What I know about the Muslim faith I have learned mostly from children’s books. In the picture book Hannah and Ramadan Gift by Qasim Rashid I learned about the religious purpose behind Ramadan and had a reminder that growing children do not fast during Ramadan. Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, one of the Chickadee books from a couple years ago, and the book Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow both taught about the hijab. Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices and Planet Omar: Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian were two chapter books from the Maine Student Book Award list a couple of years ago. Reading those two books gave a good overview of Ramadan and the close knit Muslim community. In My Mosque balances what goes on in the mosque with the feelings the children have while in their mosque. 

We are fortunate to have so many diverse books. Reading these books and sharing them with students has been the main exposure I have had to learning about the Muslim faith. The books are delightful and give both emotional and factual accounts about being Muslim, but I was still unclear about how all of these elements fit together.

I watched a few Youtube videos on the Muslim faith to try to put all that I had learned from the children’s books into a coherent narrative. I learned that around 24% of the world is Muslim. I had no idea the percentage was that high. One thing I noticed in the comments after the video I watched was the common thread of thanking the video creator for their respectful treatment of the Muslim religion in the video. That led me to the sad conclusion that this was not often the case. 

In all of the books I read, the authors are Muslim. I am happy that we have so many high quality resources so that my students will have a more complete understanding of the world around them.