5 comments about Bifocal.

1. This may be one of those YA books that adults think kids will love to read, but that kids yawn at. It's a book that involves some very topical issues: terrorism, bombs, women's rights, diversity. It's a book that deliberately tries to be thought provoking, to make us think about what we are willing to give up in the sake of freedom.
   
   This is all well and good, but the story is trite and wooden, and I suspect that the best way to get kids to care about diversity and these hard questions is not to push fifty pounds of message into a five ounce story. The story that lies under these momentous thoughts is so slight that it almost disappears under the crushing weight of the authors' message. I have no problem with exploring the ambiguities in Islam and diversity, freedom and security, race and popularity. But I don't like being preached to even as an adult--even when I agree with the message--and I liked it less as a kid.
   
   Next time, more story and less Culture 101.



2. Jay is a relatively new kid at school, but as a good football player he's already managed to integrate himself into the team and the coolest crowd at school. He's even managed to become good friends with the team captain and quarterback, and it looks likely he'll be recommended for captain next year. Haroon is a quiet kid who's a backup for the "Reach for the Top" team, an academic TV competition. He's also a Muslim, his grandparents having emigrated from Afghanistan long before. But things start to change for both of them when a terrorist plot is uncovered and a student is arrested and accused of being part of it. Haroon takes that boy's place on the academic team after nearly being arrested right alongside him, and Jay begins to see signs of prejudice and hatred even among his friends.
   
   My 11 year-old son and I read this and we both really enjoyed it. The story is told alternately from each boy's perspective with plenty of excitement and drama, and both kids see the effects of racism although they're each affected by it in different ways. The book tries and mostly manages to show both sides of the various arguments and how judging others can be unfair and harmful, although I didn't always think it was the most balanced view. The story isn't about terrorism but about how segregating into different crowds can have unintended consequences, whether it's whites who believe all Muslims are terrorists or Muslims who withdraw behind a burka and label all whites as racist. And I appreciated that the book seems to try very hard not to be preachy. We enjoyed it very much and especially liked the ending.



3. "Bifocal" focuses upon a Canadian high school which has been rocked by the recent arrest of a Muslim student said to be part of a terrorist group. Way after the television crews and police clear away, students are unable to stop talking and thinking about what happened. Is Azeem really guilty? How well do they really know any of their classmates? And worst of all...are they safe?
   
   The story is told from two alternating viewpoints - that of a white student, Jay, and an Afghani Muslim student, Haroon. Although they exist in different social circles and don't know one another at the beginning of the novel, many of their fears and thoughts are similar as they struggle to make sense of their uncertain world.
   
   "Bifocal" is a bit heavy-handed at times, simultaneously beating readers over the head with trying to break down stereotypes and yet managing to perpetuate them (for example, the white boy is a football player, while the Afghani boy is on an academic quiz team). And while both boys come from families admittedly lax about religion, there is something of a more sacred emphasis put upon Muslim rituals versus those of the Christians.
   
   Still, it's obvious no book tackling such heavy issues will ever be perfect. Chances are, most readers will be much more familiar with one background versus another, and so will see the racial and religious situations presented in a different light than readers from other perspectives. What's important is that, like the students in Haroon's and Jay's school, readers should become inspired to think and speak out about these important issues of the 21st century.



4. I couldn't help but think of the novel My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok while reading this particular book. The stories are told in a completely different manner. The time is totally different and the protagonist (a Jew versus a Muslim) are totally different. With that being said it is amazing the similarities in these two books.
   
   1. Both books deal with racial tensions.
   2. Both books deal with issues at hand as told through school age children.
   3. Both books are very focused on the relationship between two young men in contrast to all children.
   4. Both books deal with religious bigotry.
   5. Both books deal with tensions heightened by the singular event of the times. In Asher Lev it is World War II and the struggle for a Jewish Homeland and in Bifocal it is 9/11.
   
   I did enjoy Bifocal and thought that it was timely and important. I still find it inferior to Chaim Potok's classic work. Bifocal is good but it doesn't capture the same emotion and compelling story to me. Maybe this is perspective as I read Potok as a much younger and impressionable person and now I might be a bit more jaded. I am not sure. Regardless this is a good book deserving of all 4 stars I am ranking it as having.



5. If this book contained only one fatal flaw, I could try to dredge up reasons to give it at least one more star; but it contains more than one. Combined, they make me hope this book doesn't become well-known in middle school classrooms.
   
   First is an issue several reviewers have already highlighted: the sermon-not-story presentation. These characters are cut from cardboard and propped up by the moral of their story, so much so that I would never use this book in a literature class purely because of the didactic spoonfeeding. Good young adult literature presents its themes to the reader as a buried treasure to unearth, not as a suffocating blanket or a sledgehammer.
   
   Second, I take issue with the message itself: namely, "tolerance covers all." The writers take this politically correct concept and dash far and wide with it.
   
   The plot takes off (actually, the plot never leaves the runway, but that's my third issue) when a student is arrested and accused of terrorist involvement. "He might be guilty," Amazon's product description says. "Or is he singled out because of his race?" An excellent question that remains a question. Haroon, the Muslim character, doesn't care if his fellow student is guilty or not. By extension, since he is the most lauded character in the book, the writers don't care, either. The plot meanders away from the jailed student until he's only one example of "racial conflict." But doesn't every thinking reader want to know--was this boy planning to blow up his school, or not? If he wasn't, the police will have a lawsuit on their hands. If he was, shouldn't the intention to murder another human being, whatever his race, be addressed? It isn't.
   
   In addition, the resolution (if one can call it that) is morally ambiguous at best. Why is it noble for Haroon to let his classmates get away with vandalism? Why is it noble for Jay to pretend he wasn't party to the crime? Haroon says that honesty and justice would only create "more anger, more hatred, more problems." What kind of reasoning is this? Does he really believe the racists will be less racist if they get away with racism? Do the writers? This isn't the only instance of skewed logic. More than once, the authors write off moral non sequiturs or double standards by having a "good" character say to a "bad" character, "You just don't understand." Well, I don't, either.
   
   Finally, message aside, the book simply isn't engaging on any level whatsoever. The characters are one-dimensional (Haroon may qualify as 2-D, if we're being generous). I can say with certainty that neither of these writers is a Christian or a Muslim. Both characters feel like products of shallow research, not like children of the writers' experience. The plot plods along, mostly via bland or contrived dialogue. The final scene is cliched and flat.
   
   Overall, from sermonizing to disturbing morality to lack of entertainment value, I can't find a shred to recommend in this story.

No comments about Celebrate Ramadan (Celebrate Holidays).

No comments about Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation.

1 comments about To Be a European Muslim.

1. What an awesome book! The description of what is happening to European muslims their identity issues their struggles with being a minority echoes exaclty what is happening to Muslims in the U.S.

No comments about Fazal Sheikh: Ramadan Moon.

1 comments about Islam, the West, and Challenges of Modernity.

1. How do we define modernity today? Is Islam a backward religion, preaching barbaric practices or does it have progressive ideology? In the advent of the colonialism of many Muslim lands and the subsequent formation of independent nation states in the Muslim world the issue of modernity and Islam has been the most debated topic of the 20th century and new millennium. Few studies have detailed the link between Western and Islamic thought as Ramadan's book. Ramadan a Professor of Philosophy and Islamic Studies at Fribourg (Switzerland) was born and raised in Switzerland and differs from his grandfather (Hassan Al-Bannah founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt) in certain ideologies. Although their respective place in history can be regarded along the same line of thought as far as reconstruction of Islam towards a more Social empowering force. With an endless source of references to the greatest thinkers in history and an impressive academic pedigree; Descartes, Kant, Aristotle, Prometheus, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), etc. Ramadan tries to soften the extremist voices in the West and Islamic World so common roots and solutions to social dilemmas can be found.
   
   Tariq Ramadan's thorough study of western civilization through technology, innovation and other fields that occurred during the renaissance, a consequence of the victory of rationalism over the clergy. However, Ramadan asserts this renaissance has deep roots in Muslim Spain, which was the learning center of Europe for nearly 500 years. Scholars like; Ibn Sina (Medicine), Ibn Rushid, (Philosophy), Al-Jabr (Mathematics), Ibn Hazim (Geography) and the many works of Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoreus were translated into Arabic and spread throughout Europe. The west must recognize this and at the same time the Muslim world must not demonize the west for eternity. Ramadan explains Islam is a universal faith, incorporating different societies throughout history, while maintaining their culture. He identifies himself as a `European Muslim' in that he finds the common enemy not the South or North (East or West) but a common enemy of illiteracy, poverty, crime, drugs. etc. Elaborating on Jihad and it's true meaning in Arabic of `struggle' a social Jihad must take place against illiteracy, poverty, crime, drugs, etc. Ramadan also cites an important saying of the Prophet Muhammad, "the bigger Jihad is fighting with one's spiritual (desires) and the smaller Jihad is the right of physical self-defense in protection of land, family, elderly, wealth, promoting and prohibiting evil".
   
   Muslims must criticize that which is wrong and of utmost priority begin with their own societies, grass-root movements on a `Social Jihad'. Ramadan maintains a balanced approach to the civilizations, maintaining there are certain forces in the West who's sole interest lies in the resources of Muslim lands and feed off exposure of fanatical Muslims. Citing the ignorant support of certain western governments of human right violations in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and ignoring the social contribution of Islamic Movements. While in Algeria showing no support for the FIS (Islamic Salvation Front), which won the 1992 election but was later violently canceled by the military.
   
   From a social religious aspect Ramadan sharply criticizes the narrow mindedness of some `ulema (Islamic scholars) in their literal interpretation of doctrine without taking into account the social context and condition of Muslims during the revelation of the Quran, which was sent down over a span of 23 years. Thus he argues stoning of adulterous women no longer applies, there is no constant in Islamic Law it is a case-to-case scenario that requires ijtihad, reasoning from the sources of Islamic Law. Also modernization, development and progress must not be defined as a purely western phenomena (Japan and the Orient) as there exist many social problems in the West.
   
   In conclusion Ramadan strongly criticizes the Muslim World in their denial to criticize societies and resorting to violent reactionary behavior. He calls for a `Social Jihad' waged against illiteracy, poverty, crime, drugs, etc. Islam, Ramadan strongly contends is not naturally against development and thought as the Quran enlightens the ummah (Muslim Nation) to ponder and think of creation, there exists no dichotomy between development/rationality and religion.

2 comments about Leaves Of Narcissus: A Modern Arabic Novel (Modern Arabic Literature).

1. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As an avid reader of literary fiction, I found Leaves of Narcissus to be the kind of book that I intentionally seek out to read. Not only did it challenge me as a reader, but it also resonated with me as a woman. Right from the very first lines, the book drew me in: "The moment before submission is the most difficult of moments. This might be the secret to its vital attractiveness-the irresistible finality of it... The chasm before you is featureless: absolutely new, wholly defiant to all powers of imagination" (1). Ramadan is so gifted in describing states of mental being. On the next page when she writes, "...annexing one hour until the next until slumber and nothingness become synonymous" (2), I thought of insomnia and also the urge to lose yourself in sleep-both of which come with depression. She returns to this idea on page 61, writing, "I'm not really resisting death-it's just that I fear the unknown. It's that moment of submission to the unknown. The moment of giving myself up is the only fear I have." I thought these lines applied not only to death, but also to how one feels before taking any great risk. There's a fear that goes along with the ability to see multiple possibilities. In Kimmi's case, she fears what comes after death because she has no concept of what that could be. This kind of fear could precipitate moments of joy, such as falling in love and giving birth, as well, though.

   
   I could go on and on just quoting certain lines from the book because so many of them jumped out at me as being beautifully written and perfectly expressed. Maybe the reason that I enjoyed Leaves of Narcissus to the extent that I did is that I suffer from clinical depression and have a number of friends and family members who are also mentally ill. Therefore so much of Kimmi's struggle and fragmented identity was entirely familiar to me, but yet gave me a new understanding upon reading the novel.

   
   The way that Ramadan picks up on the image of glass and carries it throughout the book was amazing to me. On page ten, after her father equates her mind to a rock, young Kimmi embraces her rock of a brain which is strong enough to shatter glass. Blood and glass enter the story again when Amna tells Kimmi the story of the King of Atlas Mountain (20). Also when Kimmi identifies the "large bell of thick glass" (27) that is surrounding her. I liked how this not only alluded to Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also brought back the image of glass as fiercely strong and somewhat dangerous-much like Kimmi's mental state.

   
   Another beautifully written line is on page 23, when Kimmi describes her condition as "[filtering] out all flattering, all hypocrisy, all sham, until nothing remains but the pure essence of irrefutable truth." When I read this line, I wanted to jump up and go find somebody else to share it with because it described a particular state of emotional being so well. It reminded me of the moment of utter depression and despair when you realize that the way you feel is the truth, and if you're able to feel something else, or something better, it is only a lie. Another line that, as a writer and a depressed individual, completely resonated with me is "All stories have already been told. All that can be said has already been said. There is no longer any truth, except in silence. Who cares about a story like this one?" (62). I often get discouraged when writing and think exactly the same thing. She returns on page 92 to these ideas of how "Life grows senile and can no longer be revived."

   
   Finally, I would like to quote perhaps the most meaningful passage, for me. On page 108, Kimmi says,
   
   All of us craft for ourselves those bells that protect us, and we huddle beneath
   them for a spell until we begin to suffocate-and then we shatter the bell. If we
   are lucky, we'll meet someone we can love, someone who will help us, and so the bonds are unraveled gently, and we do not notice until after we've noticed that we are breathing without watchful concern or worry.
   
   As a metaphor, I found this to work very powerfully. Not only did it tie together the theme of glass throughout the story, but it also provided a sense of hope for Kimmi's future and thus, vicariously, our own futures as well.

   
   I have no doubt that Somaya Ramadan wrote from personal experience. Her insights were too true and exquisite to be imagined. As a writer, I hope that someday I will be able to take my own experiences with mental pain and existential isolation and turn them into art as beautiful as Leaves of Narcissus.




2. Somaya Ramadan cleverly and artistically creates the character of Kimi and her environment, first seemingly distant from that of the reader. As the book continues, the reader is faced with similarities to themselves and it no longer is the journey of Kimi, but a reflection of mankind. The ideal of an ideal world is shattered, I found in several places the author had put to words thoughts that had long been flying around in my own head. This book about inner and mental chaos I found to produce clarity.

4 comments about Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan.

1. Tariq Ramadan is always shown to be the good face of 'moderate European Islam' and he is trotted out, or rather trots himself out, everytime there is some question about the ability of Europe to swallow and assimilate its millions of Muslim immigrants. A passionate defender of Muslims he pretends that Islamism is but a tiny minority and that Islam and European civilization can go hand in hand. But despite having been born in moderate and tolerant Switzerland he learned none of the nuetrality of that country. Instead as this book shows he speaks with two mouths: one to Europeans and Westerners and another to his fellow Muslims in Arabic
   
   In fact Ramadan is a practitioner of 'Taqieh', the Muslim Shiite idea that is defined as "to hide the truth is the ultimate art of a Moslem" according to Interruptions. This book does the reader of the service of translating what he says in Arabic and showing that it does not jive with what he says in English and what is often quoted in English language media.
   
   A fascinating expose that will surely startle anyone familiar with this influential individual.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



2. This book is horrible.
   
   Fourest searched long and hard to force isolated statements made by Ramadan to conform to her emotional, irrational, and biased Islamophobic thesis: Ramadan is "radical" cloaked in a moderate's clothing.
   
   She struggled to muddle Arabic to English translations of statements made by Ramadan to Muslims, strip them of their context, and cram them down our throats as a guilty child would trying to misplace "blame" elsewhere.
   
   It is a sad state of affairs when publishing houses are so desperate for books such as these, which amount to the literary and intellectual equivalent of tabloid journalism.
   
   I would have much rather spent my time watching Fox News for 8 hours straight... well, maybe not.



3. While Fourest's book is written (or perhaps translated) like a grocery list, this book exposes Ramadan as the wolf he is. He is the typical race and religion baiter, using the openness of the West as the tool by which he hopes to destroy it. We might write Ramadam off as a comic character if he was acting for personal wealth - and that may indeed be one of his motivations - but his main motivation is to promote his fringe and violent ideology and promote his political movement. Why the spineless Europeans allow this man to live and do his work among them is beyond me.



4. There are people in this world that are so convinced they see something when nothing exists, and they will go to any length to try to convince you that what they see is actually there. Similar to the way a 85 lb teenager purges herself after eating because she sees on obese person in the mirror, this pathetic excuse for journalism makes me inclined to write a book of my own, given that anybody can make money these days, just so long as they purport to "expose" a Muslim or the religion of Islam as something other than peaceful.

5 comments about Magid Fasts for Ramadan.

1. I really appreciate this book for not just discussing Ramadan but bringing up some issues surrounding Ramamdan. It allows Muslims to be human and assists us in appreciating all the trouble they go through in order to worship God in their own way. I wish I could have known about this book for Ramadan this year, but I will use it next year in my classroom.



2. As a Muslim, I really liked this book, because it addresses typical Muslim issues. I thought it was very accurate, by the way; Islam does not require fasting until a person is past puberty. Fasting is required only for healthy adults (not the sick, pregnant, traveling, elderly, etc.), so -- although some Muslim children do enthusiastically try out a fast or two before puberty -- it's not a requirement and is not common. So I think this book was informative, representative of the Muslim experience, and empathetic. Recommended.



3. I bought this book for my sister's little girl. She has a Christian/American mother and a Muslim/Algerian father. I read the book myself before giving it as a gift. It is a very sweet book about a little boy and his family. The boy enjoys talking and learning about Islam with his grandfather who lives in the home with them. The child chooses to fast for Ramadan even though he is afraid his parents will not allow it because of his age. This a simple and sweet children's book that promotes understanding.



4. Set in modern Egypt, with subdued watercolors, the book tells the story of Magid, who at age 8, wants to fast for Ramadan. His older sister, 12, is fasting, why can't he? She glares at him when he voices his desire to fast like everyone else in the household. The story realistically shows some sibling antagonisms. The story shows a close 3 generation family, waking early to eat and pray, making it through the day, and watching for the evening lanterns to be lit by the muezzin. Magid feels great pride as he skips breakfast and then lunch. He shows his openness to various levels of obedience when his friend Gamal informs him that Gamal's family is not into fasting. Magid breaks his fast with a date, just as The Prophet did, and the next day he skips breakfast again. But when he gets caught, he learns an important lesson. Along the way we learn why they fast, read about their relatives in Cairo and Detroit, and understand more about the spirit of Ramadan.



5. I and my wife were very disappointed with this book as Muslim parents. The principles that the book promotes to it's audience, Muslim youth; are dangerous and erroneous ones. The child Majid, the main character in this story wants to begin fasting for Ramadan at age 7 and is not permitted by his parents, he disobeys and lies to his parents in order to follow his own desires. His sister who is 12 does not want to fast and is allowed to follow her own desires. Lying is a sin in Islam regardless of the reason, this is not a behavior that should be excused or accepted. At age seven a child is old enough to begin at least a partial fast and should in order to prepare him/her mentally and physically for the task when it is required of them at puberty. If this had been done with the sister in the story she would have been fully prepared and fasting at 12. This book appears on the surface to be benevelent and harmless but it promotes a false image of Islamic family behavior and values to non-Muslims and a very poor example for Muslim familes to follow. Absolutely not recommended.

3 comments about Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr: With Praying, Fasting, and Charity (Holidays Around the World).

1. Title: Celebrate Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr: with praying, fasting, and charity
   
   Author: Deborah Heiligman
   
   Published by: National Geographic Society
   
   Review By: Diana Rohini LaVigne, Indian Life & Style Magazine
   
   Beautifully photographed and impeccably written, National Geographic Society has added a much-needed book to their `Holidays Around the World' series. With the current state of confusion about the Muslim community, especially in America, Celebrate Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr brings light to the rituals Muslim celebrate and united which includes praying, fasting and giving charity. Ramadan is a time for family, community and celebrating religious beliefs.
   
   With breathtaking photos that depict the dedication of Muslims worldwide during this sacred holiday time, readers will be delighted with the simple explanations of the complex religious rituals. It's not only a book for teenagers but also for adults.
   
   Towards the end of the book, there is a useful informational section called more about Ramadan. It offers facts about the holiday, more about the five pillars of Islam, an explanation of the Muslim Calendar, recipes to try, and a glossary for reference.
   
   A wonderful book to explore, understand and comprehend the dynamic and important celebration of Ramadan. It should be required reading for high-school teenagers in America and accompany the other books in National Geographic Society's `Holidays Around the World' series.



2. Deborah Heiligman's series : Holidays around the world is a good introduction to children unfamiliar with the holiday.
   
   The pictures are amazing and well laid out. For someone who celebrates Eid, the pictures will seem incomplete because there are so many more aspects than can be represented in a 32 page book. But for someone who has no idea about Ramadan and Islam, this is a very good introduction. ITs also extremely easy for children to read on their own.



3. I bought this book as an Eid-al-Fitr gift for my 9 year old step-daughter. I think it perfectly suits what I was shopping for: a simple explaination of what we do, why we do it and photographs of Muslims around the world who fast, pray, read Qur'an and celebrate just like we do. The book, writing, and all of the photographs are beautiful. At the end, there is a section with some "extras" where it explains the five pillars of Islam, the lunar calendar, dates of Ramadan for the next few years, recipes, etc. I know my step-daughter will enjoy this book and share it with friends. I would recommend this book to Muslim families or anyone who wants to share this important piece of Islam with children.