Deborah Scroggins’ impressive dual biography traces the lives of two extraordinary and controversial women who became the subjects of a global heated and emotional debate about Islam and the world order. No matter what your opinion about these women, this uncannily juxtaposed book will broaden your understanding of how Aafia Siddiqui and Ayaan Hirsi Ali came to represent radical extremes on the spectrum of Muslim belief.
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Terrorist. Jihadist. Misogynist. Brown. Bearded. Un-American. These are the terms and images often associated with Muslim men in America. A compilation of autobiographical essays by Muslim American men, All-American: 45 American Muslim Men on Being Muslim, presents a series of personal accounts that counter these assumptions and stereotypes.
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I opened All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim, the second publication in the recently unveiled I Speak For Myself series, fully expecting to roll my eyes at trite complaints about airport security or defensive rants against terrorism. Instead, I was quickly humbled by the realization that I, myself an ‘All-American Muslim man,’ was just as in need of an introduction to these 45 men as the presumably intended audience, non-Muslim Americans.
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Written by Tahmima Anam, The Good Muslim is the story of an educated, “modern” woman who loses her brother to Islamic fundamentalism. And perhaps this storyline is why the book has garnered so many rave reviews and literary awards—because Western critics and audiences enjoy literature that confirms their worst suspicions about Muslims. Its premise, a young woman’s struggle to find meaning in a post-war, newly-independent Bangladesh that had emerged out of one of the darkest periods of the Indian subcontinent’s history, intrigued me.
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Khadija, The First Lady of Islam, is a recently published jewel of Islamic historical fiction that eloquently
narrates the entire life of one of the most honored women in Islam–an exquisite testimony to her life
and her contributions to the religion. Delicately crafted by Maxine Meilleur, this comprehensive, well-
researched work is a must-have for Muslim and non-Muslim history buffs, book lovers, and Khadija
admirers.
It is a universal truth—although not universally acknowledged—that we all share the desire to love and be loved for who we are. We see ourselves reflected in love stories, regardless of how far removed in time and place they might be from our lives. The perennial popularity of period romances—“Downton Abbey” anyone?—shows that beneath the robes or corsets, the heart flutters in ways that we instinctively recognize even today.
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At a time when Islam is often equated with violence, attorney and author, Arsalan Iftikhar, is trying to shift the discourse with his new book, Islamic Pacifism: Global Muslims in the Post-Osama Era. Waving high the flag of non-violence, Iftikhar aims to equip a new generation of Muslims with the tools and ideas that promote pacifism within Islam. This is what Iftikhar had to say about the rich history and peacebuilding power of Islamic Pacifism.
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As a Muslim woman working in comics, author G. Willow Wilson breathes rarified air in a traditionally male-dominated industry. First coming to prominence with the 2007 DC Comics graphic novel Cairo (illustrated by M.K. Perker), a fantasy story informed by the author’s own time living in Egypt, she has continued to offer insights in her writing reflective of her unique lived experiences, whether via DC’s Superman and Vixen, Mystic for Marvel, or her own 2008-2010 Vertigo series Air.
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For many years, I had been trying to figure out how to explain, describe, encompass, sum up, or simply understand what has happened to this world in the last ten years. I have been wondering how humanity, faith, identity, tradition, race relations, extremism, terrorism, and international law have shaped our world and our senses since 9/11. I finally found what I was looking for in the intricate fiction narrative created by Nafisa Haji in her novel, The Sweetness of Tears.
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If Herman Hesse were alive today, he’d fall in love with Lyrics Alley, a story that resonates with the theme of his famous short story The Poet: the solitary life and mission of the poet. But Leila Aboulela’s novel depicts that theme with arguably more intrigue, depth, and complexity, as it tells its story of self-determination, fate, love, and the intrinsic value of art. The novel takes place in the Sudanese city of Umdurman in the early 1950’s, which was a critical time in Sudanese history.
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