The Cost: My Life on a Terrorist Hit List

This engaging memoir recounts Husnain's dramatic conversion to Christianity and the harrowing aftermath. Born to a high-caste family in Pakistan, Husnain gives up his life of ease and bright future after an emotional conversion to Christianity. He converted as a teenager while visiting his aunt in England, who was converted herself years earlier by a vision and miraculous healing. She guides Husnain as he drifts from what he considers a stale and unsatisfying Islamic heritage. Upon his return to Pakistan, he declares his new faith, and fervent Muslims make vicious attacks on him and his family, declaring him an infidel. The ending provides heartbreaking accounts of his family's rejection and his difficulties gaining asylum under European law. While both the visionary conversion and the violent response are atypical, Husnain provides a clear example of the risk of conversion from Islam in conservative cultures. The work will help raise awareness of threats to religious freedom and create sympathy for those brave enough to challenge them. (Mar.)