My Name is Bilal

Mobin-Uddin, Asma. My Name is Bilal, 2005, Boyds Mills Press, Inc.

Keywords:

- Muslim Fiction

-Religious Prejudices

-Cultural Diversity

Annotations:

Bilal and his sister just moved schools, and feel like they are the only Muslims in the school. Bilal struggles to find confidence in his religion and differences as other kids bully his sister for wearing a head wrap. Bilal's teacher confides in Bilal and gives advice on how to stay true to his religion and family values.

Grade Level:

- 3rd-5th Grades

Teaching Suggestions:

-Lesson of Religious Prejudices

-Guest speaker (a Muslim, preferrably for this particular book) to share how it feels to be hurt/attacked emotionally for having different religious backrounds.

-What the purposes of Headscarfs are.

-Why is it important to respect others' beliefs?

-What are stereotypes of Muslims? And why are they disliked?

-Has the War on 911 impacted thoughts and opinions on Muslims?

Misconceptions:

-It's important to address that ALL human beings are subject to bullying and racial judgements.

-This book has white boys as the villians, so it is important to state that not only white males cause hurt and make fun of other religions/race/culture.

Overall, My Name is Bilal, is a great book to share with students because it introduces cultural diversity and allows for a multi-cultural education. It is important for students to gain knowledge about respecting classmates that may have different beliefs. Just becareful to note that everyone can be subject to judgement and all can cause judgement. This book portrays only white males as the villians, so it is important to not offend the white males in your classroom.