on 24 june 2003, ibn warraq held a public lecture (in disguise, to protect his identity) in cambridge, massachusetts about the book and the context in which it was composed. he cited several of his co-authors and other ex-muslims who decided to leave the faith for a variety of reasons, but stated that these people rarely dared to speak out for themselves, and non-muslims such as western publishers often refused to grant them a platform out of fear. unlike himself however, warraq said he was surprised that many co-authors, especially the women (whose stories he thought readers would "find the most moving"), were prepared to write their testimonies under their real names rather than pseudonyms.