I would counter this argument by saying that many of them would have been scared and converted anyway, which in most cases would have produced the same result for the Muslim people, particularly resulting in the expulsion of them later in the story. If Ali had been a Muslim rather than an atheist, I believe this novel would have been more biased and forgiving towards Muslim people, I'm not sure the argument of Muslims living in the shadows would have been the same. The fact that Ali is an atheist provides an insight into the story that many others may not have thought to think about. That said, Ali's main argument, while it may not have enough support to fully back it up, was right with many underlying it