She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert

We are all afraid and we can all be incredibly brave.

You will find that, underneath the layers of unfamiliar language, culture, family dynamics and expectations, there is something you can relate to: a shared humanity, a heart, a soul, that speaks to yours.īecause, at the end of the day, the different layers of what we call our identity, are merely that: layers. Use the glossary, if there is one, and keep exploring. In all these stories, there is a new world waiting for you.Īt times, the language or turns of phrase may be a challenge: do not be put off. Young people living behind the headlines whose stories have to be read to be believed.Īnd again, there are the stories of Muslim youth – kids like you – growing up in London, Sydney, New Jersey, Toronto, learning to straddle two or more cultures, dealing with coming of age, finding themselves and their place in the world.

Then there are those stories that share the contemporary lives of Muslims around the world: young people in Afghanistan, India, Palestine and beyond, many dealing with war, displacement and uncertain futures. From desert nomads to cut-throat pirates, from powerful kings and queens to enslaved Africans to fighters in the First World War, the history of Muslims has impacted the history of our world in more ways than you can imagine. Then there are books for more confident readers that take you back in time, into Muslim history: books about the travels of the great explorer, Ibn Battuta, about Baghdad’s House of Wisdom and the scholarship that gave birth to the Renaissance and about the amazing legacy of the Moors in Spain. There are picture books for primary age children explaining different aspects of the faith in a simple, engaging way: who was Muhammad? Where is Mecca? Why don’t Muslims eat in Ramadhan? What is the Hajj? If you have questions about the Islamic faith itself, these are a great place to start. Where to start? Well, books with Muslim protagonists now cover a wide, wide spectrum so it depends on what you’re into. If not, I invite you to open your eyes, to pick up a book with a Muslim protagonist and challenge yourself. I don’t have to tell you that not all Muslims are Pakistani or can speak Arabic or hate “the West” you already know that. I don’t have to tell you that not all Muslim girls are forced to wear a hijab: you already know that. I don’t have to tell you that not all Muslims are terrorists you already know that.

She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert