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Safar: Muslim Women's Stories of Travel and Transformation: Travel and Transformation for Muslim Women and Girls
Muslim Women's Stories of Travel and Transformation is a beautifully illustrated gift book that explores the emotional and spiritual aspects of journeying.
Through a series of interviews with Muslim women from diverse backgrounds, Australian journalist Sarah Malik considers personal growth and self-knowledge in the context of travel. Safar is the Urdu and Arabic word for 'journey'. Whether it be travelling to a new country or a new locale, or how these experiences affect the way Muslim women perceive and understand the world, Sarah weaves together her own experiences of travel with the thoughts and feelings of women who share their own adventures and challenges. There are fascinating stories of love and friendship, as well as stories of how travel connects to roots, spirituality, confidence, identity, privilege and inspiration. Featuring stunning illustrations by Amani Haydar, this is an important and loving book that centers the experiences and perspectives of Muslim women, offering insights for readers of all backgrounds.
Through a series of interviews with Muslim women from diverse backgrounds, Australian journalist Sarah Malik considers personal growth and self-knowledge in the context of travel. Safar is the Urdu and Arabic word for 'journey'. Whether it be travelling to a new country or a new locale, or how these experiences affect the way Muslim women perceive and understand the world, Sarah weaves together her own experiences of travel with the thoughts and feelings of women who share their own adventures and challenges. There are fascinating stories of love and friendship, as well as stories of how travel connects to roots, spirituality, confidence, identity, privilege and inspiration. Featuring stunning illustrations by Amani Haydar, this is an important and loving book that centers the experiences and perspectives of Muslim women, offering insights for readers of all backgrounds.
- GenresNonfiction
168 pages, Hardcover
Published January 3, 2023
3 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 22, 2023
I rarely purchase books brand-new these days because I'm on a budget and have been burned too many times, but when I saw this book (and a positive review from a bookstagram friend), I splurged - especially because I am someone who loves traveling, and Muslim women travel writing is one of my new-found fave genres.
After reading "Three Centuries of Travel Writing by Muslim Women" and "Muslim Women's Pilgrimage to Mecca and Beyond" - and even Rabia Chaudry's book, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom - I was *really* hyped up for some deep, insightful, beautifully written Muslimah travel writing.
Instead, I got...... this.
Mediocre writing more suitable for a blog or bland Muslim Buzzfeed post. Despite having 12 "contributors", we don't actually get anything particularly special or in the voice of these contributors; we get bland snippets of interviews with them and their travel experiences, which somehow manage to be rendered quite dull in Sarah Malik's writing.
Rather than featuring rich, wholesome reflections of each traveler's experiences, we get shallow paragraphs that almost always end up fixating on equally shallow elements of "Muslim women identity" - hijab, race, post-9/11 feels, cultural expectations - with very little, if any, deeper considerations for the individual's spiritual connections to Allah and Islam.
To be fair, there's nothing inherently problematic about this book (beyond a VERY problematic take on the story of Hajar (as) in the beginning. It just... has no charm, no heart, no beautiful writing, not even a real personality. I wanted RICHNESS, VIBRANCY, DEPTH. This was the literary equivalent of cold fries from McDonald's.
I AM IRATE, I TELL YOU!
After reading "Three Centuries of Travel Writing by Muslim Women" and "Muslim Women's Pilgrimage to Mecca and Beyond" - and even Rabia Chaudry's book, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom - I was *really* hyped up for some deep, insightful, beautifully written Muslimah travel writing.
Instead, I got...... this.
Mediocre writing more suitable for a blog or bland Muslim Buzzfeed post. Despite having 12 "contributors", we don't actually get anything particularly special or in the voice of these contributors; we get bland snippets of interviews with them and their travel experiences, which somehow manage to be rendered quite dull in Sarah Malik's writing.
Rather than featuring rich, wholesome reflections of each traveler's experiences, we get shallow paragraphs that almost always end up fixating on equally shallow elements of "Muslim women identity" - hijab, race, post-9/11 feels, cultural expectations - with very little, if any, deeper considerations for the individual's spiritual connections to Allah and Islam.
To be fair, there's nothing inherently problematic about this book (beyond a VERY problematic take on the story of Hajar (as) in the beginning. It just... has no charm, no heart, no beautiful writing, not even a real personality. I wanted RICHNESS, VIBRANCY, DEPTH. This was the literary equivalent of cold fries from McDonald's.
I AM IRATE, I TELL YOU!
April 29, 2024
A non-fiction collection of travel stories from female Muslims.
The cover art is 100% the reason why I bought this book. The interior is richly decorated with portraits of the contributors and lots of other beautiful illustrations. I felt touched to see all the artwork of Muslim women who looked and dressed like me, creating a sense of connection despite never having met them. The colour palettes were also especially lovely with splashes of bright colours.
Sadly the actual written content of the book wasn't quite as engaging. It felt disjointed and kept jumping between the experiences of the various contributors and the editor's own reflections. I think a more focused approach, with one chapter per contributor and stronger narrative structure, would have allowed a richer depth of experience and insight.
However I do appreciate that this is an underrepresented genre in non-fiction literature. Not only is this the first book I've seen in a bookstore about female Muslim travellers, but it also challenges the judgement against this group of people travelling as explorers and writing about it.
The cover art is 100% the reason why I bought this book. The interior is richly decorated with portraits of the contributors and lots of other beautiful illustrations. I felt touched to see all the artwork of Muslim women who looked and dressed like me, creating a sense of connection despite never having met them. The colour palettes were also especially lovely with splashes of bright colours.
Sadly the actual written content of the book wasn't quite as engaging. It felt disjointed and kept jumping between the experiences of the various contributors and the editor's own reflections. I think a more focused approach, with one chapter per contributor and stronger narrative structure, would have allowed a richer depth of experience and insight.
However I do appreciate that this is an underrepresented genre in non-fiction literature. Not only is this the first book I've seen in a bookstore about female Muslim travellers, but it also challenges the judgement against this group of people travelling as explorers and writing about it.
March 27, 2023
Good travel stories especially to places that you mostly don't hear talked about. The writing type was a bit confucing (topic by topic with all the women's stories mixed), but I get the point of it. I would have preferred it story by story one women at a time. Still amazing book!
September 16, 2025
Loved this book! it could not have come to me at a better time. The experiences of these Muslim women travelling in the world, navigating ethics, identity and faith was such a unique perspective I've never read before. Appreciated the diversity of the contributors and their experiences. Also the illustrations were just gorgeous. Loved it and highly recommend!
November 27, 2023
Safar - the Urdu and Arabic word for ‘journey’.
This book explores the personal impact of travel through a beautifully collated series of interviews with a diverse range of Muslim women.
I found these stories of how each woman's experiences have impacted their confidence, courage, spirituality and strength inspirational.
Overall, these tales were uplifting in their discussion of journeys centred around family, adventure, and pilgrimage. But as with Sarah Malik's wonderful memoir Desi Girl, there were parts that were eye-opening, and confronting to read.
I adored these women and their openness about their experiences was utterly engaging.
For example, I laughed out loud when Yassmin Abdel-Magied recounted how her father warned her that if she was kidnapped in Paris, unlike the film Taken, he was no Liam Neeson and she'd be on her own! But I cringed when she told of a family in Switzerland who believed seeing a black person on the slopes was a sign of good luck. (She was much nicer about it than I would have been!)
Beautifully illustrated throughout, this is a short book that you can dip in and out of, or read cover to cover as I did. I highly recommend it.
***
Note that while this was gifted as a prize by the publisher, all comments are my own honest opinions.
This book explores the personal impact of travel through a beautifully collated series of interviews with a diverse range of Muslim women.
I found these stories of how each woman's experiences have impacted their confidence, courage, spirituality and strength inspirational.
Overall, these tales were uplifting in their discussion of journeys centred around family, adventure, and pilgrimage. But as with Sarah Malik's wonderful memoir Desi Girl, there were parts that were eye-opening, and confronting to read.
I adored these women and their openness about their experiences was utterly engaging.
For example, I laughed out loud when Yassmin Abdel-Magied recounted how her father warned her that if she was kidnapped in Paris, unlike the film Taken, he was no Liam Neeson and she'd be on her own! But I cringed when she told of a family in Switzerland who believed seeing a black person on the slopes was a sign of good luck. (She was much nicer about it than I would have been!)
Beautifully illustrated throughout, this is a short book that you can dip in and out of, or read cover to cover as I did. I highly recommend it.
***
Note that while this was gifted as a prize by the publisher, all comments are my own honest opinions.
September 16, 2023
I bought this book for three reasons: 1. The lovely, warm illustrations by Amani Haydar, 2. Susan Carland 3. Yassmin Abdel-Magied. I was not disappointed by either of these things but unfortunately the rest of the book was a bit of a snooze-fest. I liked Susan Carland’s experience of travelling with a baby/toddler and Yasmin’s experiences of travelling alone when she was really young. They gave some useful tips, but the other tips provided by the other contributors were generic and common sense.
I didn’t really know the other contributors interviewed in this book so maybe that’s why I found their stories a bit boring. I wish there were more entertaining travel anecdotes.
I found the layout to be unique; the author chose a topic for each chapter and then inserted snippets from her interviews with the contributors based on the topic.
Overall, it wasn’t that great but I soldiered on and finished it!
I didn’t really know the other contributors interviewed in this book so maybe that’s why I found their stories a bit boring. I wish there were more entertaining travel anecdotes.
I found the layout to be unique; the author chose a topic for each chapter and then inserted snippets from her interviews with the contributors based on the topic.
Overall, it wasn’t that great but I soldiered on and finished it!
November 10, 2024
Sarah Malik, a journalist skilled at interviews, here lets a dozen Muslim women tell of their experiences traveling, with emphasis on their personal insights and transformative changes. The book is arranged by theme--adventure, identity, inspiration, the politics of travel, etc.--and includes lively and colorful illustrations by Amani Haydar. (The book led to a diverting discussion by my book club on the day after the election.)
January 17, 2024
The writing was a little like the reflections a student does in the last five minutes of a lesson, eg) I learnt that... The illustrations from Amani Haydar were fantastic however, which kind of propelled the narratives along.
September 24, 2023
interesting women and valuable perspectives ❤️ thank you sarah for curating these stories
May 26, 2024
A very sweet and enjoyable book on travel and how it can change you, make you learn and that too being a Muslim women.
July 15, 2024
I understand it's like briefs of each women's life but I do think she explains the insights of each stories, I can relate
August 18, 2024
Charming. Both in terms of the anecdotes and wisdom tha travelers shared as well as the rich illustrations. Buy this book for the young readers in your life.
July 5, 2025
this book has made me want to travel soo much. my only gripe with this book, was the sudden perspective changes among the women. overall I still enjoyed it
August 14, 2025
Thank you, Sarah, for interviewing me! Amani Haydar's illustrations were beautiful. I hope that this book will be one of many, many books centering the stories of Muslim women.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews