6 Brilliant Books About the Muslim Experience for Ramadan Month

May marks the start of Ramadan, the month of fasting where Muslims don’t consume food or drink from dawn to sunset each day.

And yes, that also means no water.

While Ramadan is an integral part of the lives of many Muslims, there is much more to life as a person of Muslim heritage. Here are six books – fiction and non-fiction – that give an insight into life as a modern Muslim.

Happy reading…

NON-FICTION

It’s Not About the Burqa edited by Mariam Khan
Here’s the book to turn to if you want to know what it’s really like being a Muslim woman in today’s world. Frustrated by Muslim women constantly being talked about or over and rarely ever being given a voice themselves, activist and writer Mariam Khan began compiling It’s Not About the Burqa. The result is a dynamic collection of essays covering everything from feminism (Khan’s wonderfully titled Feminism Needs to Die), shame (Amna Saleem’s Shame, Shame, It Knows Your Name, and modesty (Coco Khan’s Immodesty is the Best Policy). Picador, £14.99

Headscarves and Hymens by Mona Eltahawy
Activist Mona Eltahawy’s Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution is a searing look at women in the Middle East, and at the western liberals who mistake cultural difference for misogyny. Written in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, it argues that unless political revolution is accompanied by social and sexual revolution, progress will stall.

Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic edited by Lynn Gaspard
With a title like Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic, how can you resist? Using short stories, cartoons, photography and more, 34 contributors from around the world answer the essential questions: how can you tell if your neighbour is speaking Muslim? Is a mosque a kind of hedgehog? Can I get fries with that burka? Commissioned in response to the US travel ban, Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic is provocative, subversive and creative.

FICTION

Internment by Samira Ahmed
Samira Ahmed’s second YA novel is set in a near-future America. The rights of Americans have been eroded by the government, and as the novel begins it has been announced that all Muslims are to go to internment camps. Protagonist Layla Amin moves to a camp with her parents, but refuses to live with the circumstances. Together with a group of new friends, an unexpected alliance and her boyfriend on the outside, Layla begins to lead a revolution. Internment is chilling reading, and a warning about the dangers of complicit silence.

Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic edited by Lynn Gaspard
With a title like Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic, how can you resist? Using short stories, cartoons, photography and more, 34 contributors from around the world answer the essential questions: how can you tell if your neighbour is speaking Muslim? Is a mosque a kind of hedgehog? Can I get fries with that burka? Commissioned in response to the US travel ban, Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic is provocative, subversive and creative.

Ms Marvel Volume 1: No Normal by G Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
G Willow Wilson’s No Normal introduces the reader to a new Ms Marvel: a Muslim-American teenager called Kamala Khan. Falling into the world of superhero-ing, Kamala must find her feet and keep herself and her friends and family out of danger. The superhero aspect may not be relatable (although it is extremely entertaining), but No Normal’s depiction of a teenager navigating the various cultural and religious facets of her identity is spot on.

The Pact We Made by Layla AlAmmar
Kuwaiti writer Layla AlAmmar’s debut is, on the surface, the story of a woman about to turn 30 and under pressure to find a husband. But it’s a layered exploration of Kuwaiti society and culture as well. And it’s a look at grief, trauma and the expectations placed upon young women that will resonate with women across the world.