'Leila saw her mother and ran over to see her. I was concerned that if things turned nasty, the driver might disappear, leaving us with no escape. There was nothing I could do at this stage but trust him. Mary half dragged her daughter over to the cab and, as soon as they reached the car, I ran after them and jumped in, yelling at the driver to go . . . '
For Donya, this type of shocking and dramatic event has become a commonplace occurrence. She is an angel of mercy to hundreds of British women who have had their children taken away from them by Middle Eastern fathers, who may not want their children exposed to a liberal, Western upbringing.
Donya is called upon regularly by desperate mothers, whose only wish is to be reunited with their little ones. What started as a favour to a friend has turned into a life's work for this determined and incredibly courageous young woman. No stranger to Middle Eastern culture, Donya converted to Islam at the age of sixteen, when she moved to Jordan to live with her boyfriend. Subsequent to that, she fled an engagement to a Tunisian man and married a wealthy Cypriot, only to be forced to flee the marriage with her son.
She has ventured to countries where few would dare to go to attempt such acts of heroism. Her missions have taken her to some of the world's more dangerous spots, including Iraq, Libya, Morocco and Dubai. Indeed, it was in Dubai that Donya had to face one of the most frightening experiences of her life: authorities were alerted to her plan to rescue a child and she was arrested, put in jail, and only released after a chance meeting with one of the most powerful Sheikhs in the country.
This is a brutally honest, emotional and fascinating read. As well as being a series of heart-stopping adventures, it also shows what can go wrong when people marry across the culture gap.
