This book reveals a dazzling journey of an MTV presenter's trajectory towards Islam and its impact on her life.

It is refreshingly candid in its depiction of the trials endured on the journey to Islam and the many tribulations encountered as a female German convert.

The book compellingly juxtaposes Kristiane’s MTV life with that of the personal spiritual transition that was occurring from within.

From being introduced to a VMA awards ceremony where “Bobby Brown dropped an ‘f’ bomb after performing his hit single ‘Humpin’ Around’ but the censors apparently didn’t catch the slip” to Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose having a fight backstage, the reader is then transported to the mountains in Pakistan holidaying with the cricketer turned politician Imran Khan.

Backer’s flourishing romantic relationship with Imran Khan was also due to the fact that his religious beliefs were central to his existence, despite his notoriously glitzy playboy antics of the past.

“It was here in the mountains…that Imran first told me about his long-term ambition to go into politics once he had successfully built the hospital and won people’s trust…He...mentioned that…a kind of fortune teller had prophesised that it would be dangerous for him to enter politics, and that he was likely to be assassinated.”

How is that a glamorous MTV presenter whose personal friend’s lists and admirers include Bob Geldof (whom she allegedly convinced to convert also to Islam), Sting, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Bryan Adams, Robbie Williams, Elizabeth Hurley, Simple minds, and internationally acclaimed film producers chose the more humble and demure path to Islam?

Backer says of the musicians, “They live a life of extremes. What with nights on stage in front of screaming fans and mornings alone in an anonymous hotel room, their lives are an emotional roller coaster that many only coped with by drinking heavily or turning to drugs.”

Perhaps this is why dating Imran Khan proved to be a life altering experience, not for his celebrity status, but for the fact that he opened up the door to Islam to Kristiane. “Imran was a unique blend of East and West, dynamic, with a sense of humour, and a magnet for the opposite sex. Women threw themselves at him wherever we went. Initially I found this irritating, but I got used to it as a by-product of dating this unique man.”

As their romance developed, discussions of moving in together and possibly a later marriage arose.

Although, “Imran was very keen to keep our relationship discreet and out of the public eye. I went along with it out of respect for his culture, although I didn’t feel great about the fact that the man I was with was unwilling to stand by me.”

Kristiane’s life continues without Imran after an abrupt breakup and a false accusation of cheating, into the mystical and calming world of Sufism, something so far away from the celebrity lifestyle of before. Kristiane is exposed not only to new and unfamiliar religious rulings but also to acute cultural differences. From virginity stitch ups to being reprimanded for allegedly reading the Quran in a bikini, to the practice of polygamy.

“The Sufi Shaykh had told them that polygamy was a good way of spreading Islam in Europe…Muslim women, particularly in Africa, consider it an honour to marry a man who already has a number of wives. They see it as a sign of strength, and comfort themselves with the thought that sharing a great man with other women was better than having a boring one all to themselves. It also means they have less work to do in the household.” Well, if ever there was a compelling argument.

We are given an in-depth insight into the vibrant and soulful world of Sufism, a branch of Islam which the author admits is viewed with much controversy by the more stricter adherents of the religion.

Despite the acute differences in belief and worship, Backer astutely claims, “One thing is for sure: there’s no such thing as a Sufi terrorist.”

Backer’s journey sees her through two marriages with a turbulent relationship with the second husband, from being compelled to deleting all male contacts from her phone list to destroying any photographs with men, to being strongly rebuked for talking to a taxi driver.

“A wife does not go up to strange men and speak with them. It’s a humiliation for the husband.”

Backer brings to surface the prejudice encountered professionally and socially as a Muslim convert.

From endless debates with family and friends, to defending the religion publicly and trying her utmost diplomatically to quell stereotypes, and tirelessly promoting Islam in a positive and more truthful light.

Throughout this journey, after much media exposure and gruelling interviews as a Muslim, Backer poses the ever valid questions: “Would there ever be cross-cultural understanding? Would Islam ever be respected as a religion in Europe? Would people ever learn to differentiate between culture and religion?”

Perhaps this compelling book can help resolve these ubiquitous dilemmas.