120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Don't forget today is Father's Day! Our Auckland Bookstore is open 8:30am-5:00pm 📚🎉

It's Not About the Burqa

Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality and Race
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
It's Not About the Burqa is a compelling collection of essays by twenty Muslim women who speak candidly about their diverse experiences. Challenging stereotypes and misconceptions, the book explores themes including the hijab, faith, love, divorce, queer identity, community pressures, racism, and the intersection of Islam and feminism. These essays are intimate, passionate, and unfiltered, offering a multifaceted view of Muslim women's lives beyond the common monolith.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3099
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will resonate with readers interested in contemporary social issues, feminism, and cultural diversity, especially those seeking to understand the nuanced voices of Muslim women. It is suitable for adults and young adults keen on essays that challenge stereotypes and explore identity, religion, and social justice.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

When was the last time you heard a Muslim woman speak for herself without a filter?

When was the last time you heard a Muslim woman speak for herself without a filter?

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

When was the last time you heard a Muslim woman speak for herself without a filter?

It's Not About the Burqa started life when Mariam Khan read about the conversation in which David Cameron linked the radicalisation of Muslim men to the 'traditional submissiveness' of Muslim women. Mariam felt pretty sure she didn't know a single Muslim woman who would describe herself that way. Why was she hearing about Muslim women from people who were demonstrably neither Muslim nor female?

Taking one of the most politicised and misused words associated with Muslim women and Islamophobia, It's Not About the Burqa has something to say: twenty Muslim women speaking up for themselves. Here are essays about the hijab and wavering faith, about love and divorce, about queer identity, about sex, about the twin threats of a disapproving community and a racist country, and about how Islam and feminism go hand in hand. Funny, warm, sometimes sad, and often angry, each of these essays is a passionate declaration, and each essay is calling time on the oppression, the lazy stereotyping, the misogyny and the Islamophobia.

It's Not About the Burqa doesn't claim to speak for a faith or a group of people, because it's time the world realised that Muslim women are not a monolith. It's time the world listened to them.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

An incredibly important and landmark anthology, praised for being passionate, angry, nuanced and utterly compelling (Nikesh Shukla) as well as wide-ranging, engrossing and fascinating (The Observer). The essays are frank and engaging on topics such as sex, religion, mental health, and queer identity, making this book essential reading for our times (Kiran Millwood Hargrave). Described as intelligent, much needed, and refreshing, insightful and occasionally raw, it is required reading to push past stereotypes surrounding Muslim women.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509886425

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 February 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Picador

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 180g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Mariam Khan is an intersectional feminist, diversity-in-books pusher and freelance writer. She is the editor of It's Not About the Burqa, an anthology of essays by Muslim women.

More from Science & Nature

View all
  • Raising Hare
    THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE HATCHARDS AND BIOGRAPHERS' CLUB FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE HAY FESTIVAL, SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, SPECTATOR AND iNEWS 'A beautiful book' - ANGELINA JOLIE 'I...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    19% off
    What If? 10th Anniversary Edition
    CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF THE MILLION-SELLING POP SCIENCE CLASSIC WITH A SPECIAL EDITION. THIS IS WHAT IF? . . . x10. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Nerd royalty' — BEN GOLDACRE 'Totally brilliant' — TIM HARFORD 'Required reading across the world' — NEW YORK TIMES From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, experience hilarious and informative answers to important questions...
    Hardback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Anxious Generation
    A powerful argument for reclaiming childhood—and all human relationships—from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spaces—communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Ultra-Processed People
    Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Sapiens
    Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Invisible Women
    Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is a groundbreaking and meticulously researched exploration into the pervasive gender bias that infiltrates every aspect of our society. Through compelling case studies and thorough analysis, this book unveils the hidden ways women are systematically disadvantaged in a world predominantly designed by and for men. Perez's revelations stretch across various sectors including government policy,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Talk
    A Harvard professor shows how we can become better talkers - and why effective conversation will help us all thrive. Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making, but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known. In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Clean & Green
    Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. Learn how easy it is to make simple swaps in your cleaning and tidying methods for a more eco-friendly home. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that...
    Paperback
    $2999
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Genetic Book of the Dead
    From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...
    Hardback
    $4900
    Elsewhere:
    $5499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    16% off
    The Coming Wave
    The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the ultimate AI insider - the only book you need to read on this subject. An Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, Prospect and Sunday Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year This is the only book you need to understand our new world - from the...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Breath
    Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Tiny Experiments
    'A compelling new take on a timeless concern' - CAL NEWPORT 'I loved this profound, practical and generous book' - OLIVER BURKEMAN We're told productivity is all about single-minded focus, hard grind and big goals. Deviating from the linear path means failure. The problem: it's not true. In this transformative book, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff reveals the easier,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.