Faruqi’s novel centers on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On the morning of September 11, 2001, men identifying as Muslims hijacked airplanes. Two airplanes crashed into New York City’s Twin Towers, causing the large structures and surrounding buildings to collapse. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought the hijackers and regained control.

As Madison tells Yusuf, “2,996 people died in the attacks” (175), making it the deadliest attack in US history. The attacks upset and confound Yusuf’s uncle Rahman in 2001, and they have a similar impact on Yusuf in 2021. The organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks was Al-Qaeda, which trained in Afghanistan, and the US declared war on Taliban-led Afghanistan in response to the attacks. However, Al-Qaeda wasn’t an official part of Afghanistan’s government.

In the novel, when Ethan calls Yusuf “Osama,” or when people call the members of Rahman’s community “Osama,” they’re referring to Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden was wealthy because his father was an affluent builder in Saudi Arabia. A few of Bin Laden’s family members were Westernized and educated in American schools, but Bin Laden used his money to fund attacks against the US.