with his religion because of his lack guilt for carrying out his deceit even though he swore on the Koran.His oversexed nature is emphasized in his relationship with his wife Betty who appears to be a prize of his conquest. Mahmoody brags that his family thinks he has sex all the time because he and his wife take showers twice a day (Mahmoody explains that Muslims are required to shower after sex ). This Neanderthal depiction of the Arab as a sexist and wife abuser is clearly demonstrated in Dr. Mahmoodys treatment of Betty. After lying to her and tricking her, he treats her very harshly when she doesnt act in the "proper Muslim fashion." Mahmoody beats her when she makes him angry or when she makes mistakes. Such a mistake as leaving the house without telling anyone where she is going incites his rage.Besides the domestic violence and discipline, which is viewed as the males job to inflict, Betty is seen as almost a slave to her husband. She is required to submit to him in everything she does and she is entirely and wholly accountable to him. The male is seen as the custodian of the woman and she is seen as his property. She is responsible to obey him in everything he commands her to do. If she disobeys, breaking the law of the land, she risks the punishment of death. Betty suffers emotional abuse, house arrest, degradation, and physical injury at the hands of her husband. She also encounters another American woman who is beaten by her husband, suggesting that spousal abuse is common and the norm of society. Dr. Mahmoody is pictured as a cruel scheming kidnapper and religious extremist who desires to take away his daughter from her mother and make her convert to an "infidel" religion. He makes his daughter attend a Muslim school, learn prayers, and learn the Arabic language. He himself, with the rest of his family, rises at early hours of the morning for prayers. In spite of this apparent religious fervor he treats his daughter with ...
