Bodies
Updike provides body imagery for nearly every major character, with the least provided to Tylenol. This allows him to show the characters in relation to one another - from the round bodies which disturb Ahmad because they disrupt his state of reverence to the older body of Jack Levy, who finds himself aware of the changing body of Beth, his wife - and establish which relations are "right" versus "wrong." An example of this is the free expression of body language between Jack and Ahmad's mom Teresa.
Church
When Ahmad encounters church, he views its components in relation to those of a mosque. Through his position as an outsider who is verbally and physically welcomed by its congregation, Ahmad demonstrates how the wariness of a visitor is overpowered by a charismatic preacher. The imagery of the church creates our sense of it as a space.
Mosque
The scene of Ahmad in his mosque is one of the first times the full creepiness of Shaikh Rashid is on display. The mosque is in an abandoned ballet studio, and we see how they study together in light of this context: All other students moved elsewhere, but Ahmad is still under the Shaikh's manipulative grasp.
Twin Towers
The iconography of the Twin Towers is used to mark the state of radicalization of Ahmad. He is around someone who remarks favorably on the change to the New York City skyline after the terrorist attacks, and the stark imagery Updike uses helps strike the reader with how extreme - and scary - the character is.
