Manal Hannoon asked Gillian McAllister:

I just finished reading "Anything You Do Say". As we know Sadiq, Imran, Aisha and Bilal are Muslim names. So my question is "What is the message behind choosing Muslim characters in the novel?" Why the predator as well as the victim were Muslims? And why there is a lot of Islamic and Arabic references? I'd love to know the point and the message you're trying to convey. Thank you.

Gillian McAllister Hi there, I was trying (I think perhaps clumsily) to make the point that Joanna, like most white people, is racist in mixing up the identity of Sadiq and Imran. Does that make sense? I hope so. Please do write back as I really want to get these issues correct in my books.

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