The Toronto Sun – August 25, 2011
Halton police are treating an attack on a first-time author whose self-published book has been branded anti-Muslim as a possible hate crime. Raised Muslim, Paris Dipersico, 24, reported being dragged from his bicycle Aug. 17, tied up among trees, then beaten briefly unconscious by two Muslim men. Accused of being gay, they then “called me a Jew in Arabic and said the Jews are paying you to write this against Islam,” the author of Wake Up Call said.
Using several characters, including ones named Paris and Gabrielle plus others disguised or altered, Dipersico said Wake Up Call was a self-healing project based on troubling experiences with relatives telling him they are superior to others, while some lied, cheated and committed adultery. Released in June, it has been accused of being pornographic, celebrating drug use and mocking various religions. Relatives criticized Gabrielle’s voluntary cover photo for showing too much flesh, “but I wasn’t coerced,” the 23-year-old said. “We are Muslim, but we were raised in Canada,” Paris said.
