Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America

Ranya Idliby lives in New York City with her husband and two children and co-authored the 2006 book, The Faith Club: a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew-- Three Women Search for Understanding.  She is a self-described secular Muslim and proud to be a Muslim American.  However, this has been a difficult identity to assume in the wake of 9/11.  She indicates that Muslim Americans must continuously walk a tightrope between fundamentalist interpretations of Islam and living under a state of constant suspicion from non-Muslim citizens.  

Overall, I liked the book because Idliby dispels some common myths and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.  The tone is very hopeful. She sincerely believes in the freedoms enshrined in our constitution and that her co-religionists will become a catalyst for religious and cultural tolerance in our country. Much of the book focuses on Idliby’s efforts to raise her children with both a Muslim and American identity amidst a growing level of religious prejudice that she characterizes as “Islamophobia.”   Her hope is that America will continue to stand firm on its principles of religious freedom and that as a nation we will become more united in our diversity.