Saleem: I feel I was a bit naive, in the sense that I thought that Americans were more open-minded, more accepting of people from other cultures. And I don't know whether it's my experience in the Midwest—whether it's different on the coasts. But I feel like I was naive in the sense that I was expecting people to be more open, more curious, more liberal, and they're not. … Saleem has been stopped and searched several times at airports. He was called a fascist by a patient in the hospital. He told me that when he applied for a job he received an email saying the position was for American citizens only. When he told them he was an American citizen, the person refused to believe him. He felt this treatment was because he has a Muslim name. As a result, Saleem feels rejected from his American identity: “There are certain times where I feel extremely alienated from mainstream America, and I know that a lot of minorities do . . . [Even] despite the fact that I'm a professional—you know, middle-upper class.”

Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, loc. 441