PRESS RELEASE : "SUPERHEROES OF ISLAM: ABU BAKR AS-SIDDIQ رضي الله عنه" BY AMMAR KIDWAI

AN INSPIRING PICTURE BOOK AUTHORED BY A YOUNG MUSLIM AUTHOR

DALLAS, TX — November 15th, 2020. DJARABI KITABS PUBLISHING has officially released Superheroes of Islam: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq رضي الله عنه by young ambitious Muslim author Ammar Kidwai. Masha’Allah!

About the book: “Superheroes of Islam” is a book series that portrays the lives of past Muslim Heroes through the lenses of a young author. The book series intends to teach and give children a sense of pride in Islamic Heritage and use the lives of the Rightly Guided Leaders and Sahabas as an example of true heroes to follow. The first book of the series reveals a little bit about the life of the first Khalifa, and the lessons we should learn from his life.

We had a chance to talk to the young entrepreneur, and he shared his motives with us alhamdullilah.

Question 1: Why did you decide to author the series "Superheroes of Islam" Book 1 ?

Ammar Kidwai: I wanted young Muslims to learn about the Sahabas in a fun way. I also wanted them to get excited while learning about the real heroes.

Question 2: What else do you want to achieve with this children's book?

Ammar Kidwai: I want my little brothers to be inspired by this book as well as everyone else in the world.

Stay tuned for what our below reviewers have to say about his first children’s book republished traditionally.

Join us on social media for the official book launch.

About the author:

Ammar Kidwai is a young Muslim author who lives in Memphis, TN. During his spare time, he likes to read books, memorize Quran, play soccer, and to spend lots of time outdoors exploring nature. Ammar also likes Space and plans to own his own space exploration company. You can contact him on Twitter @AmmarKid1 or by emailing him at timeforbooksandtoys@gmail.com . You can learn more about him here.

Superheroes of Islam: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq رضي الله عنه is available on Djarabi Kitabs Publishing's website , Amazon on paperback format, and Fofky's Online Book Cafe.

Add it to your Goodreads shelf here for your young Mumins!

CONTACTS

Djarabi Kitabs Publishing

PO BOX 703733

Dallas, TX 75370

USA

Email: editor@djarabikitabs.com

Top 6 Most Influential Muslim Youth You Should Know About

In the US, about 99% of Muslim children attend public schools. However, a great majority of them face identity issues, disconnection from their faith and an erasure of influential Muslim role models to look up to in order to feel normal and accepted in the diversely apparent Western environment.

As a result, Muslims have started to reclaim and assert their narratives. Generation M’s accomplishments and contributions are booming and this helps curate our era’s Islamic history better via art, literature, fashion, food and science to name a few.

Having said that, there are new contributors to this history: the Muslim youth. Indeed, many landslide and prideful moments for the ummah are often achieved by these young entrepreneurs.

Therefore, check out six post-millenniums who are making waves in and outside the ummah by writing history.

1- Aminah Jasmine Rahman

 Today, at 14-years-old, Rahman is the author of two poetry collections—Poems by Aminah and Soul Change— and a multi-award winner. She is so young and so wise at the same time. Read her poem Glittering Space and perhaps you will come to the same conclusion.

Aminah Rahman is also the winner of the 2015 Young Muslim Writers Awards. This Muslim Youth is inspirational as it gets for folks her age and beyond. She lives in the UK.

Check out her books at major online book distributors.

2- Anwar Diggins

Recipient of the 2018 NAACP’s Rising Star Award, Diggins is an American author of the children’s book titled Game Over : Life Outside of Video Games.

With his book, he aims at raising awareness on fun activities hardcore gamers can do to avoid the depression and loneliness that come with playing video games non-stop based on his own experience. An already aspiring business savvy individual, Anwar Diggins is a philanthropist dedicated to the cure of cancer.

Check him out on Instagram @enterprisesbyAnwar.

3- Amaya Diggins

Sister to the previous cited Top Influential Muslim Youth, Amaya Diggins founded Hijabi Fits.

The 11-year-old became an inspirational entrepreneur and role model when she decided to make the change she wanted to see; designing fitting, stylish and attractive hijabs for her age group. Her contribution to history is unprecedented.

Most hijab designers catered to an older crowd, and when their hijabs catered to younger girls, they didn’t fit right. Kuddos to Amaya Diggins for her brilliance.

4- Stephanie Kurlow

Kurlow is an Australian-Russian convert to Islam. The 15-year-old Muslim Ballerina showed the naysayers that religion is not a barrier to achieve one’s dreams. Anything can be done and one just needs to believe in one’s potential.

As the first Muslimah Ballerina, Kurlow did just that and modestly. She is an inspiration to Muslims of all ages everywhere; especially in Australia, her hometown.

5- Juwayriyah Ayed

Co-author of the children’s book Hind’s Hands and one of the curator of the first Muslim Fiction app by American Umm Juwayriyah, her mother, Juwayriyah’s book helps raise awareness on autism; especially in Muslim settings. These contributions are much needed and pave the way for upcoming Muslim works.

6- Mena and Zena Nasiri

The Nasiri Sisters founded Girls of the Crescent; a NFP organization dedicated to collect books with diverse characters and most importantly Muslim ones to help the Muslim youth relate better to their identity.

The books donated to them are donated in turn to mainstream libraries. With their efforts, they hope that no Muslim Youth struggle to see themselves represented in books written in the West. The 14-year-old Mena and her 15-year-old sister Zena live in Michigan, USA.

Let us introduce these children to our children so that they can be inspired and also make the change they want to see.

Original article at AboutIslam here.

Can YA Muslim Fiction Help ‘Normalize’ Islam for Teens?

Can YA Muslim Fiction help normalize Islam for teens? I think so.  Many young adults readers are already reading tons and tons of secular YA books. Getting them to read a cool and engaging Muslim fiction book with subtle religious hints to it will definitely help.

Muslim writers agree and Muslim Moms approve. Why? Young Adult Muslims get to read about Muslim characters who face their real struggles. It can  help them ponder on how they can carry themselves in the future and learn about Islam in a fun context. Having said all that, I can only speak for my latest YA Muslim science fiction, dystopian book. And the verdict is in masha’Allah alhamdullilah!

• “Reading them all together was more fun and thrilling this time and I would say that The Ducktrinors can serve as a great gift for teenage Muslims and young adults. So grab your copy from Amazon.”— Author Aisha Idris, The Bookish Nomad

Now that we have made a small claim on the impact of YA Muslim Fiction, it’s imperative that we know the distinction between Muslim Fiction, Islamic Fiction and Muslim Authored Reads. Below are my personal definitions of each terms.

Islamic Fiction is a smaller category of Muslim Fiction. However, to this date it does not portray any kind of explicit content. It aims to stay puritan.While I don’t completely agree with that because intimacy and spirituality merge, I leave the subject alone. Moreover, I obviously don’t classify my steamy Muslim fiction romance books in this category unless it becomes more inclusive with explicit content. Either way, that’s a definition you can quote me on! On to the next term.

Muslim Fiction is a bigger umbrella that covers all sorts of fictional material in which Muslim characters are featured and represented.

Muslim Authored Reads are books written by Muslim authors that are more mainstream and often portray non-Muslim characters. Since these characters aren’t Muslims for the most part, there is more freedom to let them act a certain way that would not be approved in Islam. That said Muslim Fiction also portrays real life characters who struggle with being steadfast with the deen.

So to recap:

• Islamic Fiction is Muslim Fiction but Muslim Fiction is not Islamic Fiction. In Muslim Fiction, Muslim characters are real. They are not perfect and they are much like real humans. Subsequently, they don’t always reflect an Islamic way of life.
• Muslim Fiction is also Muslim Authored Reads. Muslims penned that work.
• However, Muslim Authored Reads are normally outside the scope of Muslim and Islamic Fiction.

I pray this tidbit sheds a small ray of light on YA Muslim Fiction, Muslim Fiction, Islamic Fiction, and last and not least Muslim Authored Reads.

Read more on the debate by clicking on the links below:

• The Case For Fictional Islam
• Why We Should Support Muslim Fiction
• What Is Halal and Haram in Fiction Writing? Or Is It All a “Grey Area”?

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Now, check out the latest buzz on YA Muslim Sci-Fi Dysopian; The Ducktrinors Book I & Book II below!

• “The book keeps you on the edge – looking forward to the next chapter…Having grown up with the Harry Potter series and knowing the inside-out of the series, I feel the Ducktrinor series will be a similar-themed adventure series for the young Muslim adult…Kudos to the author for being a trendsetter in the world of Muslim science fiction for the young adult.” — By Shahira

• “The best thing I loved about the book is its narration. The book is a great page turner and lures us till the end. Papatia narrates the chapters from different timelines and this leaves the reader curious until the end. The story reveals through various characters and the usage of self-talk is a win-win. The plot is very fast paced and includes so many characters and details. But telling the story through people makes it simple to follow along.” — Farzana Fathima, Reclaiming Heart

• “Everybody [all the characters] brought something to the table.” — Fousia Abdullahi, Naptime is Sacred

• “In a sentence… It was a thrilling and satisfying read…Recommendation? IT’S A MUST READ!” — Rimsha Tanaaz, Be Flawless Muslims

• “…Filled with high-tech gadgets and futuristic concepts, this would be a hit with the early teens who have an interest in this genre… I would definitely say this is a step into Islamic sci-fi. Papatia Feauxzar has taken a bold and brave step into this genre and I am looking forward to more of her creativity.” — The Umm Afraz Muhammed Blog

• “The Ducktrinors is a compilation of the first two books in the Jihad Series. This series is not likely to be one you’ve come across before – Muslim sci-fi novels are few and far between, after all… All in all, a good, interesting read that you’ll probably end up going back to once or twice.” — The Imperfect Muslimah

• “I really got hooked and have gone through the 500-odd pages in just few hours! … The book is filled with Islamic references, cleverly tied into the story through Ducktrinors’ conversations and descriptions of their halaqa sessions. Although we don’t know the specific time setting, there are some strong indicators that the end of times is near: our characters having to hide their religious beliefs, women appearing naked despite being dressed, buildings so tall they seem to never end – to just mention a few. The book is a really engaging way to teach or remind the readers some basic Islamic principles.”— Halal Mama

• “The Ducktrinors is quite long but it’s a quick read – it took me just a few hours to reach the final page and it was nice to have a well tied up ending along with some interest toward the future of the series as well.”— The Imperfect Muslimah

  Thank you for reading,

Papatya*