Jasmin was born to an Arabian father and an Italian mother in Saudi Arabia and raised in fundamentalist Islam. Jasmin started wearing burqa in her tweens. She would get into verbal altercations with the “Mutawaa” (religious police) who monitored everyone and would harass, beat with canes, or take women to jail if they didn’t comply as they are silenced and not seen in any public place. Jasmin experienced segregation in all aspects of her life and did not even own her own ID card as women belong to their guardian male. From a child to adulthood, when Jasmin travelled to Italy to visit her mother’s family, she would see and experience the opposite side: modern, progressive, liberal western lifestyle. 

In her memoir, The Last Sandstorm, she shares this unusual and challenging upbringing that led to her dramatic escape to the United States in 1999, earning degrees in sociology, creative writing, public policy, and ethical leadership.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasmin.faulk/

Website: https://www.jasminfaulk.com/ 

Jasmin’s book: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-last-sandstorm