Parvez:

Parvez is the protagonist of the story. He is a Pakistani immigrant and lives with his wife and his son Ali in Britain. He was born in Lahore, the son of Pakistani parents. Parvez is very open-minded and has assimilated into Western society. As a taxi-driver, drunkard, pork-eater and friend of prostitutes, he´s totally disinterested in the Koran or in any Islamic beliefs. His attitude to Islam is also affected by negative experiences as a child ("...all young boys had been taught the Koran and, to stop Parvez from falling asleep while studying, the maulvi had attached a piece of string to the ceiling and tied it to Parvez´s hair, so if his head fell forward, he would instantly jerk awake" P.192 L.13-16). In the past, Ali was Parvez´s best friend, and they talked about everything. So it's all the more tragic how their relationship breaks apart. After becoming anxious about his son, Parvez seeks Bettina's advice, because she is his main support person in the story. After Ali offends Bettina very harshly (and after many desperate attempts by Parvez to reach Ali), Parvez´s patience snaps. Parvez realizes that his son has become unreachable and so he hits him.

Ali:

Ali, Parvez's son, was born in England and is studying there. In the past, Ali was on very good terms with Parvez. They were not only father and son, they were friends. But as Ali´s behaviour has changed, their relationship has fallen apart. We don't know just why Ali has changed, but it must have been a very big reason that would cause him to change so much. Ali´s statement, that he changed just through "living in this country" (P.196 L.3) is surely not the only reason. So we cant necessarily assume that Ali has always been as he is in the story (intolerant, blinkered, chauvinistic, ....fanatic). How much Ali´s beliefs are different from his father's is particularly well shown in the restaurant scene (P. 193 - 196). Here Parvez realizes, that it was premature to be"relieved" about his religious son.

Bettina:
Bettina is a prostitute and often a passenger in Parvez´s taxi. But Bettina and Parvez have also become good friends. She is the main support person in the story and tries to help Parvez. She gives him a lot of good advice about how to reach Ali, but none of it seems to work. After Bettina is offended by Ali and runs away, Parvez´s most important person (maybe after Ali) has been expelled. Now Parvez listens no longer to the voice of reason and so he tries to communicate with Ali in the only language that a fanatic understands: Violence.

The story takes place in London and is about a taxi driver called Parvez and his son Ali. Parvez wants his son to be successful so he has worked hard to pay for Ali’s education. One day Parvez notes that Ali’s way of life has exchanged. Ali’s room was usually a tangle of clothes, books and videogames but now his room is neat and tidy. First Parvez thinks that Ali hasgrownup and is concentrating now on the important things but a possible separation between Ali and his English girlfriend is a worry for Parvez. Parvez cannot talk with Ali about these circumstances.
Work colleagues of Parvez suspect that Ali takes drugs but Parvez cannot find traces. Ali stops with sports and grows a beard he gives his items away instead of selling them. Moreover Ali prays five times a day. Parvez tries to talk with Ali. In this conversation Ali criticizes his father for his Western lifestyle. Parvez wants to kick him off but Bettina disadvises against doing it. Parvez takes Bettina’s advice and bears the silent and the cases against him. Some days later Parvez is en route with Bettina. They discover Ali in a poor districtwho is in front of a
mosque in a poor district. They take him along.
On the ride home Bettina tries to open a conversation between Ali and Parvez. Thereupon Ali flames her so much that she escapes from the car. Parvez contains himself but at home he cannot stop his fury and hits Ali. Ali does not struggle he only asks “Who is the fanatic now?”