Channeling Allah in Books for Children

Odenton resident Julia Samia Mair carries around a big, colorful tote bag wherever she goes.

Inside is a stack of notebooks, scribbled with notes from research on everything from archery to the taste of peaches. But the notes all come back to one central theme: the messages from Allah and the Prophet Muhammad.

Using those note-taking sessions as inspiration, Mair has become prolific in publishing books for children featuring main characters who practice the Muslim faith. They are lighthearted and humorous tales, laced with simple life lessons based on the Koran and other Islamic texts.

“There aren’t many chapter books like this,” she said in a recent interview with Patch. “They don’t exist.”

Mair has written five books and a sixth will be published later this year. Her latest title is Zak and His Good Intentions which explores a young boy’s efforts to please Allah by doing good deeds. Mair is also working on a historical novel for older children. 

During a recent chat at a local coffeeshop, Mair declines an offer for a cup of coffee; it’s Ramadan, after all, and she is fasting. But Mair is hardly the stereotypical Muslim woman. Outgoing and free-spirited, Mair came to Islam late in life. Raised in the Philadelphia area as an atheist, she dabbled in various religions as an adult and was drawn to many aspects of the Muslim faith.

“I researched all the religions and was like ‘I’m a Muslim,’” she said. “I just knew.”

She formally converted in January of 2001, just months before the terrorist attacks that moved Islam to the front page of the news.
 
“I knew that what I was seeing on TV wasn’t reality,” she said.

Mair’s husband followed her in converting, and the couple then adopted twin daughters from China. Mei-Ying and Mei-Lin are now 10, and serve as two of Mair’s most critical editors.
 
“They will give me critiques,” she said. “They have very demanding tastes, and if they like it, I’m happy.”

Mair said she never had a lifelong ambition to be a writer. Her background is as a lawyer, and she most recently worked at Johns Hopkins in the the area of public health. She began dabbling in writing after being inspired by stories she’d tell at home. Her unique perspective has also led to a robust career as a freelance writer for various Islamic magazines, and she’s been able to juggle the writing work while home-schooling her girls.

And she’s kept a busy writing pace while keeping her focus on the messages from the Islamic faith. In The Great Race to Sycamore Street, Mair tells the story of a brother and sister who visit their grandmother in the country. Key messages include being kind to neighbors, respecting animals, and being slow to anger. In Amira’s Totally Chocolate World, readers follow the story of a girl who wishes for the world to turn entirely into chocolate, then to turn the world back into the way Allah created it.

“You are supposed to look out onto the world and ask ‘what is Allah trying to teach me?’” Mair said.