Mariam Khan

A collection of essays by Muslim women, mostly from the UK, covering a variety of topics while centering issues of identity, representation, misogyny, and racism/the racialisation of Islam. As with all essay collections, some are stronger than others. I found myself with lots to think about in terms of the tensions and limitations of diversity/representation, particularly in Nafisa Bakkar's grappling with "where and why [Muslims] should be represented" and her conflicted feelings about what "guidelines", "points of difference", "sense of having some barriers that we must not break" can or should be part of thinking about Islam's social representation and status. There were other points though where I felt myself frustrated with a characterisation of Islam that seemed to skirt the line of "No True Scotsman."… (mehr)

This is good. I was hesitant to read it partially because i find non-fiction often a chore but these are fairly easy to read. There's a couple of funnier ones at the start to ease you in.
Some topics are a bit overly familiar, such as he cultural/religious resistance to sex education and mental healthcare. Others though where quite informative and interesting.

Of course as an Irish (read incredibly white and raised catholic, it didn't take thank god) male i'm pretty far from the target audience.
However its always a good idea to hear other voices especially with the Echo Chamber effect getting stronger everyday.

PS: I think this format of short pieces by multiple authors will be my go-to for non-fiction in future.… (mehr)