Taking Things Seriously
The novel presents the incongruity between a mindset of seriousness and one of frivolity. When Joryleen, Ahmad's friend, asks him to accompany her to church in order that he hears her solo, he balks at the thought of attending the worship service for a different faith than his. She tells him that she does not care for religion but instead sings because she enjoys the activity. This disturbs him even more.
Throughout the novel, Ahmad - and thus the reader - encounters time and time again how the Western world can believe through actions things which should be not taken seriously, such as the importance of material goods and the desire to distract oneself from sad indicators of aging like weight or fatigue. The theme of earnest behavior helps the reader sympathize with Ahmad's radicalization and notice the discord between someone who worships God to the utmost and a world that professes virtue without centering itself on these values.
Manipulation
Ahmad somewhat expects his guidance counselor to present a distracting and impure interpretation of his life choices, and he attempts to escape this type of influence to study vague subjects that he believes might detract from his spiritual lessons. All the while, he becomes increasingly discomfited at the teachings of Sheikh Rashid because they make him feel uncomfortable and caused to express things he does not believe or understand. The words of those around Ahmed cause him to agree to propositions without comprehending exactly what they entail; because he trusts the utmost will of God, Ahmed recognizes signs where there are motives of corrupt individuals ready to see the young man sacrificed before understanding the situation.
Later in the novel, the presence of CIA operatives causes Ahmad to further exhibit the radical thoughts he has been led to believe, so he faces manipulation from all sides. Without a trusted spiritual mentor, Ahmad is lost in the storm between what his society would like him to become, what ideological influences, armed with fluency in a language he is just learning, lead him toward, and what his body leads him to, even when it is against the phrasing of the Koran.
Family
Family is a theme in Terrorist because it is a vague concept with ramifications for one's daily life. Ahmad represents himself through his father's name and insists upon his memory of his father, despite the world's belief that he could not possibly remember something from such a young and formative age. However, Ahmad develops his sense of purpose and being from this family dynamic and uses his mother's support to draw out his sense of closeness to his father when it comes to name. Those in the novel with families often leave these out in their dealings with other characters, but the presence of these families as "home base" help the reader understand their motivations.
Charlie, a radical, has a wife and children, which helps drive his encouragement that Ahmad experience sexual activity before he commits to the terrorist act the name of the novel refers to. Jack, the guidance counselor, does not ever break his psychological commitment to his wife, even throughout an affair: He continually waits for an exit to return home, even though he despises Beth. Teresa, Ahmad's mother, is in favor of Ahmad's sovereignty as he explores his own beliefs. Her willingness to defer to him at a young age, paired with her statements about her relationship with his father, show how their family unit develops into one of shared strangerhood. He does not question her, and vice versa. The primary loose thread at the end of the novel is the question of family, because we do not know how these units will be resolved after the events conclude.
