Barakah Beats

Maleeha Siddiqui made her authorial debut with the 2021 publication of Barakah Beats. The novel is a work of fiction, but the protagonist Nimra Sharif’s identity aligns with Siddiqui’s. Like Nimra, Siddiqui is a Pakistani Muslim woman who grew up in the United States. In the acknowledgments section of the source text, Siddiqui explains that she “wrote this book for the Muslim kids who rarely get the chance to see themselves portrayed positively in stories” (283). Therefore, Siddiqui has translated her cultural and religious experiences into the pages of her novel. Through Nimra’s character, Siddiqui addresses young people like herself. In her author’s note at the end of Barakah Beats, Siddiqui writes, “Nimra and her family’s views on music stem from [Siddiqui’s] own personal experiences and preferences for how [she] engage[s] with [her] faith” (279). Siddiqui draws upon her life to write Nimra’s story convincingly and authentically. The narrative’s careful writing style is reflective of Siddiqui’s cultural sensitivity and work to create inclusive spaces in literature for Muslim readers.

Siddiqui has a background in biology and biotechnology. She continues to work in these fields while writing. The success of Barakah Beats inspired Siddiqui’s 2022 young adult novel Bhai For Now and 2024 young adult novel Any Way You Look.