This personal essay explores my use of Islamic tropes in The Gaia Chronicles, a science fantasy quartet set in a post-fossil fuel parallel Mesopotamia. Drawing on historical and literary research, as well as my travels and human rights activism in the Middle East, I discuss my attempts to address the issue of cultural appropriation, and avoid Orientalist and Islamophobic stereotypes in my work. Ultimately, by highlighting in my fiction the shared values and mythic narratives of the three Abrahamic religions, I hope that the books will contribute to greater mutual understanding between cultures we are often told are ‘at war’.