Nonie Darwish’s new book looks at revolutions in the Middle East, including Egyptian protests at Tahrir Square in 2011.
“I started feeling the freedom to think for myself, and really things added up,” she said.
“I read more. I began to understand that my father’s death was caused by the culture of jihad.”
At 29, Darwish moved to the United States with her husband. In Los Angeles, she worked as a secretary and claims adjuster for an insurance company.
Disillusioned with her religion, Darwish would eventually leave Islam after discovering a Christian church she saw on television.
“It took me a long time really to find the answers from a wonderful preacher. His name was Dudley Rutherford,” she said. “I really fell in love with this kind of holiness and of preaching peace and love and humanity.”
After she converted to Christianity, Darwish said, her family has cut all ties with her.
In the years following 9/11, Darwish felt her life story gave her a unique perspective on events.
She was approached by an agent and has since written three books that discuss her ideological journey from Egypt to the United States, the global implications of Islamic law and the threat posed by the recent Arab uprisings.
“The Devil We Don’t Know: The Dark Side of Revolutions in the Middle East,” will be released Tuesday and is the topic of her talk at the Capitol Hill Club.
“I’m predicting a lot of internal and civil unrest,” Darwish said. “As long as Islam is practiced the way it is, we will never have freedom and democracy.”
Western democracies, she said, are averting their eyes from catastrophe.
“Western media as a whole is truly sticking their heads in the sand because they are really truly afraid of exposing Islam,” Darwish said.
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