Many Arabic/Islamic words have now entered the English dictionary, such as haj, hijab, Eid, etc., and I no longer need to put them in italics or explain them.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Everybody needs to understand that I learned Arabic from the United States Army as a second language. I never spoke it at home.
Being published in Arabic is a strong and consistent wish I have. I live in the Middle East and want to be in some sort of an unpragmatic dialogue with my neighbors.
But my Arabic is pretty good. It's good enough to have conversations with people, to understand what they say, to understand what they're feeling.
When you write about a Muslim woman, like I did with my previous novels - 'Minaret', for example, which is about a woman who starts to wear the hijab - it sets all the alarm bells ringing.
A lot of the Koran does not speak very eloquently to a Westerner. Much of it is either legalistic or opaquely poetic.
I don't think I ever really knew the right words to 'Hava Nagilah,' which isn't great for a Jewish singer.
For one, the Qur'an is considered by Muslims to consist entirely of words spoken by Allah himself.
I don't know Arabic. I can't speak or write it.
I do not use the language of my people. I can take liberties with certain themes which the Arabic language would not allow me to take.
Whenever I come across an Arabic word mired in English text, I am momentarily shocked out of the narrative.