Chapter 12

Mo starts receiving threats and picketers start protesting outside his house. He is now a public celebrity. Meanwhile, his relationship with Laila is deepening. The combination leads him to spend a majority of his time at her apartment. Almost more time than Laila. She actually lets him move in under the pretense that his apartment "may not be safe."

Mo reads a news article from the New Yorker saying that he, Mo, has "every right to proceed with his memorial" but asks whether he should proceed. The New Yorker is traditionally more left leaning and this puts Mo aback. He was expecting support from that audience, but now it seems like he's getting bashed on all sides. He is still receiving plenty of support (Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, ect.) , but seeing it in print throws him off. Mo starts analyzing the difference between Mo Khan and the fictitious Mohammed Khan that all the journalists are feeding on. They misrepresent Mo and one even said he had a jihadist brother (Mo is an only child). Mo's become an overnight phenomenon, a trend that is dividing America.

Paul and Sean meet for breakfast. They go to a fancier restaurant which makes Sean feel uncomfortable and out of place, giving Paul home field advantage. Sean attempts to be hard with Paul, but is smitten with the aristocratic manner of the restaurant: he's interrupted by underlings trying to impress Paul and impatient waiters. This causes him to come off as weak in the eyes of Paul and Sean leaves bitter. But Paul did give him a small bit of advice, "'Go lie down on the site if it will make you feel better.'"

Two anti-Khan groups, Save America from Islam (SAFI) and the Memorial Defense Committee (MDC), are now joining forces. The MDC is headed by Sean while SAFI is led by Debbie Dawson, a white America divorcee with a militant agenda. Sean finds SAFI to be an unruly, aggressive group of mostly middle-aged housewives. They are obsessed with "dhimmitude" which they describe as the "voluntary submission to being second-class citizens under Sharia law." While they don't see eye-to-eye, Debbie and Sean decide that mobilizing together.

Asma has tea with her landlady, Mrs. Mahmoud. Mrs. Mahmoud is a larger woman who loves to gossip. Asma bears it out of appreciation for all the hospitality and help the Mahmouds have offered her since her husband's death. They disagree over whether Khan should build the memorial; Asma thinks he should while Mrs. Mahmoud thinks otherwise.

Paul is at a fundraiser for his younger son, Samuel. Samuel is a prominent leader in the gay rights movement. While listening to "a windbag" talk about an incompetent employee. Rather than firing his underling, the man gave him enough meaningless tasks that he quite out of aggravation. Paul hopes to use this method on Mo. Paul starts by demanding Mo choose an landscape architect to help with the design. Then he pushes Mo to alter the design of the Garden. Mo doesn't take the bait, and Paul realizes that his respect for Mo is rising. He sees a drive that he himself had.