and involvement with the stories similar to what you are writing about? i am wondering how much of this book -- this book connect to your own experience? knowing these people and the situations and just going off of that coming up with their own stories? >> what i am writing sometimes, i feel like it is standing in a field of knee-high dry grass. two prints in my hand and trying to make a fire. banging them together as hard as i can. always a risk. something that happened to me. some of the experiences client striking them together. and when i get it right sparks will fly. so everything is on fire

imagination but none of the starts without that. you know one song in the book on fire get that field going. [inaudible question] >> thank you so much. [applause] >> i am going to tell the whole story. he will come to the front. we will make time to do that 's. have a great evening. thank you so much for coming.

>> oppressed. i can only choose ten muslim moment. india, and the one from iran, for example never thought she would come to america.

and she failed. started going to church. open the door for her. this is a knew freedom. muslim moment have premonition can always they do have cultural and objective. our understanding. interesting. the united arab emirates. she won a scholarship. the degree. she came here. and a very educated family.

oxford everyone her family is highly educated. but i told her, now you finished your masters degree a couple of years. now. time for me to go home. this is not for me. and then i we will come back amazing. arranged marriages. in that society people do not socialize, they don't go out. so they have total trust in their families. very much like her and is accepted. telling me that both of them want to have children. they have to make the marriage work.

the decision of the family. very interesting. the misconception is that women are oppressed. they have to freedom. get there freedom. so many of my participants have chosen. the ladies from damascus. none of their families. she came to america. just a dull. a muslim. i grew up now. i don't want people to be attracted to my committee on the me as an object. i go home and my kids are quieter than before. they know i have a structure with prayers to my culture to keep. i am religious.

he is not talking. he cannot curse. and she said me this both feet in the house. so very interesting. an issue from the time of colonization. with the french and in algeria something that they believe, they want the whole world to believe that the islam of oppression this is not so. it may be so in some society of the nile over the world. we see it in canada pakistan. these people are choosing a statement. an identity. sometimes because they don't want to objectify themselves

just respect you as a coworker or a student not as a beautiful one. >> of course. a bunch of people. when you see them it's not just 2 percent of the society. this is what we see. the the negative thing's, it has become subjugated with islam. we listen to the news and have this problem with islam and the world. libya, iraq isis islam. this is something that we need to deal with. when i talk about this, my intention was to bridge this gap of fear and ignorance.

once you know the story they are like you, like anybody else can have aspiration. and underscoring they can communicate, they have the love, they have the understanding. i believe at the core of the family and the society and the world. understanding hearing their voices, hearing your struggle to see that they are like you and not fear them. ..