BIDDEFORD — For several years, Diane Garriepy has been a member of the McArthur Public Library’s adult reading group. The group has read dozens of books together. Often, the members tackle a theme such as mysteries, historical fiction and memoirs.
In June 2009, the group read “Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America” by Firoozeh Dumas that deals with adapting from Muslim to American culture and the Islamic religion.
“I knew nothing about” Muslim culture, said Garriepy.
One book led to another, and as the group became interested in understanding the Muslim culture in greater depth, the library invited Dr. Anour Majid, the assistant provost for global initiatives at the University of New England and a native of Morocco, to speak on the subject.
“We’ve tried to improve our global knowledge,” said Roseanne Cote, another member of the book group. Through the books and Majid’s talks, “we’ve all been enlightened about Islam and Muslims,” she said.
Spurred by the interest of the group as well as recognizing that there were many misperceptions about the Islamic religion and Muslim culture among Americans, Sally Leahy, assistant director of McArthur, applied for a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the library.
The library was one of 843 libraries and humanities organizations throughout the U.S. to receive a Muslim Journeys Bookshelf.
“The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is intended to address both the need and desire of the American public for trustworthy and accessible resources about Muslim beliefs and practices and the cultural heritage associated with Islamic civilizations,” according to a statement from the NEH.
Participants in the program, developed by the NEH and the American Library Association, have each received 25 books, three films and a free year of access to the “Oxford Islamic Studies Online.”
“The National Endowment for the Humanities is delighted that the McArthur Public Library has been awarded the Muslim Journeys set of books,” wrote NEH spokeswoman Judy Havemann in an email Friday. “These scholar-recommended books are designed to provide 25 different perspectives on the Muslim world for readers who are interested in knowing more about Muslim cultures.”
The McArthur Library has already added to its bookshelf, located in the Henrietta Carroll Reading Room, with books on the subject already in its collection as well as books written by Majid that he donated to the library. Majid is also collaborating with the library to pick out more volumes for the bookshelf.
Leahy said she applied for the bookshelf grant because not only were many in the adult reading group ignorant about Islam, but several were vocal about their prejudice toward Muslims.
Majid, who said he is a critic of Islam, said he understands why many people have a lot of misconceptions about Muslims, especially after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001.
“It’s only normal for people to be suspicious of Islam since 9/11” and what they see and read in the news, he said.
Through his talks at the library, and around the state, Majid tries to explain how Islam affects believers and their culture and to make Muslim culture more relatable to Americans.
“There is so much negative information in the news about terrorism” and the link to Muslims, said Leahy. In addition, she said, people “have a tendency to be suspicious of someone foreign.”
Through reading the books and viewing films located on the new bookshelf, Leahy said she hopes “people will realize how much Muslim culture has to offer.”
“The bookshelf grant provides resources to libraries so that readers may develop a sense of shared history with cultures other than our own,” said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. “I applaud McArthur Public Library’s dedication to this purpose and am confident that it will utilize bookshelf resources to increase cross-cultural understanding among its readers.”
King, along with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced the award earlier this month.
The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is the first in a planned series of Bridging Cultures bookshelves to be awarded to libraries by the NEH.
“Libraries are centers of learning that offer a welcome space where members of the public can learn about the history we share and express different points of view in an ethos of openness and mutual respect,” said NEH Chairman Jim Leach.
Dr. Anour Majid will speak on Muslim issues at the McArthur Public Library, 270 Main St., on May 16 at 6:30 p.m.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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