• Where should Isma’s loyalty lie with her brother or her country?
• By informing the police of Parvaiz’s intentions, did she make the right or wrong decision?
• Can there be a correct moral decision when faced with the impossible choice between family and duty to society?

I think this totally depends on Isma’s personalities, which are largely influenced by her family background and experience. Because that she was the eldest sister in the family, she had to take the responsibilities of raising her siblings since their parent died. This forced her to be mature and independent in such a young age, so that when facing moral decisions, she would be more cautious and prudent to avoid as many troubles as possible. This explains why Isma chose to inform the police when Parvaiz left home, that she didn’t want her whole family to get into trouble because of Parvaiz’s personal behaviour. Comparatively, Aneeka was protected by her sister and didn’t need to worry much of living. She had the freedom to play with her friends, and had good academic achievements, which were all based on the effort of her sister. Therefore, I think when Isma reported her brother’s intention, she wasn’t thinking much about fulfilling her duty to the society, but instead to protect more people in the family by sacrificing her brother, which is still considered loyalty towards family. This could be explained by the theory of utilitarianism, which is to bring the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of people.

However, she still broke the loyalty to her brother Parvaiz by telling his intentions. Firstly, she didn’t know what exactly Parvaiz was thinking, whether his intention was good or not, because indeed he was just a teenage boy who wanted to know about his father desperately. She made a hasty decision by reporting to the police of something she wasn’t even sure about. This had cut off all the possible ways for Parvaiz to go back home, as Isma had confirmed his identity of terrorist. Secondly, although she was the eldest in the family, she didn’t have the right to make decisions for the whole family without asking Aneeka’s opinions and without considering her emotions. She needed to at least discuss with her sister to see if there are any alternative ways out. Moreover, she was trying to hide the fact from Aneeka and lied to her about it, which could be seen as a betrayal to her family.

In conclusion, I think Isma had weighed the consequences of the two different choices she faced, and made a final decision of sacrificing her brother to save a bigger family. This decision was influenced by her mature and prudent personalities. As the eldest sister, she couldn’t risk her whole family to save her brother, or being as careless as Aneeka. It is definitely tough for her, either losing her own brother or giving up her duty to the society, so we as bystanders don’t have the right to judge her.