Description
When twenty-eight-year-old Maliha Masood, a burned-out dot-commer from Seattle, bought a one-way ticket to adventure and rejuvenation, she found it in the most unlikely of places: the Middle East.
With an infectious love of adventure, a zany sense of humor, and serious questions about her Islamic faith, Pakistani-born Masood begins an unforgettable journey. She camps in the Sahara with a Bedouin "desert fox," is mistaken for a spy in Turkey, takes a lesson in beauty from a Kurdish family, and falls in love with a poet. She experiences souks and mosques, open-air lingerie bazaars and nightclubs grooving to hip-hop. In a region associated with terrorist havens, Masood meets ordinary Muslim men and women navigating the politics of culture, religion, and identity. Zaatar Days, Henna Nights offers a street-savvy take on the contemporary Arab world that's seldom seen on the evening news.
This is a story of discovery and faith, of making bonds and breaking stereotypes, and of finding oneself where one least expects to.
About the Author
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Maliha Masood grew up in Seattle. She is the co-producer of Nazrah, an award-winning documentary film exploring perspectives of American-Muslim women. A graduate of Tufts University with a master's in Law and Diplomacy, Masood has worked in her native Pakistan as a development consultant. Masood is also the president and founder of Diwan: Dialogue on Islam, a nonprofit institute based in Seattle, where she lives.