Canadian Muslim Writing. An Introduction (PDF)

Scientific Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Literature - Canada, , course: Englische Literatur, language: English, abstract: In the past four decades the literary reflection of Muslim life in East and West has been characterized by the West with skewed perceptions of Islam and Muslim existence.

The events of 9/11 and its aftermath have worsened the traditional negative and stereotyped perception and treatment of Islam. The consequence from this was a negative treatment of Muslim existence by Western and Muslim writers alike. Many novelists disposing of a Muslim background were and (still) are trapped in the negative notion of 'the clash of civilizations' which is so often embedded in many novels be it in the presentation of the characters or simply a negative portrayal of the Muslim world.

In contrast to many migrant writers with a British background who are labelled in terms such as 'Postcolonial', 'Migrant Writing', 'British Muslim Fiction', 'Muslim Narrative Writing' or 'Muslim Writing' American and Canadian based Muslim writers face a harder position since they are (historically, culturally and literarily speaking) not that deeply established as their British counterparts. This is partly due to the fewer number of writers and the shorter period of their literary presentation and a (logical) shorter literary tradition resulting from this.

Open questions emerging from this here are if critics and readers alike see Islamic English literature as being literature written by Americans or Canadians or if it is basically Muslim or Islamic?

It goes without saying that fiction is not only a reflection of reality but also a mode of tearing down the above mentioned stereotypes of Muslim existence as such. It is interestingly speaking matters of identity which function as key elements of 'Muslim Writing' in Britain, America and Canada a clear indication for the fact that treatment and representations of Muslims have not only been neglected so far but also offer a wide field of possibilities.