Product Description

'At the age of thirteen, I knew that I was destined to marry John Travolta. One day he would arrive on my North London doorstep, fall madly in love with me and ask me to marry him. Then he would convert to Islam and become a devoted Muslim.' Shelina is keeping a very surprising secret under her headscarf - she wants to fall in love and find her faith. Torn between the Buxom Aunties, romantic comedies and mosque Imams, she decides to follow the arranged-marriage route to finding Mr Right, Muslim-style. Shelina's captivating journey begins as a search for the one, but along the way she also discovers herself and her faith. A memoir with a hilarious twist from one of Britain's leading female Muslim writers. Love in a Headscarf is an entertaining, fresh and unmissable insight into what it means to be a young British Muslim woman.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22911 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
'Her journey is at times hilarious, but also a rare and fascinating insight into what it means to be a Muslim woman. There has been lot written about the horrors of arranged marriage, but here you see it at its best. The process of going about finding Mr Right Islamic style is intriguing' --Good Book Guide, April, 2009

About the Author
Shelina Janmohamed is much in demand as a media commentator: she writes her own column in Muslim News and regularly contributes to the Guardian., as well as appearing on Newsnight and The Heaven and Earth Show. Her blog, Spirit 21, is hugely popular. She lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Grab your cappuccino & cookies!
I think I have found "The One" - I have fallen in love with this book! "Love in a Headscarf" is totally irresistable. I smiled, I giggled, I laughed, I cried, I gasped and nodded in agreement & recognition. Shelina has told "our" story - the story of the un-oppressed, queuing up at Starbucks, sitting next to you at the movie, sharing your office, walking past you in the street British, Asian, Muslim women who are so often ignored or mis-represented in literature today. It's the story of our real lives, our hopes and dreams, oh, and it's also the story of all the frogs we kiss en route to finally meeting our Prince Charming (who may, or may not, turn out to be John Travolta!). I urge you to read this positive and uplifting tale - with or without the cappuccino and cookies recommended by the author!

Excellent read, could not put it down!
This book is very well written and kept me entertained. Shelina's quest to find her true love goes through hurdles that are easy to empathise with being a British Asian Muslim and utterly believable. I read from page 45 until the end in one night.

The whole process of "arranged" marriages deserves airing because most people think arranged means someone else chooses your spouse and you just agree. This is in fact not the case and Shelina's book gives a great insight into the process and how it works. Ultimately the choice is with the bride and groom and noone else.

Funny, thoughtful and thought-provoking
This book is very readable, at times laugh-out-loud funny. It's thoroughly refreshing to read something that takes one beyond the usual cliches that surround Muslim women, and read about the genuine engagement of the author with her faith and culture(s). From the other side of the gender fence, many of her comments about the communities she writes about (Muslim and British) ring true, even if young Muslim men do come off pretty badly in some ways. That's because it's definitely not a man-bashing book, and the critique and thoughts the author advances are directed as much toward herself as anyone else. As a Muslim not brought up in a Muslim family, I would guess this would make a very good read for anyone interesting in learning about the human side of daily Muslim life without the politicised stuff that normally obscures it. It also makes good reading for any Muslim of whatever stripe who wants to be provoked to think about some important aspects of the fundamental rhythms and textures of our community - where they've come from and where they might need to go.