When our fifth child was a few years old, I attended a leadership conference. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I returned from the program knowing I needed to do more for my community. While I was teaching high school English at a public school, I really wanted to show the youth that being Muslim was an identity to be proud of, thus the dream of starting a youth center was born. Realizing this was probably years away, I went to work writing a blog, and becoming more active on social media.
The reality of my life meant that most of the topics I ended up sharing were family-focused and aimed at young families. People kept asking me if I would ever consider writing a book, and eventually publishers started contacting me. This was the motivation I needed to start writing. I had seen that while there were many wonderful kids books on the market, many of the religious books were either too preachy, poorly illustrated, or boring. I longed to write books that would be loved by children and still somehow instill a love of Islam. So, I began to write.
The writing process was exciting and fun. I would soon learn however, the editing process and rejection was difficult. Different ideas, cultural differences, word choice, word counts… I didn’t realize how grueling the editing process could be. There were times I considered giving up. Although the process was at times agonizing, it really taught me a lot about myself and made me stronger. Inshallah I pray that it was a training for future projects to come. Those experiences helped develop a sense of confidence and strength even when I am challenged or faced with adversity. I have many ideas for new books and look forward to putting them to paper inshallah.
I am still getting used to the idea of calling myself an “author”. I continue to teach high school English. I was recently a part of a documentary project about education and education facilities in Africa. But my dream of becoming more involved with the youth and starting a youth center is still the end goal. A center that is unlike any other that I have seen here in Turkey. One that is fun, engaging, welcoming to those who have been practicing for years, and those just beginning their journey with Islam. A place of entertainment and good company, but with sound teaching in a safe environment. I believe the future of our ummah is our youth and we need to make sure they are supported and proud of their Muslim identity. While I hope my books will support this identity from a young age in the home, I know there are challenges and questions that arise in later years. I want to help support our youth in those challenging times as well inshAllah. May Allah open a door for it.
