Why is zeitoun & Kathy's faith significant in telling the story?

Their faith serves a model for Islam that many in the American public do not know about. It is a model of tolerence and charity. Kathy's conversion to Islam is driven by an intellectual interest the faith as well as a search for a sense of personal security following a trying time in her life. Once she makes an earnest effort to learn about the faith, she realizes that Islam is theologically very similar to Christianity, and many of her assumptions about the religion were wrong. Kathy's curiosity and open-mindedness are an example of Eggers' broader point that society is better and more tolerant when people "listen carefully" (321).