An Arab-American marine dreaded Iraqis questioning his presence in Iraq

Evidence

IRAQIS WERE CONSTANTLY FILTERING in and out of the camp, usually as workers of some sort, and Sami was doing all he could to avoid them. He didn’t want to have any special relationships with them. He didn’t want any of his friends or superiors questioning his loyalties, and he didn’t want the Iraqis asking him what he, an Arab, was doing in Iraq. “What do you think I’m doing here? You don’t see the blouse?” He had this conversation in his head over and over again, but in fact no one ever asked him. — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 262

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the chapter’s core tension and the whole book’s theme: the Arab-American caught between communities, constantly pre-emptively justifying himself. Also reminiscent of The Reluctant Fundamentalist’s protagonist’s dilemma.
• STORYSTEM: A character’s rehearsed defensive monologue that never gets delivered is a strong dramatic engine for fiction about identity and belonging.