[Reader-list] An article on Muslims in children's books

[Chintan Girish Modi]

>From http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6367083.html&

By Rukhsana Khan -- School Library Journal, 09/01/2006A few years ago I came
across a For Better or For Worse cartoon strip in which Elizabeth and a
friend are in a cafeteria. In the background, standing in line, was a Muslim
girl in hijab. It gave me a ridiculous sense of joy–of validation–to see
“myself” reflected in a cartoon strip. Especially since this Muslim wasn't
doing anything bad. No bombs. No threats. No screaming headlines. She was
just getting lunch. And she was pretty, too!

The desire to fit in, the intense longing to be part of the community, is
hardwired into our psyches. These days this need is particularly critical
for Muslim children in North America.

When I was growing up, it wasn't my religion that set me apart, it was the
color of my skin. I grew up in the 1960s in a small town in Canada. We were
the only Pakistani Muslim family in the whole town and most of the time I
was the only brown kid in the class. The other kids didn't know much about
brown people. They said, “We're white because we're clean and you're brown
because you're dirty. If you go home and take a lot of baths you'll get
white like us.”

The teen years were the worst. I didn't dress Islamically, I tried to blend
in. But I couldn't afford all the latest fashions the “cool” kids wore so I
wore cheap look-alikes, which probably made the situation worse. I was bound
to question my faith. I had all that recess time alone to examine precisely
what my belief system was, where I belonged, and what I stood for. I used
that time to come to peace with myself.

Of course, we live in a different, more culturally diverse environment
today. It is far easier for children from different backgrounds to find
themselves in books.

Since September 11th, 2001, a number of fiction and nonfiction titles have
been published in an attempt to teach children and young adults (and in many
cases, their parents) about Islam and to address many of the misconceptions
that exist about the faith and the Muslim community at large. The best of
these books have made a positive impact (see the recommended titles below),
but a great deal more work needs to be done.

To read the entire article, check
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6367083.html&