Love in a Headscarf, By Shelina Zahra Janmohamed Review by Nosheen Karim Özcan

‘Love in a Headscarf’ is a detailed and generous personal account of the highs and lows of the author’s journey of finding a marriage partner or, ‘garments for each other’ as the Quran describes a married couple. The book spans over a decade from when the author first set out on this quest and ends on a high when ‘the one’ is finally found. The journey highlights an alarmingly high number of undesirables from the plain rude, churlish and insecure individuals who consider themselves ready for marriage.This book is a celebration of love, albeit the pursuit of love is described as laborious it no doubt comes with rewards worth fighting for. It is a fresh, sassy commitment to finding the one in a sometimes regimented and clinical setting of speed dating events and formal gatherings with a welcome supply of tea and samosas.The dedication shown by the author’s pursuit of having an arranged marriage is a refreshing alternative to the perceived rhetoric about arranged marriages being for oppressed women who have no free will let alone any romantic desires. This book is not a unique experience to the author, it is common practice for women to voluntarily opt in for an arranged marriage. This book will hopefully further clarify what an arranged marriage is, as the mainstream perception ignorantly does not distinguish between forced marriages and arranged marriages.This book very eloquently presents the woman’s role in Islam and is speckled with quotes from the Quran which, support the argument that women have an extraordinarily spiritual status. This is my favourite part of the book. The following example is given; “The wife of Abraham, Hagar who is need of water for their young son Ishmael runs backwards and forwards between two hills to see if she can find a spring or river. As part of the Hajj, the pilgrims walk between the same two hills to emphasise that looking after your worldly needs is just as much a part of getting close to the Creator as acts such as prayer. The whole event of the Hajj including this part of emulating Hagar’s run between the two hills, is one of the pinnacles of spiritual devotion for a Muslim. How had the fact that it was in a woman’s footsteps that Muslims had to follow been overlooked in giving Muslim women their rightful elevated status”.The bulk of the book describes the authors laborious search and various encounters with potential suitors, and summarises with a happy ending in the form of a life partner. I admire the author for sharing her experiences and letting us in on her journey.