Passing Through the Dream

Passing through the dream is a collection of short stories by Rebecca Masterton blending esoteric Islam with the culture of Western Europe; meeting the twenty-first century with humour and hope.
Beginning with Donald Rumsfeld’s conversion to Islam after he is taken for a visit to the spirit realm, these short stories overturn the tired stereotypes and rigid definitions of what many imagine to be the scenario of ‘Islam and the West’ today. We find ourselves in a world where Muslims of the spiritual path avoid commenting on the political; and Muslims of the political path have no time for the spiritual. Secular literature has become the platform for a critique on the Islamic way of life; classical Islamic texts do not always reach English-speaking readers.
These stories blend spirituality and politics; they are written both from within the secular literary tradition and the Islamic tradition; they open a window to the inner realms of experience for all readers, of all backgrounds. Below are some snippets from Masterton’s new book which signals the “coming of age” of Islam in the West by slowly producing indigenous literature.