In Islamophobic discourse, asserts Jamil, "Muslims are asked to soothe the fears of the west [sic] and to defuse their anxieties by reassuring them that they are 'good Muslims' or 'moderate Muslims,' not the violent, blowing-up-things kind of 'bad Muslims.' However, both 'good Muslims' and 'bad Muslims' confirm and validate the superior position of the west." In other words, what Claire is seeking is the validation not simply of her views but also of the epistemological categories on which they are based, in which American innocence must be tacitly endorsed by the Muslim, who is required to "prove" good intentions that would otherwise remain in question.

DEFINE: Explains the Islamophobic 'good Muslim/bad Muslim' binary and how both poles serve Western hegemony.

Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, loc. 285