Michael, 40 and Somaia, 30, met while he was studying Arabic in Cairo. When they fell in love in 2015, he converted to Islam so they could marry
When Michael travelled from the US to Egypt in the summer of 2015 to study Arabic, he wasn’t expecting to find love. Then, at an Arabic language institute in Cairo, he was introduced to Somaia, who taught specialist programmes. “He was a VIP student, so I knew I had to be careful with his programme,” she says. “He seemed nice and easy-going.”
Although Michael found Somaia cold at first, she soon relaxed. “I realised her bosses had asked her to give me special treatment, so she was being formal,” he says. “We started talking about our lives and developed a strong friendship.” During Ramadan, Somaia invited Michael to an iftar dinner. These are held in the evenings during the holy month to break the period of fasting. “He stayed until midnight and we talked all night, but I thought we were just friends,” she says.
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