Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-31481772-20180321105635

Zia and Samirah are the two main characters of Arabic background in the Riordan universe. Samirah is explicitly stated to be a Muslim. Zia's religion is not mentioned, though most likely she should be a Muslim or Christian (read about Coptic Christians of Egypt). Zia has grown up in Egypt, a more socially conservative place than America. However, Zia doesn't show overt signs of religiosity, while Samirah makes it extremely clear what her religion tells her to do. Could you think of any reason for this? One reason I could think of is that Zia's family might have been extremely religious, and therefore, targeted by the more "secular" Saddam Hussein. Even after fleeing to the USA, they might have retained their conservative Muslim practices. [It seems to be a rather open-ended question. Admins and discussion mods, you may close the thread whenever you feel appropriate.] 