La librairie des livres interdits

Marc Levy

Description

In this compelling duology, Dawn Bates shares with the world a rare and unique insight to what it means to be a 'Posh Paki' and a 'traitor' to those who knew her, her ethnicity, nation and her faith, simply because she embraced the faith of Islam at the age of 15 – without having ever met a Muslim!
Dawn shares how she discovered Islam and knew she wanted to become a Muslim, and the journey that followed.
Becoming 'revert' rather than a convert to one of the most hated, if not the most hated religion in the West, especially when she comes from a small village in the heart of England where racism and fear of outsiders – including those from London! – presents Dawn with some difficult challenges in life, such as having her head filled with funny ideas and running off with a tall dark handsome stranger – the height is all relative apparently!
Whilst this may have been attractive to Dawn as a child, to her parents it was their worst nightmare come true, especially when slips of the tongue with phrases such as 'you bloody dirty Arab!' comes out of her mother's mouth right in front of the Arab husband.
Read how Dawn saw firsthand the subtleties of racism deeply entrenched in family, friends and colleagues alike – including those who state they are not being a racist because they 'have a black friend'.
Discover what is it like to be regularly pulled over by police because your husband is believed to be your drug dealer or your pimp, just because he is an Arab driving a Mercedes Benz, and how he apparently brainwashed and threatened her into following Islam, made her wear the hijab… because all Muslim women are oppressed. Or are they?
The British pride themselves on being tolerant but many still refuse to accept the rich cultural diversity within its green, luscious lands, choosing to simply tolerate them – without knowing the difference between acceptance and tolerance.
Just how deep does racial hatred and Islamophobia still run within British society? Events such as 9/11 and the 7/7 London bombings took place more than a decade ago, and organisations such as Britain First, the English Defence League and political parties such as UKIP are still very much a part of the fabric of British life.
And what was it like living as a white, English Muslim who understands the religion of Islaam deeper than many of the Pakistanis and Arabs she lived amongst in both England and Egypt?
Was Dawn accepted as a Muslim by the wider Muslim community, including the Arab family she married into, or rejected and eyed with suspicion?
Having decided before her engagement to her Arab husband that she would learn the language and live in his home country, discover how his brain tumour and her '24 hours to live' death sentence sparked the move to Cairo, just in time for the Arab Spring and Egyptian Uprising took hold across the Arab world.
Navigating more than just the Nile and visiting the pyramids on a weekly basis, even in the most turbulent of times, including taking on the Education Minister, the International Schools system and writing her very first book – included in this duology, the resilience, determination and personal power Dawn shares is nothing short of remarkable.
You will discover why Dawn was followed by the Secret Police across the capital of Egypt, what it was like making a TV documentary with one of Britain's leading TV channels, and why she chose to walk away from Islaam… even though apparently when you choose to walk away from Islam, you are automatically sentenced to death… Or is that just a story made up to keep Muslims living in fear, and a way to keep the non-Muslims comfortable with their Islamophobia?
A gripping and compelling tale by a woman who never gives up, and is determined to succeed at any cost… even if it means going to jail for what she believes in.
Are you this brave?