Norma Khouri was born in Jordan and lived there until the age of three when she moved with her family to Chicago, USA. Khouri came to literary prominence in 2003 following the publication of her book, Forbidden Love : A Harrowing True Story of Love and Revenge in Jordan. In late July 2004, the Literary Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Malcolm Knox revealed the results of investigations he had undertaken into Khouri and her claim to have told a 'true story' in her book. Knox, liaising with the Jordanian National Commission for Women, uncovered dozens of inaccuracies in Forbidden Love and discovered serious errors of fact in Khouri's account of her own life. Knox's revelations resulted in Random House Australia withdrawing support for Khouri and stalling publication of the sequel to Forbidden Love.
After fleeing the USA in 1999, while under investigation by the Office of the Public Guardian and the Police Department in Chicago and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Khouri arrived in Australia in 2002. She took up residence on Bribie Island, Queensland, with her husband and two children. Her application for a temporary residence visa, under the Distinguished Talent Visa category, was sponsored by Random House Australia.
The revelation of Khouri's hoax was reported widely in Australia's daily newspapers and also received coverage in the UK, the USA, China, Jordan, Malaysia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, India and France.
