The Submission

Paul brings Claire and Khan together by placing them in a tiny, dank, windowless room to “sort things out.” Claire asks the questions, but Khan controls the answers. They go back and forth for a long time. Khan refuses to argue from the viewpoint of a Muslim. Rather, he talks about the nature of art and the history of architecture. At one point he draws some lines on a piece of paper and asks her what they are. First she sees an “X,” then a cross, then a window, then a grid. Khan explains that the lines represent all these things—or perhaps none of them, depending on the associations they evoke in your mind. Claire continues asking mundane questions: Is it a martyr’s garden? Is it the garden spoken of in the Quran? What exactly does Khan believe? Has he been to the Middle East? Has he studied Middle Eastern gardens? Finally, Khan asks how she would feel if he justified her husband’s death by saying he got what he deserved for paying taxes to the US government. He questions why he deserves this interrogation just because he shares a religion with some extremists. Hearing Khan’s words but misunderstanding their meaning, Claire takes offense and storms from the room.