These PSAs scripted Muslim self-definition as the path to national inclusion

Evidence

The advertisements produced by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as well as by the Ad Council, take the form of a performative speech act. Defining the self becomes a means for inclusion in the imagined diverse U.S. nation. With the declaration of oaths, and declarations of their identity, the speakers not only illustrate that they are “good Muslims” but also display to other Muslims how to be a credit to one’s race. … American values are defined as “service, charity, and tolerance,” and these are situated as identical to Muslim values. American and Muslim values are revealed through the PSA to be the same. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1205

Categorization

• DEFINE: Identifies the performative-speech-act mechanism: declaring identity as a mode of belonging and modeling for other Muslims.