The Submission

Asma is told of the “self-defense” squads that have arisen in the Muslim neighborhoods. Young men with baseball bats would politely follow veiled women around to protect them. Asma decides to check this out for herself by taking a walk. She dresses up in her native Bengali garb, covering her head with a scarf. Young men immediately tail her. She notices that many of the young men are from the better schools, and she wonders if their parents know they are skipping.

Mo finds himself the subject of “public service” advertising done by the MACC. They create an ad with Mo at a drafting table, with one of his firm’s most famous buildings in the background. He feels uncomfortable representing anyone but himself, even for a good cause. He and Laila have a painful disagreement about this as Laila leaves for work. All her adult life, Laila has practiced law in defense of mistreated Muslims. She remembers the terror she felt as a child having to hide the fact that she is Iranian.

Sean is offered the chance to have his assault charges dropped if he apologizes to the woman whose scarf he pulled. He agrees to meet with her at the MACC, along with a group of other Muslim men and women, including Issam Malik.