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“The Fox Hunt” — Book details Yemeni refugee’s struggle
Four strangers. Three faiths. One extraordinary escape to freedom. “The Fox Hunt,” by Mohammed Al Samawi
“The Fox Hunt” (William Morrow, April 10, 2018) is a first-person story of a young Muslim man from Yemen who, with the help of a group of largely Jewish activists on social media, engineered a harrowing escape from the Yemeni Civil War.
Mohammed Al Samawi was born on November 30, 1986, in the Old City of Sana’a, to a comfortably middle-class family; his parents were both doctors. He was raised in the Zaydism sect of Shi’a Islam and taught-by both his family and the ruling class of Yemen-that Jews were responsible for everything wrong with the world, from sex scenes in movies to the depreciation of Yemen’s currency.
But at the age of 21, everything changed when Mohammed was secretly given a copy of the Bible, and suddenly, everything he believed about Jews was thrown into doubt. He started to reach out to Jews over Facebook, joined a peace-building organization, and began traveling to interfaith conferences outside of Yemen.
Then he began to receive death threats, and was forced to flee to the Southern port city of Aden. When it suddenly became the center of the civil war that broke out in spring 2015, Mohammed’s life was in grave danger. Hiding in the bathroom of his apartment in Aden, he could hear the RPGs and AK47s below, and sent out a desperate prayer to his social media network. Four young people with zero experience in international diplomacy or military exfiltration worked across six technology platforms and ten time zones to save Mohammed’s life during a harrowing 13-day ordeal. THE FOX HUNT is an unforgettable story of faith, compassion, and redemption.
THE FOX HUNT is in development at Fox 2000 Pictures, with Marc Platt Productions (La La Land, Bridge of Spies) producing, and Josh Singer (Oscar-winning screenwriter of Spotlight) adapting for the screen.
“Poignant and utterly captivating, The Fox Hunt is a remarkable book that illuminates the human tragedy of Yemen through the life of one its refugees.”
—Rabbi David Saperstein, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom“At any moment in history, The Fox Hunt would be a tense, exciting, uplifting story of international intrigue and cross-cultural cooperation. But at this moment, Mohammed Al Samawi has written an urgent and timely book that reminds us of the common threads of the human experience.”
—Bruce Feiler, bestselling author of Walking the Bible and Abraham
“Driving social change in theArab world is a high stakes game, and Mohammed Al Samawi gambles with his life. A memoir wrapped in a thriller, The Fox Hunt is one of those rare stories that’s as gripping as it is important.”
—Bassem Youssef, author of Revolution for Dummies and “The Jon Stewart of the Arabic World”
“Nail-bitingly suspenseful . . . Al Samawi’s ultimate escape is inspiring, as is his determination to continue to work for international peace and understanding. Illuminating and essential reading.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“Compelling . . . . This personal account of a remarkable life is a reminder of how peace comes in small increments as the result of the work of committed individuals.”—Kirkus
The Fox Hunt, by Mohammed Al Samawi
On Sale April 10, 2018
William Morrow
ISBN: 9780062678195
$27.99
eBook: 9780062678218
$21.99
Digital Audio 9780062802972
$26.99
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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