By AYAKO KARINO / Asahi Shimbun News Service

Ammar Abdulhamid’s daring debut novel “Menstruation,” which examines the issues of sexuality and repression, has been banned in the author’s conservative Muslim homeland.

Syrian writer Ammar Abdulhamid has come a long way to publish his first novel, the provocatively titled “Menstruation.” It was only through his journey into various aspects of Islamic fundamentalism and his struggles to come to terms with his own identity and religious beliefs that he was able to write his daring debut, which explores in depth the contemporary issues of sexuality, self-awareness and repression within the conservative religious framework of Syria. Continue reading “PROFILE: Writer lifts veil on Syrian life” →