Muslims in Story: Expanding Multicultural Understanding Through Children's and Young Adult Literature

Islamophobia, a long standing, deeply entrenched global issue, disrupts civil society at many levels, from anti-Muslim policies to heightened tensions and hate crimes, including the increased bullying of Muslim children. One of the root causes of Islamophobia is ignorance, often fueled by stereotyped and negative portrayals of Muslims in media and popular culture. Muslims in Story is a timely and proactive approach to tackling this issue, by engendering friendships and empathy through quality children's and young adult literature. Exposing children in their formative years to positive stories about Muslims can go a long way to creating a multicultural understanding by cementing ideas of tolerance, respect, and acceptance. This resource recommends books that will act as windows and mirrors for PreK–12 readers by showcasing diverse foods, dress, and traditions; spotlights curated titles that feature Muslim kids as heroes, Islamic contributions throughout history, inspiring Muslim leaders, and folktales from Islamic traditions; includes helpful information such as an overview of Muslims in America, author interviews that lend insights into the stories, and hands-on programming activities and discussion tools; and provides a list of additional resources for gaining a better understanding of Islam. This book will equip public and school library staff, including educators and collection development librarians, to make real change in their communities by validating lived experiences of Muslim kids and building a stronger sense of empathy, respect, and understanding towards Muslims.

Table of Contents:
Foreword: Let’s Counter Islamophobia through Stories Acknowledgments Introduction Part I Why Counter Islamophobia through Stories? Chapter 1 An Overview of Muslims in America Chapter 2 Islamophobia and Its Impact Chapter 3 Using Literature to Create Long-Term Systemic Change Part II Reframing the Narrative through Curated Book Lists and Programming Ideas Chapter 4 Muslim Kids as Heroes: Connecting across Cultures Chapter 5 Inspiring Muslim Leaders and Thinkers: Showcasing Current and Historical Contributions Chapter 6 Celebrating Islam: Understanding Religious Practices and Traditions Chapter 7 Folktales from Islamic Traditions: Drawing Wisdom from Tall Tales Conclusion Appendix A Frequently Asked Questions on Islam Appendix B Suggested Guidelines to Evaluate Muslim Children’s Literature Appendix C Timeline of Muslims in America Appendix D Glossary: A Few Unfamiliar Words Appendix E Suggested Educational Resources Index

About the Author :
Gauri Manglik is the CEO and founder of KitaabWorld.com, a literary organization that spreads awareness about South Asian children’s literature in the United States. As a first-generation immigrant mother raising her two boys in California, she felt strongly about advocating for increased diversity in children’s literature in schools and libraries. Prior to founding KitaabWorld, Manglik practiced law for more than twelve years and advised a number of start-ups as they disrupted conventional ways of doing things. Inspired by their innovative thinking, Manglik followed her own passion to disrupt the world of children’s literature and bring marginalized voices to the table. She has written numerous articles and research papers in various journals including Tax Notes International and Teaching Tolerance. Sadaf Siddique is cofounder and chief creative officer at KitaabWorld. Her background in journalism and her work in print, documentaries, and online media in India and the United States has focused on innovative ideas for social change. She was part of the research and editorial team on social impact-investing at Omidyar Network. She led editorial strategy at Link TV’s Dear American Voter, an interactive project on global perspectives on the 2008 U.S. election. Siddique also has experience in managing content acquisitions as editorial manager for Imagining Ourselves, an award-winning, multilingual and multimedia online exhibit, and she was part of the team at Devi Pictures that produced female-oriented films such as Unlimited Girls. Her writings have appeared in Hyphen Magazine, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Dawn, The Hindu, Indian Express, and the Times of India.