to use part of his award money to start a boys’ basketball club at the Center. Amina’s heart swells as she sees her brother beaming with confidence, and she knows her brother’s project will be a great success.

The scene opens with Imam Malik splashing into the dunk tank after exchanging good-natured barbs with Sami, who has managed to hit the mark. “The imam is so great”, says Soojin, giggling. Emily agrees, telling Amina that she is very fortunate to be a part of her community. Amina, eyeing all of the people from Emily and Soojin’s church who have joined in the festivities, reminds her that she also has a wonderful community. Justin and Bradley are also participating in the carnival, and Soojin’s family’s new Korean food truck is bustling with customers. Emily’s mom is selling her homemade cookies.

Thaya Jaan is even indulging in a jumbo cheeseburger: Mr. Khokar has succeeded in getting him to warm up to some American foods. When Mr. Khokar asks his children if they’ve thanked their uncle adequately for all the help he’s provided in the last few weeks, Thaya Jaan says that there’s no need for that: “I’ve learned as much as they have from me” (194). He praises Amina’s parents for the fine job they’ve done raising Amina and Mustafa, and Amina can see that her father treasures the praise.

Then, it’s time for Amina and the other children in her school to deliver the musical performance that they’ve been preparing for many months. Amina plays an allotted portion of the accompaniment before being replaced by Ms. Holly and taking the stage herself. She triumphantly sings a portion of Sam Cook’s “A Change is Gonna Come”.