Dr Shagufta Malik, a young mother and physician of Pakistani origins who grew up in Europe and is based in the Middle East and who came up with the idea of writing her own books celebrating Islamic values for her children. Maryam Ismail catches up with the author of Seven is Special on the sidelines of the 35th Sharjah International Book Fair
“That’s not normal,” was how children’s author Shagufta Malik responded to an interested publisher who asked her to water down her first children’s book, Seven Is Special. The book was launched at this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair.
Who is this book for? With titles such as, Hey It’s Ramadan, Curious George and Does My Head Look Big in This?, it would seem as though Muslims around the globe are making their presence known — finally. They are and they aren’t. From a million questions about hijab to the million mad Muslims of mayhem, that populate the TV, cable, and Internet based entertainment, the integration of Muslims as a normal part of the American imagination signals that we still have a long way to go. However, Muslims are making waves in other places.
From getting Eid as a public school holiday in New York City, to the introduction of halal brands and Islamic finance, they are becoming a force to reckon with. There is one thing missing, spheres of being-places where Muslims can express their Islamic identity. Published by the International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), Seven is Special aims to open the gates of the chapter book category for Muslim children and make Islamic identity the new normal.
Maryam, the main character of Seven is Special, is a British Muslim girl who is excited about going on her first trip to Makkah for Umra and then lots of things happen and everything gets turned around. The book is fun looking with its pop-out fonts and quirky and fun pictures.
Shagufta Malik was born in Demark to Pakistani parents and was raised in England where she also trained as a medical doctor. She has since moved around the Middle East having lived in both Qatar and UAE, where she currently resides. Her journey to children’s book author was born out of frustration of not being able to find suitable literature for Muslim children.
“I wanted to write a book that could complete with non-Islamic books such as the Harry Potter series and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I wanted to say to my children, ‘No, read this instead,’ but when I, searched for alternatives, I couldn’t find any. My eldest was eight then, and that is when I realized that this problem was only going to get worse as she gets older. Then, I thought, why don’t I do something about it?”
Malik says, once she had told her friends that she was going to write a book, they kept her on her toes. “They kept asking me, ‘Hey, how is it going?’ and saying, ‘Get on with it.’
This helped her get her book done. And once she finished, the toughest part was just about to begin; finding a publisher. “I sent this to many publishers around the world. An interested publisher advised me that I could keep the names of the characters Muslim but they shouldn’t act so Muslim. My response was, “That’s not normal.”
For the past decade there has been an effort to build up a literary sector for children, however, most of these efforts have not gone beyond ages five or six and are rarely chapter books with characters that look like real Muslims. There have been books where the children have Muslim names and where there is a sprinkling of ‘Bismillah’ or ‘Alhamduillah,’ yet, the behavior and attitudes of these characters do not represent true Muslim values. This is one problem. The other is where Muslim characters represent only Muslim children in the Anglo-Western cultures or UK, US, and or Australia.
Finally, there is the overly, polite, goody-two shoes who many kids find boring or just hard to compete with.
“I wanted to compete not only in terms of the story, the setting, the characters, but also in the look. I also wanted it be professionally put together We Muslims have skills, so why not produce something that looks as good as the popular bestsellers?” says Malik.
This seems like a no-brainer, however, looking at the books that are out there, these ideas are rare. Amongst the few chapter books out there for Muslim kids they are of poor quality. From ugly drawings, to poor paper quality, and those they that may have Muslim names, that’s all.
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Malik spoke about the challenge of getting a book with overtly Muslim characters published: “I thought that I would have to go to a non-Muslim publisher to get the quality of the books that I need wanted and for them to launch it properly, and submit it properly, and so when I did write it, I did send sent off loads of submissions all over the world. And one UK publisher got back to me and he agreed that there was a need for books for Muslim children, and that there was not much out there.
“He also liked the format which is a sort of diary format. He just thought that I should tone done the Islamic focus of the book. He also said it should be enough for me to just pass on the message, simply by having a character who is Muslim and she is growing up in a Muslim household; just tone down all of your references to Islam,” she reveals with a smile.
She wasn’t going to water her story down, so, she then realized that she had to have a Muslim published publisher and that is when she found IIPH.
“Whether it is between the child and her parents, the child and her friends, or the child and her teacher, there is going to be this constant reference to Islam. And I wanted my children to read a book, where they relate to it.
“Whether it is between the child and her parents, the child and her friends, or the child and her teacher, there is going to be this constant reference to Islam. And I wanted my children to read a book, where they relate to it.
“Hey, this is my life. I’ve been there; I can see where she is coming from. I can see why she is making the mistakes that she is making.’ I wanted my kids to connect to her obstacles and dilemma. Like, I also didn’t want to pray outside or miss my play time, to go and pray.”
Malik’s next book will be Eight is Great. You can find her book at Sharjah International Book Fair, Expo Centre Sharjah, IIPH, Hall 5, Stall M52.
The Article First Appeared In CARAVAN
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