Border crossings : my journey as an outsider / Mohammad Chowdhury

Whether negotiating the mind-games of the Israeli intelligence services or performing ablutions in a London bathroom, Mohammad Chowdhury's life as a British Muslim brings daily challenges. Border Crossings is the story of Chowdhury's journey, gripping in some parts and shame-inducing in others, as he describes a lifelong struggle to reconcile the British, Asian and Muslim sides of his identity, constantly dealing with the mistrust of Westerners alongside the hypocrisies of his own community and their misunderstanding of Islam. Personal, honest and uniquely narrated from the perspective of a man who grew up in South London, studied at Oxford, and has worked in eighty countries, Border Crossings echoes the stories of thousands of Western Muslims who since 9/11 have been subjected to a constant barrage of questions that obliquely cast doubt over the very goodness of their faith. Border Crossings is the account of a man who cries when England win the Ashes, yet screams in the face of racism and religious bigotry. This timely book powerfully rejects today's emerging narrative that Muslims can no longer be trusted as honest citizens of the West.