How to Be a Muslim

Starred review from April 10, 2017
In sometimes heartbreaking and staggering prose laced with subtle and sardonic humor, Moghul (The Order of Light) shares what it looks like to hammer out an American Muslim identity. Amid depression and bipolarity, between being Pakistani and American, Moghul discovers that Islam is not a straitjacket but a free-flowing wardrobe of expression and being in which he lives as he moves through the modern world. The narrative, rife with pop-culture references and Qur’anic reflections, follows the author through adolescence and adulthood as he struggles to understand his intellectual heritage and the sometimes debilitating stress of being Muslim in a country where Muslims are always considered suspect. As Moghul loses himself and seeks himself, readers will appreciate his story as a second-generation Muslim immigrant, but also as a representative of the modern man: searching, groping, discovering, losing, loving, hoping, dreaming, and suffering. Highly recommended for its candor and relatability, this book will invite readers to fathom what it means to grasp Islam—and religion and spirituality in general.

April 1, 2017
The troubled tale of one man's search for faith and happiness.A self-described "professional Muslim," Moghul shares his life story, as a Muslim navigating his faith and a man struggling with mental illness, in painstaking detail. Plagued by health issues during his childhood, the author went on to an adolescence filled with intense angst. Both defined and confined by his religion, Moghul eventually found himself an atheist, of sorts. "I chose not to believe in God," he explains, "because, with Him out of the way, there was at last room for me." Circumstances changed, in a way, once he moved away from home and began his studies at New York University. Islam then became a common bond for community and a cause for which the author could work. He helped create a student Islamic center and was heading it up when the 9/11 attacks occurred, thrusting him into the world of media as a voice for Islam. Nevertheless, he was still detached from Islam as a personal faith and suffering from mental illness. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder, near-suicide attempts, a failed marriage, a failed run at law school, and a troubled career as a spokesman for Islam make up the remainder of the book. Moghul's work is certainly an intriguing case study in psychology. As for his tie to Islam, that is in fact just one piece of the puzzle, and the author's self-loathing permeates his life story, which becomes almost a caricature of faith-related guilt. "I felt existentially nauseated," he writes near the end. Despite some almost inevitable insights into life as an American Muslim, this memoir is, above all, a work of catharsis. Readers play the part of therapist, listening to Moghul's tortured story, which never finds a true resolution. Studded with some useful observation but fails to properly address the title.

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June 15, 2017

In this intellectual yet quirky memoir, Moghul (Order of Light) recounts his childhood and ongoing struggles with his faith while also candidly discussing health problems such as anxiety, depression, and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Entangled throughout is the continuing push and pull of his religious and cultural upbringing as a Muslim--and what it means to his identity. Though Moghul offers no simple answers of coming to terms with a more personal relationship with Allah, he explores his own relationships failings and struggles with a brutal honesty and a genuine desire to reconcile himself with the religious identity presented to him. Moghul's writing is a force to be reckoned with: intelligent, witty, and possessing the ability to reduce highly complex issues to simple concepts. While he sometimes wades deeply into weighty subjects, the memoir is infused with an entertaining stream of consciousness, making for a unique and enlightening read. VERDICT This personal account will appeal to fans of memoirs as well as those interested in learning more about the historical, geopolitical, and cultural roots of Islam.--Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA

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