Book Review: You Truly Assumed // Laila Sabreen
You Truly Assumed
Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.
You truly assumed was an anticipated read for me when I saw that it was about how three black Muslim women will deal with issues like racism and islamophobia. This was why I requested an e-arc in the first place. What I didn't expect was the Muslim rep in this to throw me off course at any point. I haven't read a lot of books with Muslim characters. I did so mostly on Wattpad when I was younger but the past year I have been aiming to change that and see if I can get more published books on my shelf. Despite the issues I had with the rep, the story was still really good so let's get to that first.
After a terror attack where the terrorist is assumed to be a Muslim, there was a rise in Muslim hate, Sabriya creates a blog called 'You truly assumed' as a safe space for her and other Muslim women of colour. She meets two other young black Muslim women through this and bonds with them. This book portrayed islamophobia, the microaggressions they face, and all the feelings that come with going through it all very well. The community aspect of this book and the family dynamics were wonderfully illustrated as well. The friendship between the three was so cute. My favourite had to be the family dynamics though, how supportive the parents are towards their daughters, this is normally not shown in a lot of YA novels. This book reminded me how important it is to reach out and ask for help when needed.
Now onto the Muslim rep. Let's start off by stating that I do know the author would have written this story through her perspective and personal experiences. However, I also do hope that this won't be the only book about black Muslims that the non-Muslims will read as it is very liberal and has crossed the line so far over, I doubt it can even be seen anymore.
I am aware that culture plays a big role in how Muslim you will be as you grow up but certain lines have to be drawn when it comes to that. Let's take the very popular hijab debate. Hijab is known to be compulsory but there have been many people telling how it isn't and that it's a choice, that hijab is a cultural issue and that it's something men use to oppress women. That's a wrong narrative that is being spread. Hijab is compulsory whether you like it or not. (I mean I won't demean you for not wearing it, but spreading something that is not true, that's an entirely different matter.)
Similarly, while there are many variations to how one can perceive or practice being a Muslim, there are certain things you never cross. One laughable thing in this book I have to mention though is among all those offences, the character will draw a line at eating bacon. like why? this frustrates me because while it is great that at least you aren't eating bacon (in case you didn't know the meat of a pig is forbidden in Islam) what about everything else. the touchy-feely relationships, the normalisation of haram, the complete disregard of many Islamic morals and values. I mean what is the point of this exploration of westernized Muslims if all they are going to be is something the religion doesn't want you to be? What does this show, what sort of message are we giving to other Muslims and non-Muslims? When books like these normalise these sins that clearly go against the mainstream practices, what does it mean?
Now if you are going to say Islam isn't monolithic, I guess I can understand. I mean it's a faith that over one billion people follow, can all of us really agree on every single set of beliefs of Islam? Even within the community in Sri Lanka, there are differences. There is an internal diversity based on ethnicity, culture, gender and religious practices. But there is a line we do not cross. In a discussion of sorts with a friend, she said that with all the rubbish that we have to go through within the desi culture there are certain lines we do not cross. and we have to respect that. That's the issue I had with this book. How far gone it is with regards to religion. Especially when I read Farah's pov, I was confused because I assumed all three were Muslim but the way her story was being told, she didn't seem like one. And it wasn't until there was a part where she mentions Ramadan dis I realize that she is in fact a Muslim.
I do understand that the book was written with the author's own experiences, she grew up in a culture entirely different to mine, but the issue here isn't simply about the culture alone. It's about the religion itself being modified and westernized to suit their own standards. and then being portrayed like it's normal. So how can the others know what it really is to be Muslim? Because it simply isn't about wearing a hijab and avoiding bacon you know.
I also want to mention (just in case) that I myself am not a perfect Muslim, I have my flaws and sins and only God knows how heavy my scales are, but I am still learning, still growing and still striving to become a better Muslim, a better person. So yeah, that's the end of my review/rant. Let me know your thoughts in the comments (:
"Culture may make things too simple or too demanding; Islam is an objective truth that shows us what is normal and what is true. The truth may be simple or more complex than what we were taught by our culture." - taken from @thewonderofmercy
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