Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 05-23-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Art/Books
I’m glad my awkward teen years are over. Talk about a double life. We lived in a white neighborhood and many of my friends had no idea what “Muslim” meant or how overprotective my family was…. that going to a football game or party was not an option. I made up a lot of creative excuses when invited, and thankfully, I had my sisters and cousins for support (and to vent about my parents!). Many Muslim teens do not have this support. In a post-9/11 world where Islam is too often associated with terrorism and where Muslim parents can become “preachy”, many teens may feel embarrassed by their identity, are frustrated….or simply lost in the cracks.
Brother and sister Yamin and Imran Hafiz, two young, intelligent Muslim Americans from Arizona, have written the American Muslim Teenager’s Handbook, an upbeat and open-minded guide that offers some answers to this dilemma. Currently, 1,000 libraries in 39 states in the US, high schools & universities (including Duke University ), the Girl Scouts, interfaith youth clubs, and book clubs are carrying the book, which has been reviewed in The Guardian, The National, The New York Times, and more. Wish this book was around when I was 13!
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