Threading My Prayer Rug — Sabeeha Rehman

Threading My Prayer Rug.
One Woman’s Journey From Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim

35 Memoirs Everyone Should Read
Readers Digest. March 2021
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SHORT-LISTED - 2018 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
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HONORABLE MENTION - Spiritual
San Francisco Book Festival awards- 2017
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TOP 10 Diverse Nonfiction Books: 2017
-Booklist
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TOP 10 Religion & Spirituality Books: 2016
-Booklist
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PRESS

ON-LINE VIDEO

5 Non-Fiction Writers Telling Captivating Stories
WIKI EZVID wiki.ezvid.com The world’s first video wiki
”…With humor and warmth, Rehman's memoir chronicles her journey from a Pakistani Muslim to an American Muslim, illuminating the joys and hardships of being an immigrant in the United States. The author reveals her struggles with maintaining her identity and heritage while assimilating, as well as with negotiating the ever-present threat of Islamophobia….” Watch & Read here

PODCASTS

Mommying While Muslim. June 2020
Topic: Muslim American Immigrant Identity
Discussion with Uzma Jafri and Zaiba Hasan
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Watch here on Facebook
Watch here on YouTube

We Are Just Talking About It. 2019
Interview: An Introduction to Islam for Non-Muslims
Nov. 22 - My marriage, culture shock in coming to NY, & the role Islam plays in my life. Listen here
Dec. 6 - How 9/11 affected my family and changed my purpose in life. Listen here
Dec. 20 - Is Shariah compatible with American law; and gifts of other faiths. Listen here

RADIO

WNYC FM. NPR. New York. November 1, 2018
Shabbat Hashtag Invites Healing After Pittsburgh Shooting
#ShowUpForShabbat
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WIOX FM. Roxbury, NY. August 5, 2018
That's What She Said. Interview with Melody DiGregorio
Listen here. #60: Interview at 45:27. Continue on #61. Ends at 35:56

WMNF 88.5 FM. NPR Affiliate, Tampa, Florida. October 20, 2017
True Talk. Interview with Samar Jarrah
Samar played Pakistani songs as part of the interview.
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Radio Interview: WCWP LIU 88.1 FM. July 5, 2017
Program: SELDOM SAID

Radio interview: WJFF 90.5 FM. March 1, 2017
WJFFradio.org
Scroll to March 1, 2017. Click on: Talk Shop. 7:00 pm
In right hand column hit play or download.

Radio interview with Dean Obeidallah, Dean of Comedy. July 16, 2016.
On Shari'ah
On Arranged Marriage
On Clash with Women's Rights

T.V.

Voice of America. Alhurra TV. July 1, 2018
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Voice of America. Urdu TV. June 7, 2018
Interfaith Iftar in a synagogue
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Voice of America Alhurra TV. June 1, 2017
Iftar at Village Temple
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PRINT PRESS

Long Island Weekly. Sep. 14, 2020
Impassioned appeal for Muslim-Jewish Unity
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Mid-Island Times. Sep. 10, 2020
Interfaith program brings Jews, Muslims together
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The Quadrangle. The Student Newspaper of Manhattan College Feb. 13, 2019
Sabeeha Rehman: Threading My Prayer Rug
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Toronto Sun. Sept. 27, 2018
A Muslim Woman’s Call for a More Harmonious World
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The Mountain Eagle. Aug. 3, 2018
Roxbury Library Hosts Prayer Discussion
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The Daily Star. July 25, 2018
Immigrant Author to Discuss Memoir in Library
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Catskill Mountain News. July 25, 2018
Author Speaks at Roxbury Library
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Chautauqua Daily. July 1, 2018
Rehmans Focus on Islam's Role on First Interfaith Friday
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Chautauqua Daily. July 29, 2018
Rehmans to Begin Interfaith Fridays With Islamic Perspective
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Daily Herald. Chicago. Nov. 15, 2017
New Interfaith Group, Daughters of Abraham, Brings Women Together
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East Brunswick Sentinel. Sept. 26, 2017
Author Chronicles Her Life As An American Muslim
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The Chautauqua Daily, July 24, 2017
Interview in advance of Author's Hour
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'Staten Island Advance, August 12, 2016. From Lighthouse Hill, a faith to move mountains',
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"Laced with lovable, witty, and wise vocabulary...It is in the last part of the book that the writer turns to discussing and implementing interfaith understanding and dialogue which are very much a reality of the day. That one masterstroke of penmanship and objective thought is the ultimate grand finale to a lifelong effort of understanding not only other faiths, but also her own. Dawn. Pakistan. Jan. 8, 2017
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Dawn. Pakistan. Jan. 15, 2017
"The “born-again Muslim” intertwines her affaire de coeur with America in a charmingly intuitive book...innocently loveable details..."
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Roznama Dunya. Pakistan. Jan. 15, 2017
The Urdu translation of the Dawn article of Jan. 15, 2017 appeared in
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ON-LINE PRESS

The New York Jewish Week. Nov. 22, 2017
Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, book reading at Queens chapter. Featured in sixth photo down.
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REVIEWS

Rehman’s personal journey is her own, but speaks broadly to all immigrant journeys in contemporary America. With so much discussion about immigrants from Muslim in the national conversation, it’s good to have a story with this unique perspective. . . . we see how she navigates American society, retains her identity and passes it on to her children and community, accepts becoming an American, modifies some of her traditions while manufacturing new ones, and enriches her own life and the lives of those around her—thus weaving her contribution into the fabric of America, and enriching the American tapestry.” —Booklist, starred review
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"Rehman’s spirited debut memoir illuminates the challenges of living an authentically Muslim life in America. . . .With sparkling anecdotes about everything from the “Christmas-ization of Eid” to engineering her son’s marriage, Rehman lends a light heart and an open mind to the process of becoming a multicultural “hybrid.”" -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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"A heartfelt memoir plumbs the multilayered experience of being Muslim in America. With a steady infusion of verve and personality, Rehman immerses readers in the traditions of a Middle Eastern culture. . . . Rehman's memoir offers a deeper understanding and appreciation for Muslim lifestyles while imparting a message of unity and international fellowship. A culturally rich and rewarding personal chronicle of ethnic faith and intermingled tradition." –KIRKUS REVIEWS
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“Rehman lends a strong and compelling voice to moderate Muslims, and her discussion of her faith and the areas she believes need modernization illustrate the different opinions within the Muslim community.”—Library Journal

"Threading My Prayer Book will inevitably receive plaudits, and hopefully many will mention Rehman’s astute, witty, and endearing style as she tells a story that began with a lastingly successful arranged marriage." Manhattan Book Review, ***** stars
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"Exceptionally well written and consistently compelling read from beginning to end. . . should be a part of every community library collection in the country” - Midwest Book Review
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"A warm, amusing and, for a Jewish reader, a surprisingly familiar story." - The Jewish Week
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TESTIMONIALS

This is a book I wish I had been able to access when I first came to the US. For too many in this country, as well as in South Africa, the country of my birth, we knew nothing about Islam until the events of 9.11 and then what a distorted view the media offered us. With her infectious sense of humor bubbling up from the pages, Sabeeha Rehman is able to invite us into a Muslim community, both in Pakistan and here in the US as she and her family adjust to a new and very different life— and yet, we realize through her great gifts as a storyteller, how similar we all are. Readers can see themselves in her situation as they learn about the customs and traditions of Muslim communities all over the world. We admire and are inspired by how she adjusts to situations both expected and unexpected with her own unique, energized and determined way. Her communities, both Muslim and American are blessed and enriched by who she is and we, her reading audience, are so grateful to see the inspiring and inviting tapestry that is created as they intertwine. Here is a great example of the real opportunity that America offers— one in which we can learn to celebrate our differences and at the same time, enjoy our similitude as members of the human family. I am so grateful to have read this book. - Heather Mendel, author of Dancing in The Footsteps of Eve

I can summarize my recommendation to you in one sentence: this is my 137th new book that I have completed this year and it is definitely in my top 10, maybe top 5. I am already planning to schedule it for church book club ... This is not a heavy or hard-hitting book, but that’s where its beauty lies. Like a prayer rug, it is only threads and backing- but the pattern keeps you staring and thinking and contemplating and that’s how the transformation happens. -Reverand Julia Seymour, Lutheran Church of Hope, Achorage, AK.
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Threading My Prayer Rug was the perfect way for our book-study group of Catholic nuns to begin learning more about American Muslims. By the end of the book we felt as if we knew 'Bia' and wished she were our next-door neighbor. The author's richly detailed account of her life provided what we needed before we began with a textbook on Islam." - Sr. Francene Evans, PBVM, Ph.D.

“Its content is even more beautiful than its elegant cover.” - Mustafa Akyol. New York Times Op-Ed writer

"...I wish I lived next door to a Muslim family. I'd like to get to know one...Read this book. Walk a mile in the author's shoes. Then buy another copy and give it to someone you love." - Katherine Santone-LaPorta

"...Bia has a wonderful, laughter filled voice as a writer...This is a remarkable read written by a remarkable woman that would build bridges where other's would build walls. Bia's words are beautiful and important and the story of her life is one meant to be read by everyone no matter what god you worship or country you call home." - Sara Fiori

ADVANCE PRAISE

“Funny and frank, acute and compassionate, this story of an immigrant ‘fish out of water’ who falls in love with her adopted American home is for all of us, and for all times—but current events also make it the story for this time. As Americans consider who they were, are, and want to be in the future, they could have no better guide than Sabeeha Rehman. I can’t imagine our country, or my bookshelf, without her.” —Susan Choi, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of A Person of Interest and My Education

"Coming to America is seldom associated with discovering one's faith-let alone Islam. Rich in exotic detail, Sabeeha's true-life story is funny, sweet, beautiful, warm, and deeply touching to any reader, who will note how much the heart and sould of a Muslim mother is like that of any other." —Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, author of What's Right With Islam.
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"Threading My Prayer Rug is a warm, wise, and wonderful book. Ms. Rehman writes in a wry and often humorous style that is understanding of human foibles yet gently pushes readers of all backgrounds to become fuller and more engaged human beings."—Rabbi Marc Schneier, author and President of the Foundation of Ethnic Understanding.
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"Take this journey on Sabeeha's prayer rug, and you will be enchanted as she vividly and beautifully transports you through rich and elaborate threads of a lifetime lived with love, intelligence, and compassion- an inspiration to all." —Ranya Tabari Idliby, coauthor of Faith Club; Burqas, Baseball and Apple Pie

"Sabeeha Rehman's prose resonates with intimacy, wisdom, and wit." —Sidney Offit former president of the Authors Guild Foundation and author of Memoir of a Bookie's Son

"Threading My Prayer Rug is a beautifully written memoir of a cosmopolitan and faithful Pakistani-American Muslim woman. It's recommended for all who want to have a sense of how the tapestry of American Islam is shaped by the contributions of a variety of Muslims, including those from South Asia." -Omid Safi, Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center.

"With anti-Islamic sentiments on the rise in this country, Threading My Prayer Rug is a refreshing look at what it is really like to be a Muslim in the US today." -Jan Goodwin, award-winning author and Senior Fellow at Brandeis University's Schuster Institute of Investigative Journalism.