Muslim Literature

The recent shooting at a mosque in Quebec City has been much on my mind.  Six Muslim men were killed while at prayer.   The young man who has been charged obviously knew little about Islam and Muslims.  Being an avid reader, I started thinking about Muslim literature and how little I've read written by or about Muslims.

In the last year, I did discover one Muslim writer, Ausma Zehanat Khan.  Born in Britain, and raised mostly in Canada, Ausma Zehanat Khan now lives in the U.S.  She has published two crime fiction books featuring a Muslim Toronto cop, Insp. Esa Khattak, who heads up the city’s community policing section, which handles “minority-sensitive” cases.

The first book in the series is The Unquiet Dead which I reviewed last February (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/2016/02/review-of-unquiet-dead-by-ausma-zehanat.html).

The second is The Language of Secrets which I also reviewed (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/2016/02/review-of-language-of-secrets-by-ausma.html).

A third book entitled Among the Ruins will be released one week from today, on February 14.

I was so pleased to come across a suggested list of other books by or about Muslims:  http://lithub.com/10-contemporary-novels-by-and-about-muslims-you-should-read/.  Reading one of these may be “a small way to understand and empathize with a group . . . who desperately need the understanding and empathy of their countrymen and women.”

And for a Canadian perspective, BookRiot has a list of five Canadian Muslim books:  http://bookriot.com/2017/02/09/five-great-canadian-muslim-books/.