Customer Reviews

Muhajababes

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Although this book is very much promoted as an examination of Muslim youth, in many respects it is far more about the social pressure, religious and political winds and cultural tensions to which young people are more subjects than those who define their lives on their own terms. As a result, a good chunk of Muhajababes is dedicated to the adults whose visions are influencing the young. Stratton does a spectacular job of digging into these adults' mindsets, be they conservative jihadis, feel-good moderates or well-heeled liberals.

Stratton also does a good job of bringing to a larger audience the alternate religious universe created for youth by these adults. Whether it is the video games aimed at glorifying nationalist fantasies and counteracting Western entertainment or Muslim leaders exhorting followers to gain wealth as a demonstration of Allah's greatness, starkly different versions of Islam are pitched to appeal to youth in ways the casual reader probably would never otherwise know about.

The author will most certainly be criticized in this telling of Muslim youth life over what seems to be a lot of focus on largely middle- and upper-class Muslims, many of whom who have access to education, media and power that the poor do not. Indeed, it is difficult to ascertain how representative the Muslim youth culture Stratton presents is to the global Muslim experience. Let there be no question, however, that she has actively sought major cultural players for this book, and, in sharing a behind-the-scenes look at this generational shift, her work succeeds on many levels.

There are many good points about this book. However, when the editor confuses "peak" with "peek," bookends an activity with "at random," or allows "the morning after the night before," it makes it difficult to read.

I like the topic for the book. But the writing is very sketchy.

SOmetimes the book reads like a magazine article thats over written and padded. Other times the book reads like a boring diary. Basically its a mess. Most of of the writing has this detached mediocre dull tone that reminds me of books Ive read from intelligence officers. I wonder if the author is an intelligence officer of some kind.

I picked up this book thinking it said Muhajabees (Muslim women who wear the veil). It sat on my shelf a few weeks before I made time to read it, and I found the book referred to Muhaja-BABES which is apparently a new term for hotties who dress cute/high fashion and wear the veil (aka hijab).

I found it insightful and amusing as the book attempts to peer inside the daily lives and thoughts of Muslim youth in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. While I do not necessarily like the term muhajababes, it was funny and seemingly fitting to the story.

I have recommended this book to my non-Muslim friends who are curious about the lives of young Muslims who are negotiating their roles in the modern, stylish, commercial world between spiritual and worldly.

Having done a lot of research online about Muhajabat, or Muslim girls who veil, I bought this book thinking it was a collection of individual stories from many lands on the topic of religion, tradition and modernity. Instead, it was a boring, hard to understand book. In fact, the style of writing is brusque and unrefined and though I tried to skip ahead to make sure I gave this book a good chance, it was just dreadful.