Sharjah International Book Fair: Sister Souljah opens hearts and minds through writing

Sister Souljah - born as Lisa Williamson in the Bronx borough of New York - is well known around the world for her books such as her memoir "No Disrespect" and her novel "The Coldest Winter Ever."

Pervasive stereotypes about Muslims in the West are "manufactured and promoted" by those with little or no understanding of Islam, according to famed American writer and activist Sister Souljah.
 
Sister Souljah - born as Lisa Williamson in the Bronx borough of New York - is well known around the world for her books such as her memoir "No Disrespect" and her novel "The Coldest Winter Ever." Much of her work is shaped by her experiences growing up as African-American in a world considered by many to still be gripped with rampant racism.

In an interview with Khaleej Times, Sister Souljah said that 'racism is a global system of power that is organized and maintained for the sole purpose of keeping millions of people, based on the colour of their skin, in an inferior spiritual, political, economic, cultural and social position for the profit, pleasure, power and privilege of a few."

"Racism is not a whim or a mood. It is a global system of power," she added. "Although many historians and social scientists were not surprised that (President Barack Obama) could not put an end to racism, millions of African and European Americans are horrified that it still exists and thrives."

One of her books: "Midnight: a Gangster Love Story", revolves around a 14-year-old Sudanese immigrant who, along with his mother and sister, settles in a gritty housing project in Brooklyn. Muslim and Arab protagonists, Sister Souljah noted, remain a rarity in American fiction.

"My reason for writing this character was that I felt there were not any novels in any library or bookstore anywhere that could be handed to millions of young men, particularly Africans and Latinos, that would help them to understand the meaning, challenges and necessities of manhood," she said. "The reason why I opted to have him be a Muslim man is because I believe that Islam and the Holy Quran offers al men and women the opportunity to understand how to live a decent, disciplined and meaningful life."

Sister Souljah's interest in Islam, she noted, stems from her studies of the Quran and her encounters with "thoughtful, serious, and well-disciplined" Muslim students while in university.

She added that negative stereotypes of Muslims - which she says are pervasive in America - continue to be spread by those who, more often than not, have never actually met any.

"It's like a lie that is spread from mouth to mouth and person to person. The more it gets repeated, the more evil and gigantic it becomes," she said. "Then everybody believes it, without any evidence or experience or experience whatsoever."

Through her writing, Sister Souljah said she hoped to do her part to dispel myths about Muslims or Islam.

"Art, including the writing of novels, has the opportunity to enlighten, inform and change minds, as well as shape new images, thoughts, ideas and feelings about all of humanity," she said. "Through my art, and the Midnight character in particular, I am, Inshallah, in the Western world, opening eyes, mouths, hearts and even souls to the beauty of true Islam."

bernd@khaleejtimes.com

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