Wow, time sure does fly, huh? I swear Ramadan just started yesterday, yet now Eid is already upon us. How are you this past month? For me, Ramadan is always a good time for reflecting and learning more about being a Muslim. The world has been changing a lot lately, and people are more aware of the diversity all around us—whether in terms of gender, race or faith. It has opened up so many doors for people of varying backgrounds to speak up and tell their stories, including Muslim women.
Recently, I just realised that Muslim representation in literature and media has been pretty narrow—usually almost always Middle Eastern, either rejecting the religion or adopting extremist views—but real Muslims have found platforms for them to voice their own perspectives.
The other day I found this video by a Muslim American content creator and it pulled down a rabbit hole of Muslim content creators from around the world, especially Black ones. It inspired me to really dig deep into the media I consume and how they portray Muslims—especially Muslim women—and I’d like to share some good ones with you all.
Books
I Love, I Hate, I Miss My Sister
by Amélie Sarn
I’ve mentioned this book before on this video, I know, but it’s such an emotionally raw book—with a very simple plot—that I cannot leave it behind. The story revolves around two Muslim sisters with very different views of their religion. Sohane is an obedient, devout hijab-wearing Muslim teenage girl, while her little sister Djelila is a rebellious, free-spirit who, slowly but surely, rejects Islam.
Needless to say, this difference creates a friction that ignites such a complicated relationship between them—and the people in their community will never let them forget. It turns out, though, they have more in common than they realise—and they may just realise it far too late.
Stemming from France, this book is so terrifying and triggering, for no other reason than the fact that it could truly happen in real life. It is no wonder that France has been targeted by terrorists on numerous occasions. If this kind of topic easily sends you to a panic attack, please tread carefully.
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
by Mohammed Hanif
To be completely honest, I didn’t think the representation in this book is fair, but it’s still a representation and is definitely a somewhat accurate portrayal of Muslims—written by a Muslim author too. The story follows a young man who is hell-bent on avenging his father’s mysterious death. His goal is to kill the dictator of Pakistan at the time, General Zia ul-Haq, at any cost necessary. Of course, he can’t do this alone, so he enlisted the help of some unlikely friends.
Be warned, this is a dark comedy that may involve bomb attacks and conspiracies. I don’t remember much about this book, to be honest, but past me remarked on the antagonisation of devout Muslims—as the only one largely portrayed is General Zia ul-Haq, the dictator, while the main character and his rag tag team are either non-Muslim or took an agnostic view of the religion.
However, while it may feel a bit triggering and unfair, it is definitely still an accurate portrayal of Muslims—especially in the modern world.
Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie
If you ever want to have a look at the life of Muslims in Great Britain, this book will give you a glimpse, through the story of three siblings in very different places of their faith. You’ll see a very interesting range of Muslims—from extremists, devout faithfuls, on-the-fence practitioners and rejecting deniers. It’s really interesting to see how these very different Muslims—personified into four people—co-exist and interact with one another, not without heartaches between them.
The story starts with Isma, the oldest sister of three, who is pursuing her higher education in the US, leaving her family in the UK. She meets Eamonn Lone, a son of Muslim descent who never adopted the faith himself, who ends up being in love with her sister, Aneeka, back in London. Long story short, he gets dragged into their family and religious drama, which he’s already more involved in than he realises.
This story revealed to me—and maybe everyone else who didn’t already know—the hypocritical and unfair treatment of the British Muslims by the government and people, It terrifies me how this story is all too real to happen.
Negeri 5 Menara
by A. Fuadi
When presenting portrayals of Muslims, I don’t think we can skip the world’s biggest country with Muslim majority: my homeland, Indonesia. Here is a book that really shows the upbringing of the average religious Muslims in this nation—of course, it’s pretty accurate since it is loosely based on the life of the author himself.
Alif is a young boy from the land of Minangkabau—in North and West Sumatra—who dreams to go to a regular high school after finishing his education at a Madrasa. Unfortunately, his mother wanted something different for him and sent him off to an Islamic boarding school in East Java. Reluctantly, he obeyed his mother’s wishes.
This book goes through the experiences he had when he was in that boarding school, getting to know all sorts of characters from all over the archipelago. It is dubbed as an “inspiring book,” although I found it anticlimactic and filled with false positivity. It is, however, an entirely accurate portrayal of a lot of Muslim adolescents in Indonesia—and it contains rich cultural depictions too.
People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
Let’s take a step back in time—back to the second world war. This book is, for me, an incredibly important book, especially since it is written and published in Australia. It is important, no less, because it shows tolerance, compassion and faith very beautifully—and, even more beautiful, through the love of a book. Not just any old book, mind you, but an ancient manuscript. In 1996, a rare-book expert is given the opportunity to work on a Jewish manuscript, where she finds little artefacts in it that speak of its history.
It turns out, people of varying backgrounds and religious beliefs had kept the manuscript alive over decades. During World War II, a Muslim man in Bosnia risked his life to protect it from Nazis. Before him, a priest saved it from burning in the Inquisition era. And to know that this is based on true story too, that’s impressive! Ah, tolerance, it can’t be a thing of the past, can it? Hope this can be a reminder for us today.
Films + Series
Why Are You Like This
by Mark Samual Bonanno, Naomi Higgins & Humyara Mahbub
Starting off this section with an Australian Netflix Series, whose one of three main characters is a Muslim bisexual woman. The story revolves around best friends Penny and Mia—and sometimes their roommate Austin—who are, quite simply, entitled gen Zers who believe they are responsible for setting the world right. It is, without a doubt, often excruciating to see them in action—although it is also often a source for comedy in the show. Now, Mia is a Muslim woman of Pakistani descent—I believe—who is also bisexual and sex positive.
Personally, I would have preferred her complex relationship with God to be explored a lot more, but I’d take the fifth episode of the first season for now. This episode portrays Mia’s life in the month of Ramadan and how she spends it—and her several cousins with varying degree of religious devotion. While her behaviour and way of thinking might not appeal to religious and devout Muslims, I cannot deny that Muslims like her do exist and her story also needs to be told.
The Mosque Next Door
exec. prod. Laurie Critchley
Australia’s relationship with foreigners—and their infamous xenophobia—has always intrigued me. This mini docuseries explores the struggle of the Muslim community in Brisbane in keeping its mosque alive. It shows how Muslim and non-Muslim Australians may think differently and how they may come to an understanding.
It gives an inner glimpse into the life of many Muslims in Australia—or Brisbane, in particular. Not only the devout imams, but also those who may have left the religion and found their way back, or even those who decided to adopt the faith later in life.
For me, this documentary was especially interesting, because it shows that Muslims in western countries come in all races and social background—there are some white Muslims shown in this documentary as well. There are those covered in tattoos from their past life, those who spoke of a hungover experience as their redemption moment and those got accused of extremism simply for voicing their thoughts. Here is an insider view like you’ve never seen before.
Layla M.
dir. Mijke de Jong
Trigger warning! First and foremost, please heed my warning: this film deals closely with extremism and terrorism. I’m a Muslim and it was highly uncomfortable for me to watch, so I cannot imagine what it would be like for those whose family might have been affected, or simply do not have the best opinion on Islam.
This film follows Layla, a Muslim girl who lives and grows up in Amsterdam with her family. Feeling rejected by her country’s anti-Muslim actions, she finds comfort in the folds of a radical Islamist group in her neighbourhood—much to her family’s dismay and outrage. Only a teenager, she agrees to marry a jihadist—a member of said group—and go with him to the Middle East, oblivious with what is actually going on. Soon, however, her new husband and the entire group show their true colour and she isn’t sure she likes what she sees.
An official TIFF selection, this film reminds me so much of this TED talk and it terrifies me. It may be uncomfortable, but this is a story we should sit with, ’cause it is true.
My Name Is Khan
dir. Karan Johar
Often, in portraying people of a single religious and/or racial group, we overlook those with special needs—this film is giving them the stage. Released in 2010, this is the story of an Indian Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome who lives in the US. He met his wife, a Hindu single mother who understands his condition and respects his faith, and they lived happily for a while…until 9/11 happened and the table turned for Muslims across the nation. With his condition, the risks are even bigger for our main character—his unusual behaviour is deemed suspicious in numerous airports.
He then decides to embark on a journey to meet the president himself and tell him that he is not a terrorist. This Bollywood film, starring the legendary pair Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, gained worldwide critical acclaim upon its release—even James Cameron fell in love with it.
It came out at such a precedented time and managed to show the 9/11 experience from the eye of the innocent victims—those who got accused of crimes they’d never committed, simply because of their faith.
Haji Backpacker
dir. Danial Rifki
Ending this list on a warm note, this is a religious coming-of-age story for you. The title may be misleading, but it has a nice ring to it. The story follows our main character, Mada, who has harboured resentment and disappointment towards God after experiencing a traumatic experience. He was a devoted Muslim before, never missing a prayer and fasting every Ramadan, yet he felt let down by God and decided to leave Him. On his journey towards healing, he went on a backpacking trip across 9 countries and discovered all facets of human life and Islam itself.
For an Indonesian Islamic film, I would say this is the best one. Although it contains numerous Islamic wisdoms, this film is essentially a coming-of-age story that can be enjoyed by everyone. I absolutely love this film, because it shows us how Islam comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes—different cultures, different approach. It also tells a very relatable story about straying from God, whatever the reason may be.
Not sure how I’ve only recently realised that Muslims are one of the biggest populations on earth, but it is often treated as an “other” or marginalised in many countries. If it is portrayed in mainstream media at all, especially in western countries, it is almost always one-dimensional.
People associate Islam, most often, with the Middle East, with terrorism and with oppression. What they don’t know is that there are numerous countries who have prominent Muslim communities you might never thought of before, i.e. China. Islam has spread all across 5 continents, including Africa, Europe and America, so how is it still seen as a foreign force?
This is why representation is important—especially diverse ones. Showing a one-sided version of a people is damaging. It makes them out to be inhuman, simply a picture of what could be real—but isn’t. I hope, through these books, films and series, you get to know Muslims a little bit better—as have I. On my personal wishlist, I’d like to see more portrayal of Chinese or Tunisian muslims in books and films—we don’t see or hear about them as much.
What films or books have you found with Muslim representation in them?
Wow, time sure does fly, huh? I swear Ramadan just started yesterday, yet now Eid is already upon us. How are you this past month? For me, Ramadan is always a good time for reflecting and learning more about being a Muslim. The world has been changing a lot lately, and people are more aware of the diversity all around us—whether in terms of gender, race or faith. It has opened up so many doors for people of varying backgrounds to speak up and tell their stories, including Muslim women.
Recently, I just realised that Muslim representation in literature and media has been pretty narrow—usually almost always Middle Eastern, either rejecting the religion or adopting extremist views—but real Muslims have found platforms for them to voice their own perspectives.
The other day I found this video by a Muslim American content creator and it pulled down a rabbit hole of Muslim content creators from around the world, especially Black ones. It inspired me to really dig deep into the media I consume and how they portray Muslims—especially Muslim women—and I’d like to share some good ones with you all.
Books
I Love, I Hate, I Miss My Sister
by Amélie Sarn
I’ve mentioned this book before on this video, I know, but it’s such an emotionally raw book—with a very simple plot—that I cannot leave it behind. The story revolves around two Muslim sisters with very different views of their religion. Sohane is an obedient, devout hijab-wearing Muslim teenage girl, while her little sister Djelila is a rebellious, free-spirit who, slowly but surely, rejects Islam.
Needless to say, this difference creates a friction that ignites such a complicated relationship between them—and the people in their community will never let them forget. It turns out, though, they have more in common than they realise—and they may just realise it far too late.
Stemming from France, this book is so terrifying and triggering, for no other reason than the fact that it could truly happen in real life. It is no wonder that France has been targeted by terrorists on numerous occasions. If this kind of topic easily sends you to a panic attack, please tread carefully.
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
by Mohammed Hanif
To be completely honest, I didn’t think the representation in this book is fair, but it’s still a representation and is definitely a somewhat accurate portrayal of Muslims—written by a Muslim author too. The story follows a young man who is hell-bent on avenging his father’s mysterious death. His goal is to kill the dictator of Pakistan at the time, General Zia ul-Haq, at any cost necessary. Of course, he can’t do this alone, so he enlisted the help of some unlikely friends.
Be warned, this is a dark comedy that may involve bomb attacks and conspiracies. I don’t remember much about this book, to be honest, but past me remarked on the antagonisation of devout Muslims—as the only one largely portrayed is General Zia ul-Haq, the dictator, while the main character and his rag tag team are either non-Muslim or took an agnostic view of the religion.
However, while it may feel a bit triggering and unfair, it is definitely still an accurate portrayal of Muslims—especially in the modern world.
Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie
If you ever want to have a look at the life of Muslims in Great Britain, this book will give you a glimpse, through the story of three siblings in very different places of their faith. You’ll see a very interesting range of Muslims—from extremists, devout faithfuls, on-the-fence practitioners and rejecting deniers. It’s really interesting to see how these very different Muslims—personified into four people—co-exist and interact with one another, not without heartaches between them.
The story starts with Isma, the oldest sister of three, who is pursuing her higher education in the US, leaving her family in the UK. She meets Eamonn Lone, a son of Muslim descent who never adopted the faith himself, who ends up being in love with her sister, Aneeka, back in London. Long story short, he gets dragged into their family and religious drama, which he’s already more involved in than he realises.
This story revealed to me—and maybe everyone else who didn’t already know—the hypocritical and unfair treatment of the British Muslims by the government and people, It terrifies me how this story is all too real to happen.
Negeri 5 Menara
by A. Fuadi
When presenting portrayals of Muslims, I don’t think we can skip the world’s biggest country with Muslim majority: my homeland, Indonesia. Here is a book that really shows the upbringing of the average religious Muslims in this nation—of course, it’s pretty accurate since it is loosely based on the life of the author himself.
Alif is a young boy from the land of Minangkabau—in North and West Sumatra—who dreams to go to a regular high school after finishing his education at a Madrasa. Unfortunately, his mother wanted something different for him and sent him off to an Islamic boarding school in East Java. Reluctantly, he obeyed his mother’s wishes.
This book goes through the experiences he had when he was in that boarding school, getting to know all sorts of characters from all over the archipelago. It is dubbed as an “inspiring book,” although I found it anticlimactic and filled with false positivity. It is, however, an entirely accurate portrayal of a lot of Muslim adolescents in Indonesia—and it contains rich cultural depictions too.
People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
Let’s take a step back in time—back to the second world war. This book is, for me, an incredibly important book, especially since it is written and published in Australia. It is important, no less, because it shows tolerance, compassion and faith very beautifully—and, even more beautiful, through the love of a book. Not just any old book, mind you, but an ancient manuscript. In 1996, a rare-book expert is given the opportunity to work on a Jewish manuscript, where she finds little artefacts in it that speak of its history.
It turns out, people of varying backgrounds and religious beliefs had kept the manuscript alive over decades. During World War II, a Muslim man in Bosnia risked his life to protect it from Nazis. Before him, a priest saved it from burning in the Inquisition era. And to know that this is based on true story too, that’s impressive! Ah, tolerance, it can’t be a thing of the past, can it? Hope this can be a reminder for us today.
Films + Series
Why Are You Like This
by Mark Samual Bonanno, Naomi Higgins & Humyara Mahbub
Starting off this section with an Australian Netflix Series, whose one of three main characters is a Muslim bisexual woman. The story revolves around best friends Penny and Mia—and sometimes their roommate Austin—who are, quite simply, entitled gen Zers who believe they are responsible for setting the world right. It is, without a doubt, often excruciating to see them in action—although it is also often a source for comedy in the show. Now, Mia is a Muslim woman of Pakistani descent—I believe—who is also bisexual and sex positive.
Personally, I would have preferred her complex relationship with God to be explored a lot more, but I’d take the fifth episode of the first season for now. This episode portrays Mia’s life in the month of Ramadan and how she spends it—and her several cousins with varying degree of religious devotion. While her behaviour and way of thinking might not appeal to religious and devout Muslims, I cannot deny that Muslims like her do exist and her story also needs to be told.
The Mosque Next Door
exec. prod. Laurie Critchley
Australia’s relationship with foreigners—and their infamous xenophobia—has always intrigued me. This mini docuseries explores the struggle of the Muslim community in Brisbane in keeping its mosque alive. It shows how Muslim and non-Muslim Australians may think differently and how they may come to an understanding.
It gives an inner glimpse into the life of many Muslims in Australia—or Brisbane, in particular. Not only the devout imams, but also those who may have left the religion and found their way back, or even those who decided to adopt the faith later in life.
For me, this documentary was especially interesting, because it shows that Muslims in western countries come in all races and social background—there are some white Muslims shown in this documentary as well. There are those covered in tattoos from their past life, those who spoke of a hungover experience as their redemption moment and those got accused of extremism simply for voicing their thoughts. Here is an insider view like you’ve never seen before.
Layla M.
dir. Mijke de Jong
Trigger warning! First and foremost, please heed my warning: this film deals closely with extremism and terrorism. I’m a Muslim and it was highly uncomfortable for me to watch, so I cannot imagine what it would be like for those whose family might have been affected, or simply do not have the best opinion on Islam.
This film follows Layla, a Muslim girl who lives and grows up in Amsterdam with her family. Feeling rejected by her country’s anti-Muslim actions, she finds comfort in the folds of a radical Islamist group in her neighbourhood—much to her family’s dismay and outrage. Only a teenager, she agrees to marry a jihadist—a member of said group—and go with him to the Middle East, oblivious with what is actually going on. Soon, however, her new husband and the entire group show their true colour and she isn’t sure she likes what she sees.
An official TIFF selection, this film reminds me so much of this TED talk and it terrifies me. It may be uncomfortable, but this is a story we should sit with, ’cause it is true.
My Name Is Khan
dir. Karan Johar
Often, in portraying people of a single religious and/or racial group, we overlook those with special needs—this film is giving them the stage. Released in 2010, this is the story of an Indian Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome who lives in the US. He met his wife, a Hindu single mother who understands his condition and respects his faith, and they lived happily for a while…until 9/11 happened and the table turned for Muslims across the nation. With his condition, the risks are even bigger for our main character—his unusual behaviour is deemed suspicious in numerous airports.
He then decides to embark on a journey to meet the president himself and tell him that he is not a terrorist. This Bollywood film, starring the legendary pair Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, gained worldwide critical acclaim upon its release—even James Cameron fell in love with it.
It came out at such a precedented time and managed to show the 9/11 experience from the eye of the innocent victims—those who got accused of crimes they’d never committed, simply because of their faith.
Haji Backpacker
dir. Danial Rifki
Ending this list on a warm note, this is a religious coming-of-age story for you. The title may be misleading, but it has a nice ring to it. The story follows our main character, Mada, who has harboured resentment and disappointment towards God after experiencing a traumatic experience. He was a devoted Muslim before, never missing a prayer and fasting every Ramadan, yet he felt let down by God and decided to leave Him. On his journey towards healing, he went on a backpacking trip across 9 countries and discovered all facets of human life and Islam itself.
For an Indonesian Islamic film, I would say this is the best one. Although it contains numerous Islamic wisdoms, this film is essentially a coming-of-age story that can be enjoyed by everyone. I absolutely love this film, because it shows us how Islam comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes—different cultures, different approach. It also tells a very relatable story about straying from God, whatever the reason may be.
Not sure how I’ve only recently realised that Muslims are one of the biggest populations on earth, but it is often treated as an “other” or marginalised in many countries. If it is portrayed in mainstream media at all, especially in western countries, it is almost always one-dimensional.
People associate Islam, most often, with the Middle East, with terrorism and with oppression. What they don’t know is that there are numerous countries who have prominent Muslim communities you might never thought of before, i.e. China. Islam has spread all across 5 continents, including Africa, Europe and America, so how is it still seen as a foreign force?
This is why representation is important—especially diverse ones. Showing a one-sided version of a people is damaging. It makes them out to be inhuman, simply a picture of what could be real—but isn’t. I hope, through these books, films and series, you get to know Muslims a little bit better—as have I. On my personal wishlist, I’d like to see more portrayal of Chinese or Tunisian muslims in books and films—we don’t see or hear about them as much.
What films or books have you found with Muslim representation in them?