At My Mother's Feet: Stories of Muslim Women

Brenda Reed is a public services librarian in the Education Library at
Queen’s University.

In this collection of personal narratives, five Muslim-Canadian women
reflect on the ways in which their lives are connected to, as well as
directed by, their religion. The editor has included helpful contextual
information that adds to the usefulness of the book as a secondary
classroom resource. In her introduction, she recounts her story and that
of her mother, ties these stories to the situation of Muslim women in
Canada, and explains the role of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women
(which commissioned the book). A section titled “Historical
Background” features charts that present relevant statistics from the
1991 census. A section on Islam with a brief outline of the Five Pillars
of Islam is also included, and there is a glossary.

The women in the stories come from diverse backgrounds. They range from
the pioneer Amina Haidar, who emigrated from what is now Lebanon to the
Canadian west in the early 1900s; to Lila Fahlman, who was born in the
United States, grew up in Saskatchewan, and went on to help found the
Canadian Council of Muslin Women. Their stories are all told with
intelligence, thoughtfulness, and emotion. This readable book would be a
worthwhile addition to resource centres that serve students of Canadian
history; readers interested in biographies and religion may be drawn to
the book as well.