being a Muslim blogger who champions Muslim-authored books means i still recommend books even if i hated them. because i want to support the author.

but i can't just continue supporting someone who thinks it's okay to target and harrass a blogger for a negative review.

the conversation over the last few days has been upsetting. and i'm not even the one whose words have been twisted and vilified.

it's not a new conversation. but what's new is people suddenly supporting an author for what they've condemned other authors for doing in the past?

we always have a discussion about how reviews aren't meant for authors so why is it suddenly okay that an author commented on a review that wasn't meant for them? the hypocrisy is really showing, but i can't blame anyone but the author since you probably don't have full context.

i want to specifically focus on the language used here because the way words are framed are important.

firstly, "i saw someone say" doesn't tell you who or where the information came from.

it was from a review on Goodreads.

secondly, this was never about being queer and Muslim. it's about the way we label books as "Muslim" even though the characters' experiences aren't just Muslim experiences.

you can be detained at an airport and not be Muslim. you can be closeted and not be Muslim.

but the author chose to take the reviewer's words out of context and frame it in a way that makes it seem like they said "it's not Muslim because it's queer."

vs. what they were saying: "there's no on-the-page Muslim representation."

i can see why the author feels hurt and invalidated by the criticism that it's not a "Muslim book" since those are the words that were actually used.

Muslims are not a monolith, and this is why i prefer to talk about Muslim authors rather than "Muslim books."

but the author responding to what they said was "valid criticism" by subtweeting the reviewer and then later saying they wish they had the conversation privately to begin with when they themselves started the public discussion is unprofessional and unacceptable.

and if you're someone who has previously discussed author-reviewer etiquette, boundaries and the power imbalance but have still expressed support for this author then please think about how hypocritical you are being. maybe you didn't know the full story then, but you do now.

so now let's talk about what we mean when we label books as "Muslim books" or when we talk about "on-the-page Muslim representation."

for me, it's not about wearing hijab or praying five times a day, but about the nuances of being Muslim that only Muslim readers will understand.

while wearing hijab and praying five times a day explicitly tells us that a character identifies as Muslim, it's still stereotypical Muslim representation if it doesn't dive into the relationship characters have with wearing hijab or praying, whether that's positive or negative.

it's not about a scale of "Muslimness" where it's only a "Muslim book" if the character is explicitly doing something "Muslim" like going to the mosque.

it's more about having taqwa (God consciousness) since Islam intersects with all aspects of our lives and identities.

also, i have a major issue with the author saying being detained at an airport = Muslim representation.

being detained at an airport is not an experience that is exclusive to Muslims? so it's essentially erasing the experiences of other BIPOC.

when the only Muslim representation in a book is stereotypical representation where characters get detained at airports or only discuss their Muslim identity when they face Islamophobia, why should we be okay with this?

and when these are the only books publishers actively promote and the only ones making the NYT Bestsellers list, it perpetuates this harmful narrative that some books are just too Muslim for publishing. that our identities need to be diluted to cater to a white audience.

i have more to say re: Muslim representation, but i don't want to distract from the real issue here.

i'll continue to support and uplift all Muslim authors, regardless of whether i enjoy or relate to their books, unless they give me a reason not to.

sadly, this is one of them.

fin.

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