Muhajababes: Meet the New Middle East - Cool, Sexy and Devout

By Allegra Stratton

Two thirds of the population in the Middle East are under 25 years old and, though many now have university degrees, there aren't enough jobs to go round. They're having a collective quarter-life... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845294270
• ISBN13: 9781845294274
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Constable & Robinson
• Length: 281 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Far-reaching implications

Although this book is very much promoted as an examination of Muslim youth, in many respects it is far more about the social pressure, religious and political winds and cultural tensions to which young people are more subjects than those who define their lives on their own terms. As a result, a good chunk of Muhajababes is dedicated to the adults whose visions are influencing the young. Stratton does a spectacular job of digging into these adults' mindsets, be they conservative jihadis, feel-good moderates or well-heeled liberals. Stratton also does a good job of bringing to a larger audience the alternate religious universe created for youth by these adults. Whether it is the video games aimed at glorifying nationalist fantasies and counteracting Western entertainment or Muslim leaders exhorting followers to gain wealth as a demonstration of Allah's greatness, starkly different versions of Islam are pitched to appeal to youth in ways the casual reader probably would never otherwise know about. The author will most certainly be criticized in this telling of Muslim youth life over what seems to be a lot of focus on largely middle- and upper-class Muslims, many of whom who have access to education, media and power that the poor do not. Indeed, it is difficult to ascertain how representative the Muslim youth culture Stratton presents is to the global Muslim experience. Let there be no question, however, that she has actively sought major cultural players for this book, and, in sharing a behind-the-scenes look at this generational shift, her work succeeds on many levels.