Frances Fuller, author of the award winning memoir 'In Borrowed Houses, a true story of love and faith amidst war in Lebanon' says that professional writers are making careers of spreading fear of Middle Easterners, especially Muslims. She identifies Islamophobic accusations as “a serious threat to peace, because nothing will make people fight more quickly, more desperately, than fear.”
Because of the dangers of being misled, she went on to say, “It is imperative that we learn how to be discerning about what we hear and read.” Fuller used a quote from the Middle East Forum website as an example, “… since 2010, 96 individuals have been killed in 19 Islamist terror attacks on American soil. At the same time, nonviolent Islamists exploit our freedoms to undermine from within – slowly chipping away at the rule of law, freedom of expression, free enterprise, and religious pluralism.”
Notice, she said, this common tactic. “A verifiable statement is employed to lead the reader into unfounded and unreasonable accusations.” She urges readers to research the statement with statistics, then question the rest. “For instance, why would non-violent Muslims in our country be at work to undermine such principles as the rule of law and religious pluralism, when these are so vital to their existence as a minority group?"
Ann Coulter has recently proclaimed publically that if Khizr Khan gets his way, we will all be living under sharia law. “The first thing we should wonder is how she could know what Mr. Khan wants. And second, Does she even know what sharia is?” Finally, Fuller wonders, “How many Muslims would it take in a population of more than 300 million to change the law of the land?”
Suggesting that many who warn us about sharia do not know what they are talking about, Fuller then recommends several books that contain pertinent information.
1.'Radical, My Journey Out of Muslim Extremism' by Maajid Nawaz
2.'Who Speaks for Islam?' by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed
3.'The Fear of Islam' by Todd Green
Advising her readers to read widely and think critically, Fuller said, “This is the common citizen’s contribution to peace in our country and the world.”
Frances Fuller puts a face on the Middle East many Americans have not yet seen. Her award-winning memoir, 'In Borrowed Houses', gives readers a penetrating glimpse of the Middle East from the inside.
Told in short episodes, Fuller’s book reveals the alienation, confusion and courage of civilians in the Lebanese civil war, introducing to the reader a variety of real people with whom the author interacts: editors, salesmen, neighbors, refugees, soldiers, missionaries, lawyers, shepherds, artists, students. With these people she works, studies, plays games, prays, laughs and cries, all to the accompaniment of gunfire. Together these small stories tell what war is like for civilians caught on a battlefield, and they create the impression of the Lebanese as a fun-loving, witty, patient and resilient people. Fuller's stories compose not a political history, but a historical document of a time and a place.
Critics have praised ‘In Borrowed Houses.’ A judge in the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards called 'In Borrowed Houses' “ . . a well written book full of compassion . . . a captivating story . . . ”. Another reviewer described the book as “Wise, honest, sensitive, funny, heart-wrenching . . .”. Colin Chapman, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut said, “ . . . western Christians and Middle Eastern Christians need to read this story…full of remarkable perceptiveness and genuine hope.”
Frances Fuller is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at frances0516@att.net. The full text of her latest article is available at her website. Fuller's book is available at Amazon and other book retailers. A free ebook sample from 'In Borrowed Houses' is available at http://www.payhip.com/francesfuller. Frances Fuller also blogs on other issues relating to the Middle East on her website at http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com.
About Frances Fuller:
Frances Fuller spent thirty years in the violent Middle East and for twenty-four of those years was the director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon. While leading the development of spiritual books in the Arabic language, she survived long years of civil war and invasions.
Contact:
Frances Fuller
frances0516@att.net
http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com
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