Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World

A great antidote to all the negative images of Islam and not weighed down by academic language, so highly readable. Although it paints a slightly idealised picture of young Muslims, at one with the modern world, it is a much needed work in these times.

This is a serious, engaging, and witty account of the real story about young Muslims around the globe that the media and policy makers are totally missing. Janmohamed begins with the story of the Charlie Hebdo killings almost two years ago and puts forward the position that for most Muslims such acts of terrorism were just that, criminal acts of political violence that ought to be treated as such. If one wanted to understand what is happening with young Muslims that is not where the story is really at. Far too much ink and air time is wasted on the problems of terrorism, which while being serious do not address the concerns of everyday life. Of course, there is a sense that someone who is a social commentator but also an advertising executive should wish to focus upon consumption. But that is also an important and realistic.What follows are a number of vignettes on elements of the way in which younger Muslims are making their world today, everything from halal branding, to styles of appropriating music, to fashion, to green consumption and the organic market, to Muslim superhero comics and much more. Mipsterz, digital ummahs and Sushis abound.In many ways this is reminiscent of some existing work both fiction and non-fiction done by Hesham Aidi, G. Willow Wilson, Michael Muhammad Knight, and Suad Abdul Khabeer's forthcoming work on Muslim cool among others.The work very deliberately references generation X and there is a sense in which this current crop of Muslim entrepreneurs, hacktivists, political movers, taste gurus are having a major affect on our world. But this is not to say that all these voices are explicitly progressive, reform minded or seeking to engage new ground. Some of the influential players are also deeply conservative. It is precisely the plurality - or perhaps the cacophony - of those voices to which is worth lending an ear. And critically as one would expect those defining the styles and ideas are as often women as they are men.While one cannot expect a work to cover all the discernible trends in the world today - and this is not a directory of Muslim cool - Generation M provides plenty of pointers and exciting ideas of what is out there and what we should be looking for as people who care about the world in which we live, who want to create better communities and societies, and want what is best for ourselves and the generations to come. In a world in which radical forms of populism seem to be on a crazy march to power, it is refreshing to see some alternatives of what until recently was much lauded - the dynamism and reach of soft power. As such those around Trump, Putin, Erdogan, May, Modi and many others would be well advised to have a quick peak at this book.

Generation M Muslims are the fastest growing and most youthful population in the world. Until recently ignored this book is a wakeup call to politicians, policy makers, NGO’s, businesses and corporations. Not only have Generation M grown up in the shadow of 9/11, they have grown up never having known the world without the internet or social media, hence Generation M, the M being for Millennial. The cover is an apt prelude to the subject matter. The book is written in a vibrant and engaging style, taking the reader on a whistle top tour of many aspects of young people’s lives, music, make -up, fashion, relationships and how young Muslims integrate, create and express their Islamic faith in these arenas.There are so many areas covered, so many insights into the lives of young Muslims across the globe that I was struck by the enormous and life affirming levels of creativity and engagement. The results are a glimpse into the world of a highly intelligent, educated and sophisticated demographic that will not be defined or contained by stereotypical Western media representations. You will be surprised; not just men, many of the major voices are women, not just conservative and certainly not predictable. Ms Jannmohamed rightly predicts the enormous impact Generation M will have on shaping the future global economy and indeed the future for all of us, and you need to take note.

This is a timely and really important work, in an age when most mention of Islam in mainstream discourse is tied with fear of radical Islamism, terror, war and far too often tinged with Islamophobia. Seeking to broaden this narrative and focus on the majority of Muslim people, Shelina Janmohamed has created a positive profile of some of the main players on the global stage - millennial Muslims, or, as she has named them, Generation M.In this study, she passionately paints the picture of what it is like being a young Muslim today, particularly a young Muslim consumer. In each chapter (that can be read as stand-alone essays), Janmohamed introduces and explains different facets of the millennial Muslim experience, such as the birth of a digital ummah through social media, Muslim entrepreneurship in diverse sectors such as fashion, tech and catering, and booming areas like the halal industry (and not just the meat one).Generation M is seriously readable, Janmohamed writes with passion, fervour and pride of the demographic she wants to introduce, regularly incorporating their voices through case studies and quoting their own words and opinions.As a non-Muslim, I also found it deeply informative (Janmohamed succinctly explains the Islamic concepts she then presents and analyses) and intensely thought provoking - dipping in and out since I received the reading copy I have learnt so much and confronted so many internalised assumptions.It's a fantastic book and everybody should read it!

Generation MA day doesn't go by when Islam and Muslims are not in the news. But, what does it actually mean to be young and Muslim in today's society?Shelina Janmohamed explores and investigates how every day modern life impacts on Islam, and vice versa.As a Muslim myself, I found this book really interesting and it's made me begin to question some parts of my own life. I think that this is a book that will be enjoyed by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. A brave, topical and highly informative piece of work. Thank you Shelina Janmohamed.I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. 4*