Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women

297 Pages·2012·1.21 MB·English

by  Nura Maznavi

Table of Contents

Praise
Title Page
Dedication
Introduction

Allahu Alim: - In Search of the Beloved
Leap of Faith
Love in the Time of Biohazards
A Prayer Answered
Love at Third Sight
Wild Wind
The Opening
Punk-Drunk Love

Alif: - Where It All Begins
The Birds, the Bees, and My Hole
Sex by Any Other Name
Otherwise Engaged
The First Time
The Hybrid Dance

International Habibti: - Love Overseas
Love in the Andes
Last Night on the Island
Even Muslim Girls Get the Blues
Rerouting
So I Married a Farangi

Third Time’s the Naseeb: - Loving After Loss
Three
A Journey of Two Hearts
From Shalom to Salaam

You’ve Got Ayat: - Finding Love Online
Cyberlove
Kala Love
Brain Meets Heart
A Cairene Kind of Love
It Will Be Beautiful

Glossary
Contributors
About the Editors
Acknowledgments
Questions for Discussion
Copyright Page
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR LOVE INSHALLAH
“With a sonic boom, Love InshAllah breaks through the tired
sound bites and stereotypes that can drown out authentic
voices of Muslim women. This refreshingly diverse collection of
stories about heartbreak, happily-ever-afters, and everything in
between affirms that no one—orthodox or progressive, gay or
straight—is immune from the universal hunger to love and be
loved.”
—NAFISA HAJI,
award-winning author of The Writing on My Forehead
and The Sweetness of Tears

“These are gorgeously powerful women who love men and
women, fight and laugh, lie to themselves and hold back
nothing.You’ll fall for some and be frustrated by others . . . You
will not be able to put down these stories of women risking
themselves for love.”
—LAURY SILVERS, author of
A Soaring Minaret: Abu Bakr al-Wasiti and
the Rise of Baghdadi Sufism

“As the Sufis say, the quest for the beloved is ultimately the
heart’s longing to unite with God. Listen with an open heart as
these Muslim women reveal their journeys into the divine
mystery of love.”
—KAMRAN PASHA, author of
Mother of the Believers and Shadow of the Swords

“Love InshAllah is the most moving and emotionally honest
book I have read in a long time. These bold new voices share
stories that are romantic in the very best sense of the word—by
turns intimate, sexy, funny, and sad.”
—CLARE WINTERTON, Executive Director
of the International Museum of Women

“Given the damage done by Muslim men, non-Muslim men, and
non-Muslim women claiming the sexual lives of Muslim women
as their political territory, these stories provide a desperately
needed corrective.”
—Michael Muhammad Knight, author of The Taqwacores

“Love InshAllah is beauty on paper . . . Each story is as
captivating as the next, the writers bravely peeling back the
corners of the heart, inviting the reader into their diverse
worlds. Please read this book.”
—KATHY LEMAY, author of The Generosity Plan

“This illuminating anthology . . . should be applauded, not only
for its rarity and timeliness but also for its ability to celebrate
these utterly normal, healthy, messy, and all-too human
discussions about love and sexuality which for too long have
been buried under a veil of shame, fear, and self-imposed
censorship.”
—WAJAHAT ALI,
author of Domestic Crusaders

“What makes the book special is its celebration of differences
and the ultimate transcendence of love. It is this common
experience that connects not just the writers, but also the
readers, pulled in as we are to these resonant, human stories
told with exceptional skill.”
—ASMA T. UDDIN,
founder and editor-in-chief of AltMuslimah.com
“Deeply touching and intimate . . . a perfect book to upend the
stereotypes of veiled and abused Muslim women, these tales
are filled with hope and humor and life.”
—IRVING KARCHMAR,
author of Master of .the Jinn: A Sufi Novel

“How we understand what love and America look like is
expanded and made more representative of this country we all
share thanks to this collection.”
—ALIA MALEK, author of A Country Called Amreeka

“Meaningful, poignant, and powerful.”
—RABBI RACHEL BARENBLAT, author of
70 Faces: Torah Poems

“Love Inshallah provides us a rare glimpse into the intimate
lives of Muslim women from very different backgrounds. The
stories show that although the roadmap may be unique, the
destination is universal—to love and be loved for who we are.”
—MANAL OMAR, author of Barefoot in Baghdad

“This collection is challenging and provocative. You’ll be
surprised, even shocked at their stories and the honesty with
which they lay open their joys, as well as their vulnerable and
sometimes wounded hearts.”
—SHELINA JANMOHAMED, author of
Love in a Headscarf

“This book is an irreverent, witty reality-check. The women in
this book are not only fulfilling a mission close to my heart—
telling their own stories as Muslim American women,