For Fauziya Kassindja, an idyllic childhood in Togo, West Africa, sheltered from the tribal practices of polygamy and genital mutilation, ended with her beloved father's sudden death.nbsp;nbsp;Forced into an arranged marriage at age seventeen, Fauziya was told to prepare for kakia, the ritual also known as female genital mutilation.nbsp;nbsp;It is a ritual no woman can refuse.nbsp;nbsp;But Fauziya dared to try.nbsp;nbsp;

This is her story--told in her own words--of fleeing Africa just hours before the ritual kakia was to take place, of seeking asylum in America only to be locked up in U.S.nbsp;nbsp;prisons, and of meeting Layli Miller Bashir, a law student who became Fauziya's friend and advocate during her horrifying sixteen months behind bars.nbsp;nbsp;Layli enlisted help from Karen Musalo, an expert in refugee law and acting director of the American University International Human Rights Clinic.nbsp;nbsp;In addition to devoting her own considerable efforts to the case, Musalo assembled a team to fight with her on Fauziya's behalf.nbsp;nbsp;Ultimately, in a landmark decision in immigration history, Fauziya Kassindja was granted asylum on June 13, 1996.nbsp;nbsp;Do They Hear You When You Cry is her unforgettable chronicle of triumph.