October is Islamic Heritage Month, and in this month, we celebrate and acknowledge the diverse accomplishments of Canadian Muslims. Canadian Muslims have many accomplishments, and writing is one of them.
Here are some of my favourite novels written by Muslim authors, some of which were featured in our Islamic Heritage Month blog post – here’s a little more about why I love them and think they are must reads. Stories are one way to immerse oneself in worlds, cultures, and faiths never experienced. They can teach us things we never knew. Muslim stories are as important as any others, as it is vital for all cultures and faiths to see themselves reflected in the world around them.
Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
Uzma Jalaluddin’s books often take place in the same fictional neighbourhood of Scarborough, and this one is no different. Food, family, and romance are at the center of this novel and as always, Jalaluddin weaves faith culture seamlessly into the story, as her characters often grapple with what it means to be both Canadian and Muslim. .
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin
In Uzma Jalaluddin’s newest adult novel, which is co-written with Marissa Stapley, two women are stranded in a small, snowy town in an emergency landing on their way to Toronto. During a turbulent moment on the plane, Maryam and Anna discuss their hopes and dreams for love, not realising that Maryam’s crush, Saif, is sitting two seats behind them. In Snowy Falls, both women realise that despite their different approaches to love and marriage, they both want the same thing.
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali
S.K Ali is another prominent Muslim voice in the Canadian-Muslim scene, and her novel Love from A to Z is poignant, and filled with love, fear, trauma as it grapples with what it means to be a visible Muslim girl in an Islamaphobic world. Zeynab is suspended from school for challenging her teacher’s Islamaphobic comments and is sent to Qatar for an early Spring Break, when she meets Adam, a Muslim teen who is battling multiple sclerosis.
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Hafsah Faizal rose to prominence a few years ago after the publication of We Hunt the Flame, a fantasy young adult novel that takes place in a land inspired by Arabia. What emerges is an evocative story of a land that is plagued by war, and a hunter who must save it before she is hunted. While there is no specific Muslim representation in the story, Faizal proves that Arab and Muslim don’t always equal the same thing and the diversity that exists in Islamic history.
Check out these titles at wpl.ca today!
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