Salaam, Love

From the editors of the groundbreaking anthology Love, InshAllah comes a provocative new exploration of the most intimate parts of Muslim men’s lives

Muslim men are stereotyped as either oversexed Casanovas willing to die for seventy-two virgins in heaven or controlling, big-bearded husbands ready to rampage at the hint of dishonor. The truth is, there are millions of Muslim men trying to figure out the complicated terrain of love, sex, and relationships just like any other American man.
 
In Salaam, Love, Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi provide a space for American Muslim men to speak openly about their romantic lives, offering frank, funny, and insightful glimpses into their hearts—and bedrooms. The twenty-two writers come from a broad spectrum of ethnic, racial, and religious perspectives—including orthodox, cultural, and secular Muslims—reflecting the strength and diversity of their faith community and of America.
 
By raising their voices to share stories of love and heartbreak, loyalty and betrayal, intimacy and insecurity, these Muslim men are leading the way for all men to recognize that being open and honest about their feelings is not only okay—it’s intimately connected to their lives and critical to their happiness and well-being.

Ayesha Mattu is a writer and international development consultant. She lives in San Francisco.

Nura Maznavi is a civil rights attorney, writer, and Fulbright scholar. She lives in Chicago.

Contents
 
Introduction vii
 
Umma: It Takes a Village
Soda Bottles and Zebra Skins —Sam Pierstorff     3
Mother’s Curse—Arsalan Ahmed     16
The Ride—Ramy Eletreby     21
A Grown-Ass Man—Alykhan Boolani     31
Who I Needed to Be—Yusef Ramelize     44
An Unlikely Foe—Yousef Turshani     52
A Pair of Photos—Ahmed Ali Akbar     61
 
Sirat: The Journey
The Other Iran–Iraq War—Ibrahim Al-Marashi     75
Just One Kiss—Maher Reham     86
AwkwardMan—Zain Omar     99
In the Unlikeliest of Places—A. Khan     107
Planet Zero—John Austin     114
How Did I End Up Here? —Arif Choudhury     124
Springtime Love—Mohamed Djellouli     133
Finding Mercy—Anthony Springer Jr.     143
Prom, InshAllah—Haroon Moghul     150
 
Sabr: In Sickness and in Health
The Promise—Alan Howard     163
Fertile Ground—Khizer Husain     169
On Guard—Stephen Leeper     179
Our Way Lies Together—Dan I. Oversaw     190
Echoes—Mohammed Samir Shamma     198
Becoming Family—Randy Nasson     212
 
Glossary     223
Acknowledgments     229
Contributors     231
About the Editors     237