Growing up, I always thought of events involving religious intolerance in India as rare, one-off incidents. Of course, looking back, I now realise that I didn’t have the full picture. But even then, it is very clear that the rivers of hate and intolerance against minority religions, especially Islam are gushing freely, and terrifyingly.
As always, my thoughts turn to children — what are they thinking? What do children born to Muslims feel about the rising tides around them? What do they wish their friends knew about them? And what do children born to people of other religions think? Do they have questions? Do they even know how their friends are feeling?
And then, as always, my thoughts turn to books. Are there any that can help children navigate all these questions and emotions?
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan is the story of a young girl living in an American town reacting to Islamophobia and dealing with the pain of their mosque being vandalised.
Closer home, Nida Finds a Way by Samina Mishra, illustrated by Priya Kuriyan, is a child’s eye view of the CAA-NRC protests in 2019-20 at Shaheen Bagh.
Through the gentle lens of children’s fiction, the author raises pertinent questions and answers them. A must-read.
Another such book for older children is Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero, by Saadia Faruqi. Against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in America, Yusuf has to find the courage and strength to fight the anger and hurtful comments against his religion.
Since hijabs are currently in the midst of controversy, here are some books on hijabs. The Proudest Blue, by Olympic medallist and activist Ibtihaj Muhammad, written with S K Ali, and art by Hatem Aly.
In this, a child is telling the story of her older sister’s first day of hijab. It includes some lovely words of advice. For instance: “Don’t carry around the hurtful words that others say. Drop them. They are not yours to keep. They belong only to those who said them.”
Under my Hijab by Hena Khan, art by Aaliya Jaleel, and What Colour is my Hijab by Hudda Ibrahim, art by Meenal Patel, is about various women, both professional and otherwise, who wear different kinds of hijab and go about their work every day.
I especially like books in which children born in Muslim families are just doing fun, everyday things and having fantastic adventures. For example, Anushka Ravishankar’s rip-roaring Moin and the Monster series, Saadia Faruqi’s Yasmin series, Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, and many more.
If children do not come into contact with people of other beliefs, reading these books should help give them a different perspective.
It would help them realise that all of us are essentially the same, that we all have the same hopes and desires and worries.
When children grow up with this understanding, the world will be a better place.
The author has written 12 books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com
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