Title: It's Not About the Burqa: Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality and Race
Editor: Mariam Khan
Authors: Multiple
Publication Date: February 21st 2019
Synopsis: "Taking one of the most politicized and misused words associated with Muslim women and Islamophobia, It's Not About the Burqa is poised to challenge and change the narrative.
A platform to reclaim and rewrite their identity, this collection brings together Muslim women's voices from around the world, each exploring what does it mean to be a Muslim woman today?
Here are essays about the hijab and wavering faith, about love and divorce, about queer identity, about sex, about the twin threats of a disapproving community and a racist country, and about how Islam and feminism go hand in hand. Funny, warm, sometimes sad, and often angry, each of these essays is a passionate declaration, and each essay is calling time on the oppression, the lazy stereotyping, the misogyny and the Islamophobia.
Here are the voices you won't see represented in the national news headlines. It's time the world listened."
My thoughts: This is an absolutely brilliant collection of essays. I say that as a white woman whose knowledge of Islam and Muslims has been gleaned from a few friends in high school and university - I know that this book is both for me and not for me. I think everyone should read this.
Whilst reading this collection I was laughing out loud, nearly crying, and getting pretty angry. I feel like I learned a lot about Islam itself and the rights of Muslim women. I feel like I learned a lot in general. This collection is so perfectly put together - each essay is different, but the complement each other so well that I found it really hard to put this book down: I read it in two sittings. (And those sittings were pretty close together. There may have only been tea break in between.) Reading this made me think about my friends in high school, and about the things I hear people saying about the hijab and what it means, when really they have no idea what they're talking about and all their information is gleaned from media or word-of-mouth. This collection is not just brilliantly written and put together - it's really important, too. And it has inspired me to try and learn more, instead of just assuming what I hear is true. Perhaps we could listen to Muslim women when we talk about their experiences? This book is a start.
{I received a review copy of this book from Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!}
A favourite line from the book: 'When the opportunity arises to be part of an anthology of essays by Muslim women, it's impossible to resist the call. Our cups are overflowing with life to explore but there are so few occasions to do so wholly on our own terms, that to squander the chance would be folly.' from Life Was Easier Before I Was Woke by Yassmin Midhat Abdel-Magied
Rating: 10/10
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