A young American man, in school in Paris, leaves Paris in search of a Universal Religion. He is lured to the desert of North Africa and soon finds himself among a group of radical followers of Islam. The man emerges; but not without being changed. How has he changed? Romano’s personal journey and spiritual path has shed light on extremism in trying to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is often exacerbated by extreme fundamentalist religious groups. Romano’s intriguing book tells the story of how, as a young man, he was impressed by a group of young Moroccans and their Islamic faith, and believing that the study of Islam would help in his quest to gain spiritual discipline, he entered a mosque in Casablanca to study the Qur’an and Arabic. He soon realized he was living a nightmare of confinement and brain washing at the hands of militant Muslim fanatics. Falsely accused of being a Zionist spy after he questioned the treatment of women, and later acquitted by an internal tribunal, he was forced to remain a prisoner within the walls of the mosque. His inside knowledge of the workings of extremism serves as a bridge to not only the interfaith peace projects he is currently working on, but may also result in helping to facilitate a viable and peaceful solution to this conflict. |