saima s hussain

These twenty-one personal stories are told by women from practically all backgrounds and persuasions—devout and not-so devout, professionals and housewives, westernized and traditional, wearing jeans, hijab, or niqab, straight and gay, and originally from Africa, North America, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Asia—revealing in their own ways what it means to them to be a Muslim woman (a “Muslimah”). What we get is a complex of stories, all challenging conventions and stereotypes, and united by two ideas—Islam (or the Quran) and nationality (Canadian).

"The Muslimah Who Fell to Earth presents a kaleidoscopic view of Koranic interpretation, marriage and family, the role of women, and experiences of Islamophobia and tolerance, including perspectives from gay Muslimahs and Muslimahs with disabilities. Such an assortment allows for few broad generalizations other than a desire for more of these stories, hopefully in full-length works."
—The Globe and Mail