Celebrating the Muslim Identity
October is Islamic Heritage Month here in Canada and in celebration of our Islamic Heritage, we invite you all to share our collection of Muslim literature with your local schools and libraries. Reach out to us at info@ruqayasbookshelf.com for special discounted bundle rates for schools, libraries, and community centres.
One of the beautiful things about the Muslim ummah, is that two Muslims can come from completely different backgrounds and yet have so much in common!
Living in North America and Europe we can see this on every visit to the masjid. There are so many different cultures, different skin colours, different countries represented, different outfits, and on those special potluck days, so many different flavours!
Despite our differences, we all line up and pray side-by-side, and we all know the words and motions by heart.
We say assalam alaikum, mashaAllah, and alhamdullilah, and no matter where our brothers or sisters is from, they know exactly what we mean.
We are tied together, like an extended family. There is a deep sense of belonging.
We endeavour to make sure that Muslim children growing up in North America do not feel left out of this beautiful belonging, especially in areas where there isn’t a large Muslim community.
Niche stories for Muslim kids contribute to this sense of belonging because children see that the protagonists are like them: their beliefs, customs, dress code, and practices.
Unfortunately, some mainstream stories that claim to have Muslim representation miss the mark because the authors, not being Muslim themselves, put out inaccurate or even bigoted views of Muslims.
Recently there has been a push to bring Muslim representation to the world of children’s literature. We at Ruqaya’s Bookshelf, are working to truly represent Muslim children in the books they read, because representation contributes to the heart and identity of a Muslim child.
Books written by Muslim authors, who have experienced what these children experience, show our children how connected we are and highlight the richness and diversity of the many cultures of our ummah.
These stories give parents and teachers an opportunity to connect with Muslim children. They can be opportunities to learn about different places and people. They have the potential to start conversations with children to teach them about Islam and about life itself.
