Prologue
On March 3, 2005, at the age of 20, I married my husband Muhammad Al Sharif (Western name Mike Sharif). This day-in all my ignorance-was the happiest day of my life. Two weeks before I married Muhammad in a small private Christian ceremony, only in the presence of my family. They were accepting of Muhammad given their liberal attitudes and their acceptance of other cultures. My Mother-whiter than snow-would attend volunteer events at the local Mosque (which had only about 200 members, in a town and surrounding area of 80,000 people). She would wear shalwar kameez and hijab to these events despite being a member of the Catholic Church.
After five years, my husband’s savage behaviour surfaced, and soon things darkened. This tale takes me from the small city of Peterborough, Ontario, to the strict Islamic world. I have lived in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Four countries I never want to visit again…
