Why I wrote
In 2008 I left a corporate position to write my autobiography. I envisioned future Wazan generations asking who I was and why I emigrated from the Middle East. In the course of writing, three profound realizations fueled me to convert the manuscript to a work of fiction.
First, I observed many Middle East, Islam, and Arab-world experts work diligently and speak intelligently intent on catalyzing peace and bridging differences. Countless more pundits, however, responded to the wrong questions brilliantly and convincingly. Having been born there and lived through a civil war in a combat zone in West Beirut equipped me with a unique lens from which no other wrote to show the reality on the ground. I became motivated to provide a more authentic view from the bottom up.
Second, a new sense of responsibility gripped me. The stories that I documented carried a social bearing. I had to share them with my community, but there were more. In this sense, I plotted a novel to include what I had experienced and witnessed.
Third, I had learned the Qur’an in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most notably, re-reading the Qur’an from an adult perspective pulverized the beliefs that jaundiced me. I found that Jews and Christians are closer to Muslims than I was taught while attending religious studies at a time of war. In the novel, you will see—first hand—how some Muslims, Christians, and Jews linked their actions to their devoutness.
Growing up, I aspired to be an inventor. My grades soared. Then the war broke out in 1975. The schools closed down for two years. The virus that had infected my family in 1948—The Israelis forming a state and the birth of the Palestinian cause—mutated. The country erupted. For the following decade and a half, I lived terrified of attacks and retributions until I left Lebanon.
After over twenty years in the USA, I have evolved emotionally and intellectually. I have dedicated time for introspection—writing the novel. As a result, I have arrived at the most profound and regrettable conclusion: The root cause of radicalization of beliefs and hijacking of my mind during the budding years was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
T’faddaloh! Honor me in. Read the novel. I will take you inside the home of a Middle Eastern Muslim family. You will hear the voices, see the points of view, and feel the struggles of those caught in religious powered conflicts while in pursuit of closeness to God.
First, I observed many Middle East, Islam, and Arab-world experts work diligently and speak intelligently intent on catalyzing peace and bridging differences. Countless more pundits, however, responded to the wrong questions brilliantly and convincingly. Having been born there and lived through a civil war in a combat zone in West Beirut equipped me with a unique lens from which no other wrote to show the reality on the ground. I became motivated to provide a more authentic view from the bottom up.
Second, a new sense of responsibility gripped me. The stories that I documented carried a social bearing. I had to share them with my community, but there were more. In this sense, I plotted a novel to include what I had experienced and witnessed.
Third, I had learned the Qur’an in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most notably, re-reading the Qur’an from an adult perspective pulverized the beliefs that jaundiced me. I found that Jews and Christians are closer to Muslims than I was taught while attending religious studies at a time of war. In the novel, you will see—first hand—how some Muslims, Christians, and Jews linked their actions to their devoutness.
Growing up, I aspired to be an inventor. My grades soared. Then the war broke out in 1975. The schools closed down for two years. The virus that had infected my family in 1948—The Israelis forming a state and the birth of the Palestinian cause—mutated. The country erupted. For the following decade and a half, I lived terrified of attacks and retributions until I left Lebanon.
After over twenty years in the USA, I have evolved emotionally and intellectually. I have dedicated time for introspection—writing the novel. As a result, I have arrived at the most profound and regrettable conclusion: The root cause of radicalization of beliefs and hijacking of my mind during the budding years was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
T’faddaloh! Honor me in. Read the novel. I will take you inside the home of a Middle Eastern Muslim family. You will hear the voices, see the points of view, and feel the struggles of those caught in religious powered conflicts while in pursuit of closeness to God.
Biography
Osama Wazan was born in Beirut, Lebanon, where he attended a Saudi Arabia funded Islamic school until he finished tenth grade.
In 1975, the Lebanese civil war broke out forcing Osama and his family to live in the combat zone for fifteen years. They were surrounded by remorseless snipers, indiscriminate rockets, and religious massacres one of which was only a half a mile away. In spite of the elements, Osama earned a Bachelor of Sciences and excelled in basketball. He played on the Lebanese National Universities team for three consecutive years. His passion for crossing the sectarian divide, started when he leaped over the religious and geographical chasms and became the first Muslim player to sign-up with a Christian basketball club.
In 1989, Osama developed a reaction to sudden explosions rendering him immobile in seeking shelter. Around that time, he realized that it was hopeless to aspire for security and prosperity in a country ensnared in religiously motivated violence and geopolitically rooted wars. He emigrated to the USA, where he earned an MBA. In 2000, he founded an Information Technology services firm, which he later sold in 2005.
After twenty-two years in the USA, Osama developed a unique perspective—fusing the war stories with lessons learned for a better world. He transformed these harrowing years during the war to an authentic and realistic route map for peace.
Osama’s mission is to be a grassroots catalyst for peace. To reach sincere peace seekers and makers, he had to find a venue. He resigned from a prestigious position in a software firm to write The Last Moderate Muslim and pursue his passion.
Osama chairs Mecklenburg Ministries’ Food for Thought committee. He is active member on the programming committee of United Religions Initiative Cooperation Circle in Charlotte, NC, and a member of the Comparative Religions committee at Temple Beth El, and the World Affairs Council. He has appeared on the Carolina Business Review and Mike Collins shows. He was covered by the Charlotte Observer and Business Journal. He is a recipient of the 40 Under 40 Charlotte Business Journal award and a finalist in the Blue Diamond award from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons.
In 1975, the Lebanese civil war broke out forcing Osama and his family to live in the combat zone for fifteen years. They were surrounded by remorseless snipers, indiscriminate rockets, and religious massacres one of which was only a half a mile away. In spite of the elements, Osama earned a Bachelor of Sciences and excelled in basketball. He played on the Lebanese National Universities team for three consecutive years. His passion for crossing the sectarian divide, started when he leaped over the religious and geographical chasms and became the first Muslim player to sign-up with a Christian basketball club.
In 1989, Osama developed a reaction to sudden explosions rendering him immobile in seeking shelter. Around that time, he realized that it was hopeless to aspire for security and prosperity in a country ensnared in religiously motivated violence and geopolitically rooted wars. He emigrated to the USA, where he earned an MBA. In 2000, he founded an Information Technology services firm, which he later sold in 2005.
After twenty-two years in the USA, Osama developed a unique perspective—fusing the war stories with lessons learned for a better world. He transformed these harrowing years during the war to an authentic and realistic route map for peace.
Osama’s mission is to be a grassroots catalyst for peace. To reach sincere peace seekers and makers, he had to find a venue. He resigned from a prestigious position in a software firm to write The Last Moderate Muslim and pursue his passion.
Osama chairs Mecklenburg Ministries’ Food for Thought committee. He is active member on the programming committee of United Religions Initiative Cooperation Circle in Charlotte, NC, and a member of the Comparative Religions committee at Temple Beth El, and the World Affairs Council. He has appeared on the Carolina Business Review and Mike Collins shows. He was covered by the Charlotte Observer and Business Journal. He is a recipient of the 40 Under 40 Charlotte Business Journal award and a finalist in the Blue Diamond award from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons.