"The annoying thing is I'm honestly not sure he does think opinions other than his are lesser. Hard to comprehend, sure, and he's basically given up on trying, which isn't going to make anyone who hasn't known him for a long time want to try in return. But 'not worth understanding' isn't the same as 'lesser in value.'"

Malik has his moments of good insight, and he did get unfairly stomped on for being the only person around who knew much of anything about any Muslim culture at all, even if it wasn't Nova Venezia's particular brand. That just makes his hard-headed moments all the more frustrating.