{"product_id":"a-sinner-in-mecca-a-gay-muslims-hajj-of-defiance-9781944648374","title":"A Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslim's Hajj of Defiance","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the recipient of a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBased on the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e' Critic Pick documentary\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe first book about the Hajj from a gay perspective, written by a man with a deep knowledge of Islamic history. This pilgrimage is the centerpiece of his book, and he recounts it with courage and fierce emotion. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--The Guardian \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is the Islam you've never been allowed to see. Daringly reported from its frontlines and forbidden to most of humanity for centuries. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Hajj pilgrimage is a journey every Muslim is commanded by God to go on at least once in a lifetime if they are able and, like millions, Parvez Sharma believes his spiritual salvation lies at Islam's ground zero, Mecca. But unlike the journeys of his fellow Muslims, the consequences of his own could be deadly. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eA Sinner in Mecca, \u003c\/i\u003e author, filmmaker, and 2018 Guggenheim Fellow Parvez chronicles his pilgrimage as a very openly gay Muslim to Saudi Arabia, where Islam's heart beats . . . and where being true to himself is punishable by death. Risking his life, Parvez embarks on a Jihad of the self--filming his experience along the way. Already under fire for his documentary \u003ci\u003eA Jihad for Love\u003c\/i\u003e, which looks at the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality, he would undoubtedly face savage punishment if exposed--from being thrown off a cliff to public beheading. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eParvez's odyssey is at once audacious, global, and remarkable. He meets everyone from extremists to explorers of the spiritual kind and the world they open up is frightening . . . yet breathtaking. In Mecca, Parvez comes out to a pilgrim, who then asks him why he would want to be part of something that wants no part of him. This book is his answer to this question and many more. Parvez provides an unflinching look at our troubling unfolding history, including Hizbullah, ISIS, Trump, the race-wars, an embattled Europe, and more. He offers real solutions, borne of his efforts to get his hands dirty to find them. This is a \u003ci\u003elived \u003c\/i\u003ehistory--and its author is no armchair theorist. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFollowing the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Critics' Pick hit documentary of the same title, \u003ci\u003eA Sinner in Mecca\u003c\/i\u003e unflinchingly showcases parts of the dangerous ideology that governs today's ISIS and how much it has in common with Saudi Arabia's sacred, yet treacherous dogma, Wahhabi Islam. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Sinner in Mecca\u003c\/i\u003e is simultaneously one man's personal odyssey as well as a groundbreaking, provocative revelation of a clandestine world and its fastest growing and most contested religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Benbella Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/15\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781944648374\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 330\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/24\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/26\/2017\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Parvez Sharma","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42038517760181,"sku":"9781944648374","price":14.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_da3e9a1f-2cb3-4417-87ff-8345cedc7ec5.jpg?v=1649736513","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/a-sinner-in-mecca-a-gay-muslims-hajj-of-defiance-9781944648374","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}