Throughout the novel, the submission by Amy Waldman, many characters act on stereotypes on the misconceptions about faith, causing Mo and Asma to negotiate their identity. Mohammad Khan, Mo, is a second-generation Muslim. He grew up only knowing America. His Islamic heritage is always being questioned. For example in chapter 23, when Alyssa Spier, a reporter for the New York Post, stated “by entering the competition, […] it offended so many Americans,” (294) which he flat out responded with, “I am an American.” (294) An answer that the public and even Claire could not register. All of this causes him to try and connect with his heritage, he participates in the Ramadan by fasting, but more significantly he observes a young man praying in Kabul. Mo states that “he had …show more content…
Her husband died in the attack, where she urged her husband to get a job at to better himself. Asma herself also gets a job but then quits because she feels her employer was unethical. When She attended the hearing, she could not hold back her feelings about the attack and her husband. When she told Nasruddin, her interpreter, that she wanted to speak, he refused and told her to think about her son, which she responded with, “what kind of country is this for him.” (259) Asma asked him to help her speak about the attack and her husband. At this moment it may seem that she may not consider herself in American at all. Asma gave a speech that day, stating how she matters as a Muslim just as anyone else does. The speech was moving to many, but then her speech showed as a sign of how quickly opinions can be persuaded differently as the news of her being an immigrant is released. Asma decides that she will self-deport back to Bangladesh. She packs her bags full of American items, “she would create for herself and Abdul a Little America back home.” (283) giving the readers a clear understanding that Asma is not just Muslim, but she is also