Language, Power, and Defiance: Reading Mohammed Hanif’s Rebel English Academy
In Rebel English Academy, Mohammed Hanif brings to us a terrain that has all the markings of the sub-continent, right from politics, absurdity, to the fragile dignity of ordinary lives. Set in the uneasy aftermath of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s execution, the novel unfolds in a small, watchful town named OK town (where things are never normal or ok, beneath the surface) that looks inconsequential, but the characters and the events mirror the socio-economic reality of wide swathes of Pakistan at that time.
At the center of this world is an unlikely institution: the Rebel English Academy, a modest English teaching center tucked within the precincts of a mosque. Education, language and religion are dominant themes within this book. The academy is run by Sir Baghi, a former revolutionary, a wannabe socialist who now teaches English one word at a time, through lists and a curriculum designed to empower his students to navigate the employment scene. Around him gathers a cast of characters caught in the machinery of a tightening state, most notably Sabiha, a young widow with a gun, a past she cannot fully reveal, and a voice that slowly takes shape through writing, in a language she could not master but now finds complete expression in.
The novel moves along three narrative threads and main characters of Baghi, Sabiha, and Captain Gul, a disgraced intelligence officer who botched up a special assignment at the time of Bhutto’s execution and is now tasked with suppressing dissent. These strands converge through insidious events and intentions that are shaped by the shared pressure of living under authoritarian rule. Surveillance, rumor, and fear seep into every interaction, shaping not only what people say, but how they think. Molly Rafique, the maulvi of the mosque is another important strand, lending pathos and circumspection to the plot.
In a world where official narratives are tightly controlled, words become subversive tools. Sabiha’s homework set by Sir Baghi, where she has to write about her life is not merely an exercise; it is an act of self-assertion.
Hanif’s prose carries a distinctive tonal duality. The events he depicts, all the political executions, censorship, violence are undeniably grim, yet the narrative is laced with dark humor and irony. This juxtaposition mirrors the psychological reality of survival under repression.
There is also, beneath the satire, a deeper meditation on ideology. Sir Baghi’s strong views on socialism and idealism that turned to fear and cynicism, Sabiha’s father’s Comrade Abid Ali Abid’s proclivity and subsequent popularity due to Bhutto, Molly Rafique’s childhood carefreeness replaced by an iron clad belief in God’s will, the book takes you through the changing nature of human experience and idealism.
Stylistically, the book is both playful and precise. Hanif shifts between perspectives with ease, allowing each character’s voice to retain its own texture. Sabiha’s narrative, in particular, feels raw and immediate, unpolished in a way that underscores its authenticity. This multiplicity of voices reinforces the novel’s central concern: that truth is never singular, especially in a world governed by competing narratives.
Ultimately, Rebel English Academy is not just a political novel, but a story that tells the reader to think for themselves, to explore what religion, idealogy and unthinking cruelty does to humans.
About Mohammed Hanif
Mohammed Hanif is a renowned Pakistani author and journalist, known for his satirical and politically charged fiction. His key titles include A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti and the 2026 release Rebel English Academy.
