LIBRARY
Meet the al-Azeez Family “Move over Dick and Jane. Omar and Malik are on the block now.” BY ISLAMIC HORIZONS STAFF
R
obert D. Salim, a resident of Northern Virginia, has seven chil dren and fourteen grandchildren. A long-time revert to Islam, several years ago this now-retired professional firefighter and train conductor noticed a void in children’s literature — the lack of African American families — and decided to do something about it. His “Omar and Malik Adventures” series displays the lives of Muslim parents and elementary school chil dren living their lives while interacting with a wide range of people and social situations. Islamic Horizons talked to him about his efforts to fill this gap. IH: What led you to start writing? RDS: I’ve always been a writer. I began taking a more nuanced interest in it during high school, when my English teacher encouraged me to take a creative writing college course. This summer class benefitted me tremendously in terms of creativity and learning about various writing techniques and styes. IH: Who is your intended audience, and why? RDS: My stories are directed toward beginning readers, primarily first through third graders. One thing that I learned during my school and college years is that reading is the core skill that propels people toward success in life’s endeavors. My books are directed toward everyone who loves reading: avid readers seeking to increase their knowledge, parents doing what they can to prepare their children for life and those who want to watch an Muslim African American family adhering to their faith while living a wholesome life that everyone can admire. IH: Are these stories based upon your experiences? RDS: The Omar and Malik stories mirror my developing nature of practicing Islam’s tenets and injunctions, all of which are concerned with the people’s common interests: worship none but Allah, be good to your parents and relatives, as well as the
Robert D. Salim
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orphan and poor, speak kindly to people, establish the prayer and give the prescribed charity. My stories incorporate all of these vir tues and more. I look at myself as a person who wants to contribute to building a better society. An African proverb states that “It takes a village to raise a child,” and one can plainly see that Omar and Malik’s parents are raising them to be good and devout Muslims. IH: Do you have any future projects in mind? RDS: Yes! I have two projects in the works. Once is a seven-book series for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and the other is two novels for adults. Writing for adults seems harder than I thought, however, for it involves coming out of my comfort zone. Time will tell whenever they get released. Who knows, one of them might be the next great American novel [he says with a broad smile]. IH: Can you explain your creative process?
