Hearing the Authentic Voice
One of the many activities we may be looking forward to resuming as we gradually emerge from the COVID restrictions is the opportunity to travel abroad. For some of us, a visit to the library or to a local bookstore to obtain a travel guide for that region of the world is as essential a part of the preparation process as the packing of clothes, camera or suntan lotion. Not only do we want to visit an area and enjoy what it has to offer but we want to be guided by those who know the region well and can provide historical, cultural insight into what we are seeing and experiencing. We might also be emboldened to go “off piste” , away from the ubiquitous pizza and kebab bars to try the gem of an eating place, loved by the locals, where authentic food is served.
As part of the Mahabba resources offer you will begin to see book recommendations from those giving voice to their own experience of being Muslim in Britain. There will be some books which address this directly such as the excellent and up to the minute book “They” by Sarfraz Mansoor. There will be novels which invite us into family life and the arena of close knit communities where the constant and present challenge of living with a dual identity is faced by some with creativity and by others with real struggle. Some books may speak boldly and bravely about the experience and consequences of being shame bearers in the community - “Stained” by Abda Khan. Whilst others will give insight into the layers of barriers, both structural and personally created which prevent access for people to really flourish. “Parwana: recipes and stories from an Afghan Kitchen” by Durkhanai Ayubi may be of particular interest just now along with other such books which include poems and recipes which give a window into expressions of hearts’ desire and the appetite for sharing love through food.
Hearing the authentic voice, rather than the voice of the visitor or observer, whether we are on our travels or engaging with the world on our doorstep, offers us a deepening of our connection and understanding with Muslim people which, we pray, in turn, will bring a growing sense of mutual love and respect in our relationship-building.
Miriam Williams - a member of the Mahabba Network
See book recommendations here