Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

As someone interested in progressive Christianity, but who shies away from a lot of what Christianity has stood for, I found a marvelous example in Janmohamed. Her feminism leads to her frank acknowledgement of the sexism she encounters, but she also consistently looks at how Q’aranic ideals of equality have been twisted by different cultures. She references the Q’aran frequently, and explains how important her beliefs are to her, and how her relationship with God grows during these years, without ever sounding preachy. I love the common sense tone of the book, with a lot of wry humour, but most of all I loved how Janmohamed talks about Islam. This is a memoir of her experience on that search, but as it spans her from age 19 to 29, it’s also a middle class coming of age story as Janmohamed searches for her true identity amongst competing philosophies and traditions. As the rest of her life slotted into place, though, her search for a husband wasn’t quite so easy: despite using the traditional matchmaking process of her community, it took her a decade to find the right one. Janmohamed is a British South Asian Muslim (how’s that for a mouthful?): she’s a professional, feminist, independent woman with deep affection for her culture and family, and a religion that’s woven into her everyday life. However, my interest in reading more diverse nonfiction, my enjoyment of the movie Arranged, and my trust in Beacon Press made me decide to give it a go. The cover and title didn’t make it seem like a me book. As it was an ebook, I could check it out right away, but I wasn’t sure. Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed came up in my search for ‘Beacon Press’ in the library’s catalogue.