Girls of the Crescent

If we are selected as a winner, we will use the Elevate Prize funding and support to continue to broaden our impact internationally as well as to other groups who are underrepresented in literature. 

We have currently donated to eight different countries around the world. From France to Nigeria, children deserve to read books that validate their identity. The funding from the Elevate Prize will allow us to buy and ship more books to other countries around the globe. 

Additionally, we want to work with other young changemakers to adapt our project to help other marginalized communities. Libraries and schools aren’t just lacking in Muslim representation, but also Jewish, LGBTQ+, disabled, Native American, and other groups. We would love to empower young people with these identities to collect books with strong and accurate representation and donate them to schools and libraries. With the support that comes with the Elevate Prize, we can connect with inspiring people and collaborate with them. We can learn how to expand our vision to impact as many people as possible. 

In fourth grade, my sister Mena and I were given a project to write about an inspirational figure. As Muslim girls, we were excited to focus on influential Muslim women in history that we looked up to. When we went to a library to find books for our research, we could not find any about Muslim women. This experience stayed with us until three years ago when we read our first book with a female Muslim protagonist. We knew we needed to take action against the lack of representation in literature, so we started the nonprofit Girls of the Crescent. Our mission is to collect books with female Muslim main characters and donate them to schools and libraries around the world to increase diversity and representation.  

Our work addresses the need for books with female Muslim representation so that Muslim girls can connect to stories and create a community where non-Muslims have a greater understanding and respect towards Muslim girls and women. 

Our long-term goal is to impact as many people as possible with our donations. We plan on continuing international donations and expanding to more countries, as well as partnering with other organizations to increase our influence and community.

We believe that everyone deserves to see themselves represented in the books that they have access to. Unfortunately, most schools and libraries carry little to no books featuring Muslim girls and women. The issue isn’t a lack of availability of books with female Muslim main characters, but rather a lack of awareness of the existence of these books. Many teachers and librarians have not prioritized seeking out diverse books for their collections and do not understand the value of representing Muslim women in these books. This affects millions of children around the world.

Since our founding, we have donated over 1,000 books to over 60 schools, libraries, and mosques. Libraries and schools reach out to us asking for donations. We make sure to donate a suitable amount and age range of books and ship them over or donate them in person. We have donated to many places locally in Michigan, as well as to four other states, including California, Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and eight different countries, including France, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Morocco. We are also spreading awareness about the existence and importance of these books by sharing a comprehensive list of books with positive female Muslim representation. 

Girls of the Crescent’s mission of collecting books with female Muslim main characters and donating them to schools and libraries is one of a kind. The focus on books with female Muslim representation is not shared with any other organization or group, and we have built an original and recognizable initiative. Another unique aspect of our work is the strong connection we have with community members and leaders. For every place we donate, we strive to form a relationship with a librarian, teacher, or administrator that assists in receiving the donation. We take the time to talk to them about the needs of their school or library to ensure that our donation best fits its recipients. Because of this personal connection, they will often reach out to us after we donate with exciting opportunities to connect with the community even further. One of our favorite experiences was when we were invited to speak at our school district’s teacher orientation in front of all of the staff members in the district. We were able to do this because of our strong network with the schools and libraries that we donate to. 

Besides the tangible impact we create by donating books, we also want to raise awareness about the importance of these books and create a lasting movement where diverse stories are shared. We started off by creating a list of books with female Muslim main characters. The list started out with just 40 titles, and now we have almost 300 and it continues to grow. We do thorough research on each book’s plot, we read reviews, and we make sure that the representation in the book is accurate and not harmful. Our list is accessible on our website, where many teachers and librarians use it to actively diversify their own collections. We also use social media to amplify our mission and reach more librarians and teachers that may want book donations. On our social media platforms, we recommend books from our list as well as promote and support female Muslim authors and their work. Speaking to elementary and middle school classrooms is one of our favorite parts of our work. We are able to inspire the next generation to care about representation in literature and take action when they see a problem in their community.