Beirut in Shades of Grey Author:Dana Kamal Mills Two souls brought together by love are distanced by the challenges of living with conflicting social values during times of extreme political stress. Rasha Halwani, a victim of the Lebanese civil war, and Luke Elliott, a British photojournalist, begin a clandestine romance while on vacation in Paris. However, the tranquility of their previous en... more »counters quickly dissipates when Luke?s unannounced arrival on Rasha?s doorstep in Beirut incites a wrangle over cultural differences and polarized attitudes towards war. Once certain of her values and her role as a woman in late 20th-century Islamic society, Rasha finds herself stymied by the choices before her and the ramifications of pursuing a life with this Westerner.