Writing while Muslim: writer and activist A.M. Dassu on her upcoming panel

One of A.M. Dassu’s teachers nicknamed her ‘Zebedee’ - after the bouncing wizard from The Magic Roundabout Zebedee - because her mind just didn’t stop, and indeed she was already penning her first fiction at eight years old. After a useful apprenticeship writing for the Times Educational Supplement and more, her debut novel for middle grade readers, Boy, Everywhere, scooped up awards and ‘book of the year’ features - her follow up Fight Back was then shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie award. Having lived in London and Manchester, Dassu is now back in the Midlands, talking about her forthcoming event at Nottingham Central Library.

Born in England, A.M.’s heritage takes in Iraq, India, Burma, Pakistan and Tanzania. A bookish child in 80s Leicester - then a beacon of ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity - she loved writing, but didn't think getting published was “something that someone like me could do.”

In many ways Leicester back then was a welcoming haven: “we grew up using one community centre - Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims.” Withstanding prejudice and social pressures, the current situation, she reckons, is less positive: “Obviously it's down to perceptions, but I feel that people have dissipated…. Now you've got a Christian community centre, a Muslim one, a Hindu one…. No one really comes together - unless you're interfaith.”

So, what would A.M. say to those in Leicester and other diverse cities? “You're so lucky! It's a really special thing to live among people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Stay connected and do as much as possible together, as one community, one voice… Together you can literally change the world, one step at a time.”

Dassu soon moved away to study Economics in London, hitting various glass ceilings and breaking several along the way; she has spoken movingly in a Royal Literary Fund essay about how microaggressions in early job interviews inspired her to challenge prejudice. Not pursuing an English degree “was one of my biggest regrets, because I thought, if I'd studied English, maybe I’d have been published earlier. But my mum said, ‘What kind of writer would you have been? The experiences you've had, the people you've met… you wouldn't have written the books you do now.’”

Alongside a burgeoning career in the education sector and becoming a magistrate in her twenties, she was circling towards her true vocation. As the seed took root, empathy and a desire to make a difference pushed leaves outwards. “When I started, I wrote blog posts… I wanted to say, this visibly Muslim woman is just like you. She has the same hopes and fears, we aren’t that different. Then later I tried to show the same with the characters in all my books… They experience something extraordinary and through their daily lives you can connect to them.”

Dassu’s writing journey began to flower when she watched a film about refugee experiences - she was seized with the need to tell the stories of displaced people. Her passion lies in stories about shared humanity, and this led her to write for younger readers; Boy, Everywhere focuses on middle-class boy Sami, as he seeks asylum with his family in Britain following a horrific bombing during Syria’s civil war.

“Children are the toughest readers. Within the first two pages, if they’re not gripped, they're gone… It's a challenge, but they’re open to new ideas and they crave justice. They haven't made their decisions about people and life. It’s so hopeful to write for children. They give you hope!”

That desire to engage runs through Dassu’s work, including Fight Back, starring Aaliyah, who suffers a terrorist incident with her friends at a pop concert and deals with the racist backlash. “It was inspired by my son. A boy at his school asked him, ‘Is your God a terrorist?’ He didn't understand why anyone would ask that, and I had to explain where this perception may have come from. I felt compelled to show, we all have far more in common than what divides us. For people to know it's okay, you’re safe, there are many more like us [peace-loving Muslims]. Maybe you should get to know us.”

Empathy is so powerful - yet fear and prejudice can sometimes seem more powerful. Nevertheless, despite tragedies in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, and political divisions in Britain, Europe, and America, “I try not to lose hope… I remember how Aaliyah in Fight Back found her people. We’re stronger together. It's so important to find community, find the people who are speaking up, who feel others' pain, who want to see change. Always look for the good and don't lose hope. It's when you have hope that you're likelier to push for change.”

‘Writing while Muslim’ is running at Nottingham Central Library on Saturday 2 November, also featuring Farhana Shaikh (founder, Dahlia Books) and Anam Zafar (award-winning literary translator). Details are available from fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk

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