The nicest characters in 'A Week in December' are, in fact, Muslims - and their religious devotion is one of the things that defines them.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I think lot of Muslims have gotten fatigued by the way Muslim characters, even 'positive' ones, are portrayed in the media.
All in all, we Muslims have only two holidays, and they're always getting moved around from season to season, from month to month, because we're dependent on the moon and not the sun, and unlike the Jews, we haven't created a leap year, so we have no Adar Bet.
Atheists well understand that Christmas is the most visible display of religion in the world, and that any diminishment of it is a good thing to militant secularists.
There are a lot of Grinches out there that would like nothing better than to take any references to religion out of the holiday season.
I write fiction that reflects Islamic logic: fictional worlds where cause and effect are governed by Muslim rationale. However, my characters do not necessarily behave as 'good' Muslims; they are not ideals or role models.
It's patently impossible for a Muslim character to represent 'all Muslims.'
The holidays are only holy if we make them so.
I think people, especially in the Muslim community, are rightly cautious any time you hear, 'Oh, there's going to be a Muslim character.'
I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another, it's about the Christian ethic, it's about kindness.
My characters are not role-model Muslims, but they struggle to make choices using Muslim logic.