International Muslims Read Children’s Books Depicting Islam: “It Is More About What Americans Imagine”

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Examining the Representation of Race and Ethnicity in Literacy Curricula Through Content Analysis (Table 20)

Abstract

This study collected qualitative data from thirty-five Muslim teachers from twenty countries regarding ten popular children’s books depicting Islam. The reader-participants had a keen eye for problematic representations and praised books that presented counter-narratives. Cultural authenticity was found especially valuable as the most criticized books, those trading in stereotypes, whitewashing, and silencing, were generally created by non-Muslims. Reader-participants praised positive representations of Muslim women outside of traditional roles. Finally, intertextuality was found to be essential. Since there is no single Islam, no single book is complete and beyond critique. As with all children’s books, Muslim-themed books need to be read in complementary groupings with attention to explaining the weaknesses of each and using other texts to fill in the gaps.

Authors

• Scott A. Beck, Georgia Southern University

• Yasar Bodur, Georgia Southern University