Ghazal Omid survived the Islamic Revolution and the eight-year Iran/Iraq War, which killed half a million people, an average of 170 per day. Virtually every day was a 9/11 day. Constantly harassed by government "watch dogs," she escaped a kidnapping plot by jumping out of a speeding car. She endured a harrowing prison encounter where she saw mothers and their babies being held in fetid cells indefinitely. Abducted and threatened with arrest for taking pictures of the Abadan oil refinery and of fellow students and teachers at university in Isfahan, Ghazal was marked for an orchestrated death sentence, common for such offenses against the regime. With the help of sympathetic university and embassy personnel and black market documents, she made her way through France and Holland to become a refugee in Canada where she is now a citizen.
Living In Hell is a tale of struggle against mindless oppression. The author fled her native Iran only when it became impossible for her to continue delivering her message. The book recounts an insider's view of the revolution, the US embassy hostage crisis and the war. Having studied Islam for 17 years, counseling with many Shiah scholars. Her studies are documented in the Afterword and address many questions people might have about Islam. Her research affords insight into why Muslim countries seem to be prone to terrorism and examines the link between poverty, ignorance and terrorism.
She alerts the reader that terrorism breeds and thrives on fear, citing a famous Persian proverb, "Fear is the twin brother of death." She contends it is possible to stop terrorism and offers sound advice to that end, emphasizing that we need to know our enemy and why they became terrorists. She explains the true meaning of "Jihad," who can legitimately order it and when people should be concerned on hearing the word.
Ghazal Omid calls herself "A Rebel With A Cause" because her thinking does not mesh with her cultural heritage. Omid has been accused of being an "American Patriot" in Iran and a "Muslim Terrorist" in the U.S., illustrating the fine line between patriotism and discrimination. She makes the point, "Being born into a culture that has been linked to terrorists or a religion, which has been used by them, does not make one a terrorist." In her words, "We don't have to like one another but we need to respect one another."
The author is immediately available for interviews or appearances. For a media kit, interviews or reviews contact Bill Wright, parkavepub@sbcglobal.net. Press releases will be available at the BEA Press Room and Living in Hell will be a featured review in the June issue of Publishers Weekly.
Cover: http://www.ereleases.com/pr/2005-ParkAvePub.jpg Website: http://www.livinginhell.com/ Bill Wright Park Avenue Publishers, Inc. Oklahoma City, OK 405-755-3304, Fax 405-755-2541 ghazalomid@livinginhell.com
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Source: Park Avenue Publishers, Inc.
CONTACT: Bill Wright, Park Avenue Publishers, Inc., +1-405-755-3304,
Fax: +1-405-755-2541, ghazalomid@livinginhell.com
Web site: http://www.livinginhell.com/