A smile lingered on the corner of her lips as she reminisced her rebellious days. With her head resting in her hands, Mulky Roble revealed how much of a wild child she used to be. Innocence enveloped her face, just as the black khimar that hugged around her shoulders hid her unsettled past. Yet contentment was evident as she confided in me about how much of an impact a novel written by a Muslimah has had on her life. Although she is only of the unfledged age of eighteen, Mulky had many rough patches in her younger teen years, with a trail of exclusions and suspensions from school.

Mulky considered herself to be like other girls her age: she loved shopping and looking great, so it was no surprise when Mulky confessed her previous hatred for the written word. “I hated them,” she blurted when I asked about books, “I didn’t have time to read them, and I just thought they were rubbish.” And while reading classical literature is a requirement in English classes, she had managed to evade reading them in class, with the exception of one. “I wouldn’t really count that as reading,” she laughed, “because the teacher read the book to us in class - I didn’t read it myself.” Mulky may be considered to be from the minority of girls who do not like to read, since reading is more popular amongst females. But speaking to girls at a local Muslim youth group revealed that while the girls loved to read, not one of them had picked up a copy of Muslim fiction. So what was it that led Mulky to read Echoes by Jamilah Kolocotronis?

“Well, you were distributing Echoes and everyone in the youth group was saying how ‘sick’ [interesting] it was, and some of you just kept talking about it. So I wanted to know what everyone was going on about. When I read the first chapter, I just had to keep on going. I was curious to find out what happened at the end.” And according to Mulky, this is something of a miracle considering her resentment towards books in the past, but for her, it was more than a mere book. “It was so emotional, and I cried all the way through,” she laughed shyly. “Some parts just really touched me. I cried at the end.” We both laughed at this point - her from embarrassment and me from shock since Echoes isn’t exactly an emotional roller-coaster. Yet, what surprised me more was what Mulky told me next. “I never used to read before reading Echoes, but now I love reading.” None would have thought that Muslim fiction could have the power to affect a teenager in such a way - especially a toughnut like Mulky Roble.

Muslim fiction has had a hard time in gaining respect within the Muslim community, with some deeming it a waste of time and tantamount to lies. The shelves of Muslim book stores are laden with books, but few - if any - are Muslim fiction. Despite this, our teens are reading novels that condone intercourse outside of marriage, free-mingling with the opposite gender, partying and other acts that Islam frowns upon. It is from reading such books that our teens desire to have a slice of that pie, and Mulky confirmed this. “Teens who read romance, or books like that end up thinking, ‘Oh, I need a man, now’, but reading fiction for Muslim teenagers will kinda show them a better way.” It was with this exact line of thought that I delved into the world of publishing.

As a teenager, there were no books with Muslim characters, I was left to the traps of teenage books that left me feeling odd for not having a boyfriend and resentful for not being allowed to go to parties. Now, in troubling times where our youth are struggling to find their place in society, many are slipping through our fingers due to what they read. The emotions that are evoked and images that are painted through words cannot be undermined; they have the potential to be extremely powerful, and Mulky’s case is a fine example. “[Echoes] really touched me, I started being kind to my mum after reading it,” - these are the words of a rebellious teenager whose loving mother once found hard to tame. Is there then any doubt that Muslim fiction can be of profound benefit?

Initial thoughts of Muslim fiction are books that are preachy and dictating, and my experience has for the most been the complete opposite. Novels are supposed to take readers on a journey through a character’s life and expose them to their inner feelings and thoughts, and a book containing Muslim characters should be no less engaging.

Although Muslims have their faults, shortcomings and internal struggles like every other human, a workshop I conducted at a youth group revealed that teens are averted from Muslim fiction due to the belief that the characters will be portrayed as the perfect Muslim. For the girls I spoke to, many elements of a book would gain their
interest, the most important being the story itself; they seek stories that are exciting, engaging and speak their language. Stories that represent them and their issues, and not those that put them down.

While many writers have woken up to realise the great benefit Muslim fiction can bring into the lives of readers, there are still only a handful of Muslim publishers willing to publish them. Those of us who do are the pioneers of a new movement - one that can shine a new dawn in the lives of many. Getting Muslim fiction onto bookshelves is still a great task, but the happiness in knowing that it has reached some teenagers is comforting nonetheless. There may not have been any Muslim fiction books to devour in my days of fervent reading, yet it is my dream that our youth will be from the generation where Muslim fiction is readily available and no longer a rarity.

This article was published in the Spring 2009 issue of SISTERS magazine.