Title: From My Sisters' Lips
Author: Na'ima B. Robert
Publisher: Bantam (02 May 2005)
Pages: 359 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9780593054413
Covered from head to toe, with only her eyes visible, the sight of a Muslim woman on a Western city street rarely fails to provoke a strong reaction. Feelings of shock, horror, repulsion, pity – or even fear – are not uncommon. But have you ever wondered about the woman ‘behind the veil’? Have you ever wondered what her life is really like and how her hopes, dreams and aspirations differ from yours?
Islam is perhaps the most misunderstood religion in the world, and the status of Muslim women by far it's most misrepresented aspect. It would, then, comes as a surprise to many that, not only is Islam the fastest growing religion in the world, but also that the number women converting to Islam far outnumber the opposite sex. Na'ima B. Robert is one of these converts, a mixed-raced woman who grew up in Zimbabwe as typical party-girl but converted to Islam soon after a trip to Egypt whilst she was studying at the University of London. In this inspirational book, Robert tells the stories of a community of women and their conversions to Islam, answering one the most unsettling questions in the West: what on earth would possess a free and educated Western woman to embrace apparently the most oppressive religion on the planet?
It's a controversial subject and Robert's unshakable faith and way of life is undeniably conservative, and so it makes sense that she starts the book with a disclaimer: "This is a personal book and, as such , it focuses on a small slice of the Muslim experience". This book is not about all Muslim women, nor is it about all female Muslim converts. It is about her own life and the lives of the women mentioned in the book, those in the West who choose to wear the veil and therefore live a conservative Islamic way of life.
Having read anthologies about converts in the past, enlightening as they are, Robert's take on the subject seemed entirely new and refreshing. Because her writing style is neither preachy nor caught up in Arabic jargon nor delving in unnecessary detail, Robert makes learning about Islam more accessible to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. From My Sisters' Lips is divided into two parts: the first part, Finding Islam, recounts how she and her sisters found Islam, the joys and triumphs of being a new Muslim and also the problems and challenges they faced; the second part, Living Islam, illustrates how they embraced the Islamic way of life - from education, sisterhood and covering their bodies to love, marriage and motherhood.
Everything is explained not just from the perspective of a Muslim, but also from an outsider's viewpoint, from the same viewpoint that these women saw it before coming to Islam. In this way, Robert is able to tackle the various misconceptions about women in Islam and logically clarify the truths behind it. Her conclusion is that Islam is so misunderstood across the globe because it's ideals contradict with modern ideas about freedom and individuality. By embracing Islam, Robert and her sisters feel liberated from the materialism and consumerism that dictates the modern world.
Ultimately, From My Sisters' Lips is a celebration not only of the Islamic faith, but of womanhood and sisterhood, a celebration of the strength, passion and determination of these women.
i have read this book it is brilliant
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