Islam, Trauma, and Memory

Mehnaz M. Afridi traces themes of faith and suffering faced by Muslims across geographical, historical, and socio-political context. Drawing on first-hand interviews, testimonies documented by humans rights organizations, and composite testimonies, this book complicates and contextualizes the narrative of the "wounded Muslim." This study pushes beyond narrow, racist vocabularies historically used to frame Islam and religious violence, approaching this history more as a wound than a political issue to be solved. Collating first-hand accounts from locales experiencing violence and genocide against Muslims, including Sudan, Bosnia, and Palestine, Afridi illuminates how a handful of believers navigate their faith in the face of brutality. Using the framework of collective and Muslim memory as cornerstones, this book balances the realities of violence for many Muslim believers with the potential for healing through religious community and ritual.