Author’s Attitude

In the article “Islam in America,” what does the author assume about readers’ knowledge? What is the author’s attitude toward the subject? What is the author’s attitude toward the readers? Who would be interested in this topic?

First off, the author assumes that the reader doesn't know much about Islam. Her audience is most likely directed towards non-Islamic American citizens. This is because the title it called "Islam in America", and the text addresses the "American" perspective of Islams as well as the Islamic perspective of their own world, and thus the author's purpose is to inform the readers about the subject at hand.

The author's tone is straightforward, as she gives us the facts and supporting statistics, but she is also rather tentative in her writing. Nothing in her writing labels specific groups of people, and she does not use much generalization towards the people she mentions. She gives two sides of the issue - how Americans perceive the subject, and how Islams view it. Granted, as she is informing Americans about the ongoing situation, her perspective tends to talk about the Islamic culture more, probably to raise awareness amongst the readers about Islamic culture in America, and to suppress the stereotypic generalizations that often occur amongst American citizens, especially in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

The author also gives us the voices of the Islamic-American with direct quotes and real-life situations. This further helps raise awareness about the culture of the Islamic Americans. She also tells us how Islamic culture and American culture are slowly merging in a unique process. This may be the attitude the author has towards the reader. As many Americans do not know much about Islam, they feel as though they are "different" and harder to get along with. As a result stereotypes are assumed and isolation occurs. However, the author informs the reader that Islam is steadily growing in America, and that Islamic culture is also merging with American culture. As the essay is directed towards Americans, I think that just by including the idea of assimilation, that Islams are becoming more American, may cause some to gain a new approval of Islam.

Probably those interested in this article would be those who are 1) people with little knowledge about Islam, 2) people who believe in pluralism.