Religious Intertextuality in Ayman Otooms Novel His Name is Ahmed

Author : Khaled Igbaria

Abstract :Ayman Otoom, a Jordanian novelist, poet, and intellectual born in 1972, is recognized for his profound integration of religious intertextuality into modern Arabic literature. Otoom has an academic background in civil engineering and Arabic studies, and his literary corpus includes poetry collections such as My Heart is with You, My Love (2013), plays such as Kingdom of Poetry (2002), and novels such as Oh, Mason’s Face (1999), My Prison Fiend (2012), Soldier Talk (2014), A Group of Jinn (2014), and His Name is Ahmed (2017). This study examined the distinctive role of religious intertextuality in shaping the narrative and thematic structure of His Name is Ahmed. It employed an inductive, descriptive, and analytical approach. The results revealed that Otoom’s use of intertextuality not only enriches the novel’s literary depth but also engages with cultural and sociopolitical discourses. This study analyzes intertextual references to religious texts and their integration into the novel’s fabric, thereby bridging the gaps in the existing research on Otoom’s stylistic innovations. The findings of this study advance our understanding of religious intertextuality as a narrative strategy in modern Arabic literature.

Keywords :Ayman Otoom, religious intertextuality, modern Arabic literature, narrative strategy, His Name is Ahmed, cultural discourse, stylistic analysis.

Conference Name :International Conference on Religion and Religious Studies (ICRRS-25)

Conference Place London, UK

Conference Date 14th Jul 2025