After a tortured and fearful life in America, Olivia is anxious to escape an abusive and destructive husband. In a desperate attempt to rid herself of him, Olivia makes a naïve alliance with his family who lives overseas. The family has heard the disturbing news about their son’s illegal activities, his problems with the government, and the numerous warrants issued against him. Olivia agrees to take her husband to Malta for a wedding; once there, the family will take her husband back to his homeland and she and her children will be free to return to America. However, once she enters foreign soils, she is tricked into entering an oppressed Islamic society.

Held in Libya against her will, Olivia tries to escape numerous times and each time she is caught and punished. Olivia becomes violently ill and is unable to protect her children. She watches helplessly as her children are used as pawns and their beauty and America heritage further her husband’s quest for power and lust for money. Heartbroken and dejected one evening while in the Sahara Desert, Olivia calls out to her God and surrenders her life and will back to the God she had known as a child. But in doing so, she fears her death is imminent.

Olivia fervently teaches her children about Jesus using stories and songs she had learned as a small child. Even her exotic and beautiful children know the dangers of mentioning the name of Jesus in an Islamic society; to pray to any other God besides Allah is forbidden. Olivia and her children pray and learn about Jesus in hiding realizing that at any moment they could be caught and punished, or even worse.

This story is a collection of memoirs, memories and documented night terrors of an actual woman whose name shall be called Olivia. In reality, I am that woman. Forbidden prayers is a fictionalized story yet based entirely on actual events. This is a story about my relationship with my God and my fight for freedom. While entrapped in Libya I made notes and documentations but numerous times my material was seized and destroyed. Thus, I made myself encrypt as many sights, sounds, aromas, prayers, and stories as told to me by others into my brain. Storing that information seemed easy; it was the retrieval process that became complicated

I made the decision to publish this book once my children were older and my ex husband was no longer in the United States of America. He has fled the country and its jurisdiction to avoid prosecution and the numerous warrants issued against him. I pray my words will find you well.

“I was lost and forsaken, broken and crushed, torn and shredded, terrorized and destructed. My soul was enveloped in darkness; my spirit near death. Libya was not my home, Allah was not my God. However, it was in the Sahara I found the will to live: it was in the desert where I found my God.”