In 2007, the month of October was proclaimed Islamic Heritage (History) Month by Canadian Parliament. The aim of this month is to celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions made by numerous Muslim community members across various fields, including in academia, the arts, sciences, literature, and more!

To celebrate Islamic Heritage Month, the OISE Library planned a number of enjoyable and creative activities and initiatives. This included the display of original artwork and poetry by Muslim community members, an opportunity for staff, students, and faculty to colour in Islamic geometric pattern templates in the Unstudy Space, and a book display featuring the voices of Muslim authors from OISE Library’s Research, Children’s Literature, and Curriculum Resources collections. An engagement board was also created, where community members could share their knowledge about Islamic Heritage.

The Book Display

Book cover for American Muslim Women Written by African American and Muslim scholar, Jamillah Ashira Karim and published in 2008, American Muslim Women: Negotiating Race, Class, and Gender Within the Ummah is an ethnographic study that explores the intersection between race, gender, class, and Islamic practice in the United States of America. Karim explores the question of achieving unity – particularly sisterhood – within the Ummah (an Arabic term used in Islam to describe the Muslim community, transcending boundaries of race, gender, and class, and encompassing Muslims as one body of people). The study illustrates how Islamic practice, travel, and movement between South Asian and African American Muslim communities may challenge dominant racial stereotypes that exist in America, including the racially contentious attitudes that have been adopted by many in their process of Americanization. In further recommending action upon which the unity of the Ummah can be pursued, Karim’s research serves as a cornerstone in navigating individual and communal identities amongst Muslim community members in the West, and explore how they may diverge from prejudiced perceptions of one another.

Book cover for Mommy's Khimar Published in 2018 by Black Muslim author Jamilah Tompkins-Bigelow, Mommy’s Khimar is a picture book from our Children's Literature Collection that follows the story of a young African American Muslim girl and her mother. As she plays dress-up with her mother’s collection of colourful khimars and explores hijab whilst envisioning herself as a queen, a superhero, and a shooting star, the story revolves around the love and empowerment that the young child feels with her mother. Mommy’s Khimar works to showcase the warmth and joy that can be found amongst Muslim families, de-stigmatize hijab through beautiful representation amid contexts of Islamophobia, and explore uncommonly shared, yet highly relevant terminology to the concept of hijab. This story serves as a wonderful introduction to the concept of hijab for both Muslim and non-Muslim children, and is a celebration of the diversity of Muslim communities in North America.

Book cover for Night of the Moon Written by Muslim and Pakistani American author Hena Khan, The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story is another book from our Children’s Literature Collection, published in 2008. Featuring beautiful Islamic art, this book takes the perspective of Yasmeen, a seven-year-old girl as she observes the month of Ramadan in her Muslim, Pakistani American household. Through her eyes, the story speaks about Chaand Raat – the night of the moon – which occurs on the last day of Ramadan, the night before the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr. Taking both Muslim and non-Muslim readers on an informative, whimsical journey, The Night of the Moon highlights the origins of this Muslim holiday, how it is celebrated alongside family and friends, as well as the delicious food, heartwarming customs, and traditions involved in the process.

Islam, Beliefs, and Teachings is a curriculum resource published in 1992 by Muslim and Bangladeshi-British writer Ghulam Sarwar. In this text, Sarwar works to teach various core concepts of the Islamic faith. This includes the five pillars of Islam and tenets of the six articles of faith, his discussions of which include the many beliefs that Muslims have, an overview of the prophets of Islam, information on other significant figures and companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), information on Islamic economic and financial systems, as well as the duties that Muslim people have in their practice of Islam. Like the other texts included as part of this display, Islam, Beliefs and Teachings is a great resource for both Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike, all of whom wish to learn more about basic Islamic principles.

Artwork and Poetry

Introduced for the first time this year, OISE Library’s Islamic Heritage Month display began with a vibrant collection of artwork and poetry by local Muslim artists. It was essential for this display to center community voices where stories, experiences, and connections flowed through each of the pieces, giving the art a heartbeat of its own. The artwork collection featured a painted banner and a number of heartfelt poems. Below is an image of the poem Iqra by EeshathePoet, which was featured. The banner of this blog post shows an artwork made by Hafsah Syeda displayed in the library. Each of the pieces uniquely carried its own reflection of Islamic heritage and showed the diversity in how community members conceptualize Islamic Heritage Month. Together each piece added its own voice to the conversation, setting the stage for a closer look at the stories and expressions within the display.

Complete text of poem: Iqra ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ Read, ˹O Prophet,˺ in the Name of your Lord Who created— The first revelation was to think Iqra In a society so ignorant of the truth Iqra In a society that values the first headline over context; Iqra Not the history, or the facts but the next most popular hashtag Iqra I'm called ignorant, bigoted backwards Iqra The foundation of my religion was built upon the concept of critical thinking Iqra This religion was not created by a man, a blessed man who could not read or write but Iqra I was birthed and bred and fostered by the everyday fight against ignorance Iqra My first word was read; read and think so that you grow up with a mind like a weapon Iqra so that you grow up with a mind that is resilient in this society My people created and fostered the ideas your renaissances came from Iqra Against the jahilyya/ignorance of people who commit atrocities Against moral ineptitiude Iqra Islamic golden age, library ff baghdad, preservation of greek philosophies, the invention of medicine, the camera, the toothbrush, soap, so many things Iqra Everyday while the stereotype of uneducated other persists Iqra While you stare into the vacuum of the world wide web, eyes glazed Iqra Logical; Iqra If there is only one truth, and only one way to get to that truth, then Iqra The first word revealed of the quran Iqra Think Beyond what society has conditioned Iqra EeshathePoet

Further Engaging the OISE Community

Alongside the visual collection for Islamic Heritage Month, a fun and meditative coloring activity offered a quiet space for students to pause and unwind during a busy semester. The coloring sheets featured mandalas and geometric designs with a wide range of materials for students to use (crayons, pencil crayons, makers, etc.) and explore as they participated in the embodied practice of coloring. Beyond just coloring, the activity offered a way to connect with heritage on a personal level, allowing students to experiment freely as they brought patterns to life. It was also a welcoming introduction for students who were less familiar with Islamic heritage and Islamic art to explore the intricate beauty and symbolism without a pressure for it look a certain way. Similarly, the community engagement board invited students to share what they knew about Islamic Heritage Month by taking a post-it note and responding to “What do you know about Islamic Heritage?” and post the notes on the board. This board functioned both as a display, but also a collective reflection of knowledge, curiosity, and community dialogue as members of the community could read through the comments posted. Together, the coloring activity and community engagement board extended the impact of the visual display, offering students both a personal and shared way to connect with Islamic heritage.

Islamic Heritage Month at the OISE Library: A Recap