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Sabeeha Rehman

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Sabeeha Rehman is a Pakistani-American author and podcaster on American Muslim identity and interfaith relations. She is known for Threading My Prayer Rug: One Woman’s Journey From Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim (2016) and We Refuse to be Enemies: How Muslims and Jews Can Make Peace, One Friendship at a Time (with Walter Ruby, 2021).

Background

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Rehman came to the United States from Pakistan in the 1970s through an arranged marriage to her husband, Khalid, an oncologist.[1] Rehman worked as a hospital executive in New Jersey before embarking on her literary career.[1] Seeking resources to provide Muslim education for their children led Rehman to explore questions of American Muslim identity and ultimately interfaith dialogue.[2]

Career

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Rehman's first book, Threading My Prayer Rug, described the culture shock she experienced on arrival to the United States.[3] Toronto Sun reviewer Farzana Hassan commended the book's tracing of how Rehman came to love America and forge her American Muslim identity, while coping with a society that views Muslims with suspicion.[4] Hassan disputed Rehman's characterization of jihad as "an innocuous defensive or inner struggle", citing Hassan's own book The Case Against Jihad, concluding that on balance, Rehman's outlook is "refreshingly inclusive".[4] Threading My Prayer Rug made Booklist’s Top 10 Diverse Nonfiction Books of 2017[5] and was short-listed for the 2018 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing.[3][6][7]

While trying to instill in her children a Muslim identity with little peer support, Rehman sought advice from a Jewish friend, calling this “minorities reaching out to minorities”.[3] Rehman's interfaith work has included appearances with the co-author of her second book, We Refuse to be Enemies, Walter Ruby. During such presentations, she has highlighted principles which are shared between Islam and Judaism: "If one life is saved, then all of humanity is saved. If one life is destroyed, then all lives are destroyed. Welcome the stranger. Help those most in need. Stand up for each other."[8]

Rehman's third book It’s Not What You Think: An American Woman in Saudi Arabia covered the six years she and her husband spent in Riyadh.[1] Her 2024 play The Pakistani Bride, a fictionalized drama, depicted cultural pressures around love marriage in Pakistan.[2] Rehman's op-eds have appeared in the Baltimore Sun,[9][10][11] Wall Street Journal,[12][13][14][15][16] Newsweek,[17] and New York Daily News.[18][19]

Works

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  • Threading My Prayer Rug: One Woman’s Journey From Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim, Arcade Publishing, 2016.[20]
  • We Refuse to be Enemies: How Muslims and Jews Can Make Peace, One Friendship at a Time (with Walter Ruby), Arcade Publishing, April 2021.[21]
  • It’s Not What You Think: An American Woman in Saudi Arabia, Arcade Publishing, 2022.
  • The Pakistani Bride (2024 play)[2]

Personal life

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Rehman served as president of the New York Metro chapter of the National Autism Association (NAANYC).[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Conversation with Sabeeha Rehman, Author of It's Not What You Think:…". St. Francis College. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  2. ^ a b c Talbot, Mary Lee (2024-07-18). "Sabeeha Rehman's 'The Pakistani Bride' to have Chautauqua premiere today in Hurlbut". The Chautauquan Daily. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  3. ^ a b c Quadrangle, The (2019-02-13). "Sabeeha Rehman: "Threading My Prayer Rug"". The Quadrangle. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  4. ^ a b Hassan, Farzana (2018-09-27). "HASSAN: A Muslim woman's call for a more harmonious world". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  5. ^ "Top 10 Diverse Nonfiction: 2017, by Donna Seaman". Booklist Online. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  6. ^ "2018 Shortlist.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  7. ^ "Prize Winners". Saroyan Prize. 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  8. ^ Beedie, Ariana; Documenters, Indy (2024-02-21). "Indy Documenters: This is a difficult time for both Muslims and Jews". Mirror Indy. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  9. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha; Ruby, Walter (2023-11-07). "American Muslims and Jews must stand together amid tragedies in Middle East". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  10. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha; Ruby, Walter (2021-05-28). "COMMENTARY". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  11. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (2021-10-05). "With the Taliban in charge, what will happen to Afghanistan's women?". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  12. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (July 7, 2016). "My Muslim Christmas in July". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  13. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (September 8, 2016). "Memories of the Hajj, From Mother to Son". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  14. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (June 22, 2017). "Ramadan, American Style". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  15. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha; Ruby, Walter (April 22, 2021). "Biden's Refugee Decision is a Moral One". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  16. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (August 8, 2019). "The Meaning of Mecca". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  17. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (2022-10-08). ""I'm American, I felt at peace living in Saudi Arabia"". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  18. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (2021-07-11). "Let women make the Hajj: Half of Muslims pilgrims are unjustly limited". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  19. ^ Rehman, Sabeeha (2021-04-22). "Ramadan in the age of COVID: A personal snapshot". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  20. ^ Reviews of Threading My Prayer Rug:
  21. ^ Reviews for We Refuse to be Enemies:
  22. ^ Bode, Nicole (2010-02-18). "Autism Reported in High Numbers, but Manhattan Parents Still Grasp for Understanding". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
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