Kamila Kashgari

The Accidental Iraqi Kamila Kashgari

The Accidental Iraqi is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet set in wartorn Iraq. It tells the story of a romance, born out of strife, whose only chance of survival lies in self-less acts of the heart. Just outside of Baghdad, Zaina Melehy, a headstrong and idealistic Iraqi medical student, saves the life of Major Anthony Aroyan, a badly wounded American soldier. Although Zaina has conflicted feelings about rescuing one of her country's occupiers, she brings Major Aroyan to her father, Dr. Omar Melehy, for treatment. Unsure of how a US soldier will be received by her father, however, Zaina takes advantage of Anthony's Armenian good looks as well as his conversational Arabic and conceals his identity by disguising him as "Yusuf", an Iraqi peasant. Most importantly, in order not to betray his true identity, Anthony cannot utter a word. Conflict takes many forms as Zaina and her family have been deeply embittered by the American occupation as well as the brutal rape and murder of Zaina's beloved sister, Laila, at the hands of men employed by X-Caliber, a shadowy American contractor providing private security in Iraq. As Anthony struggles to recover while maintaining his vow of silence, he and Zaina fall deeply in love. Unfortunately, they also arouse the suspicions of Bashar, Zaina's overprotective, fundamentalist brother, who would like nothing better than to have Yusuf/Anthony out of all of their lives in order to restore the family honor. Zaina must navigate opposing feelings of love and resentment complicated by obligations invoked by tradition, family honor, and cultural allegiance. Anthony is desperate to prove himself in the eyes of Zaina and Dr. Omar by righting some of the wrongs of the occupation while maintaining his honor as a proud representative of the US military. Both will have to find the courage and understanding to create a bridge for their love to cross.