rich, while the uncivilized Muslim world only has the aroma of garlic and cheap oil, which emphasizes that the Muslim world is poor.
“They stopped for food and coffee at a place the driver knew, just south of Homs, which he insisted was clean, but when Ferris
went to use the toilet, it was a hole in the floor that stank of shit” Ignatius, 2007: 356.
When Ferris in his way to save Alice, he and his driver stop at a cafe. Ferris wants to stop in a clean cafe and the driver insistently tells him that the cafe
they stop at is clean, but the fact is that it is also dirty and slovenly. This discourse seems to show the differentiation of the meaning of “clean” between the civilized
country and the uncivilized country. When the Middle Eastern people regards something as “clean”, it may mean “dirty” in the Western people’s mind.
“BASSAM COLLECTED Ferris the next morning outside his little villa. Ferris was wearing his robe and kaffiyeh—at a quick
glance, he was just another scruffy Iraqi man in his early thirties” Ignatius, 2007: 59.
The quotation above describes that the Middle Eastern people cannot manage themselves to dress well and tidy. The daily clothes that are worn by the
Middle Eastern is regarded by Ignatius as unmodern and untidy clothes. It is emphasized by the description that Ferris, who is a person of the modern and
civilized world, immediately turns become an untidy person—just as untidy as the Iraqi men in general when he wears the daily clothes of the Iraqi men. The
inability of dressing well and tidy is also depicted in a discourse when he is keeping an eye to a family suspected as terrorists. The quotation is as follows:
“But eventually a young man arrived at the front door, dressed in a dirty blue track suit” Ignatius, 2007: 116.
From the quotation above, it is clear that the West thinks that the Middle Eastern people cannot dress in modern way. The same case is also depicted in
Ferris discourse when he is picked up by his Iraqi agent, Bassam Samarai. The quotation is as follows:
“Ya Bassam Marhaba,” Ferris greeted his agent. He slumped into the front seat and rolled up the window. The Iraqi was wearing a
cheap leather jacket, and he had his hair slicked back with gel” Ignatius, 2007: 46.
In this quotation, the Ignatius emphasizes the state of being poor by describing Ferris’ agent with his low quality of clothes style. He mentions the
quality of Bassam’s clothe as “cheap”—reflecting how basically the Iraqi men cannot dress in elegant way.
b. Having Savage and Barbaric Characteristics
As the opponent of the civilized country, Body of Lies constructs Islam and the Muslim world as having savage and barbaric characteristics. Since Islam
and the Muslims are regarded as inherently barbaric and since violent is regarded as their innate characteristic Armstrong via Elgamri, 2008: 31, Ignatius also
includes such stereotype in the discourses produced in his novel. The representation strongly prevails in the novel especially in the image of Islamic
terrorism. Almost every single thing related to Islam or the Muslims is often connected to terrorism or violence. Either Islam, the Muslims, the Muslim world,
or even the Islamic teaching, is lumped together as having violence characteristic and having connection with terrorism. Based on the data found in the novel, Islam
as a religion, the Muslims, the Muslim world, the Islamists, the Islamic
organizations, the Islamic teaching of al da’wa, and the Islamic teaching of jihad are all things about Islam and the Muslims which are often connected to the
violence and terror. The discussion of this matter is delivered through some categories of
discourses depicting some representations that show the Muslims as inherently barbaric people supporting violence and terror; the Islamists and Islamic
organizations as the masterminds and the doers of terrorism; the practice of jihad as a cruel and violence method to establish Islamic state and to force non Muslims
to convert Islam; the call of al da’wa as a call to violence and terror; the establishment of Islamic state as an evil idea, and Islam and the Arab countries as
symbols of turmoil.
1 The Muslims as Inherently Barbaric People Supporting Violence and Terror
In order to set Islam and the Muslim world as the alien other, Ignatius constructs the Muslims as inherently barbaric people supporting violence and
terror. This construction may work to marginalized the Muslims as the wrong side and preserve the justification of the Western correction upon the Muslims so that
the Muslims will not able to liberate themselves from the harmful Western neocolonialism. This is seen through some discourses as follows:
“The young king might be hosting the titans of the World Economic Forum down at the fancy resort hotels on the Dead Sea,
but in the back alleys of Zarqa, they were selling carpets bearing the image of Osama bin Laden and listening to cassettes of his
declaration of war on America” Ignatius, 2007: 36.
The quotation above describes Ferris’ mind when he is thinking about the Muslim world and its people. In Ferris’ mind, although the young king may be “a
good friend” for the Western world—especially in economic aspect, but behind his back, many of the inhabitants of the Muslim world, especially those who live
in Zarqa, support violence and terror and like to admire the Al Qaeda’s leader— Osama bin Laden. This discourse emphasizes that although those people are only
civilians, not the doers of terrorism, they basically agree with what has been done by Al Qaeda—agree with violence and terror because they are Muslims who are
naturally violent and barbaric. Another discourse also represents the Palestinian refugees as people
supporting violence and terror. This can be seen through the following quotation: “I mean it, Roger. I have to listen to these people screaming
at me every day. Do you know they cheered in the camps this week when they heard the news about the car bombing in Milan? Cheered.
Friends had to come over and protect me. They want to kill us. Don’t you see that?” Ignatius, 2007: 86.
The discourse above is produced by Alice Melville. She is telling Ferris about how angry the Muslims in the Palestinian camps are toward the West. It is
described in the discourse that the Palestinian refugees are really happy to hear that the terrorists are successful in detonating a car bomb in Milan. It can be
inferred from the discourse above that the Palestinian refugees do not mind with what has been done by the terrorists—in the contrary, they feel excited, implying
that they agree and support the terror. Even as an American activist who intents to help the refugees, Alice is also treated badly by the refugees. Here the refugees
are described as a flock of violent and cruel people who threaten the Westerner’s life.
The similar case also happens when Alice shares her private experience about her old Palestinian boy friend to Ferris. Through Alice’s discourse, even the
Palestinians are also described that they take barbaric vengeance over innocent and good Westerner who has sincerely helped them. This is described in this
following quotation: “I loved him,” she said. “He was a Palestinian. Very proud,
very angry. I loved him, but he mistreated me”Ignatius, 2007: 97. The discourse above is produced by Alice when she is talking about the
Palestinian refugees. There was one of the refugees who ever become Alice’s boy friend. Based on the discourse above, it can be seen that in Western people’s
mind, violence is the only language that Muslims can understand as it is their inherent characteristic. The Palestinians are very angry, but they cannot
differentiate to whom they should express their anger and how they should solve their problem. The only thing they can do is violence—threatening every
Whesterners they face. Alice, who is an American activist, is described by Ignatius as someone who really cares about the condition of the Palestinian
refugees, but the Palestinians are described as ungrateful people who cannot requite the good deeds done by Alice. Even the Palestinian man who was loved by
Alice also mistreated Alice as a way to show, express and release his anger, hatred, and protest toward the West.
