Abstract
This exegesis explores the genesis and the development of the creative component of this Doctoral submission, the 50,000 word original novel, A Suitcase of Lies. The novel is set within the real events of the Shatila Massacre which took place in Beirut in September 1982 and the bombing of the Beirut American Embassy in April 1983. The research question addressed by this exegesis will be: 'Can the Western World novel lead to an understanding of terrorism in the Middle East?' Other than non-fiction there are virtually no fiction accounts of the recent conflicts in the Middle East (specifically the massacre at the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian camps), based upon a sympathetic point of view from the terrorist. The scope of the research addresses elements of the historical, political, cultural and religious influences that were the backdrop to the creation of the State of Israel and the resulting expulsion of the Palestinian Arabs. Many of these refugees fled to Lebanon where they live in camps to this day. These influences had an impact on what happened in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in September 1982 and the bombing of the American Embassy.