WASHINGTON – For Muslim girls growing up in the US, Hena Khan’s book on teen’s reflection on hijab in her life is a much-needed effort.
“One of the things I was very conscious of was the fact that Muslim women are in no way limited by wearing the hijab,” Khan told Anadolu Agency.
Hena Khan, an award-winning Muslim American writer born and raised in Maryland, uses her book Under My Hijab to tell the story of a young Muslim girl who observes the women in her life and the unique ways they wear the hijab.
She is one of the first American authors to bring Muslim characters to the fore in children’s books.
Throughout the book, full of rhymes and bright illustrations to inspire Muslims, hijab is used as a reflection of Muslim women personality, character, and fashion sense.
Khan believes her book helps Americans see a positive representation of Muslim women.
Part of the inspiration behind the book came from all the questions people would ask Khan’s friends and family who wear the hijab, such as ‘Do you sleep with that?” or ‘How do you shower with that?’
Throughout “Under My Hijab”, the young girl is able to see all the women she admires wearing the head covering in an external environment and then see them without it in their homes.
