American culture is, by nature, very difficult to define. People everywhere and especially here in America would like to close their eyes and be able to picture exactly what an American looks like. Since the geographical and cultural settings for various peoples in America make this impossible, we have a tendency to impose this cultural conformation onto other peoples living in areas where this seems more possible. Foreigners often find themselves pressured to either conform to "mainstream Americanism", whatever that is, or to our stereotype of the culture from which they came. Both Marby and Issa are struggling with this difficulty. The chief difference I find between Marby and Issa's works is that the women in Issa's work are keeping hold of their cultural identity, while Marby is losing his.
Because the majority of Americans have grown up in a Christian religious context, Islam by nature seems foreign to us. Americans know what they do from literature, mass media, and from occasional personal interactions. Much of what we see is not pleasant toward women, and thus we have assumed that Islam, by nature, is anti-feminine.
The fact that the Islamic militants who subdue women's rights are also mortal enemies of Americans aggravates this problem. We wish to be free of the fear that some warped Islamic leaders impose on our lives. Naturally we believe that Islamic women feel the same way.
Issa makes the point that we are generalizing about the dress that Muslim women.
Like the differences in our clothing from one region to another, Muslim women are diverse. Stereotypical assumptions about Muslim women are as inaccurate as the assumption that all American women are personified by the bikini-clad cast of "Baywatch." (Issa)
I think it is possible, actually, that there are Muslim women who do think that all American women dress scantily.
Regardless, Issa chooses not to conform to American styles of dress. ...