Guest Post: Dr. R.Y. Abdulrehman on his indie press and newest work, Jinn in the Family

At Tuma’s Books, we seek out books that infuse rich cultural heritage in a compelling story because we believe that authentic representation matters. Reading culturally diverse literature can help us learn more about ourselves and others. It helps readers feel seen and validated and builds empathy. It helps us form connections to works and envision a fairer world. 

In today’s guest post, Dr. R.Y. Abdulrehman, a clinical psychologist, writer, and founder of Lead with Diversity Press, is going to discuss why he wrote his newest work, Jinn in the Family, a soft horror novel that covers important issues related to Zanzibar, and its history, people, culture and the revolution.

Dr. Abdulrehman's Bio:

A clinical & consulting psychologist, Dr. Abdulrehman applies his skills of creating sustainable change to leadership & diversity equity & inclusion. He has a broad & international portfolio of clients including Google/Youtube, Mastercard Foundation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Auditor General of Canada, and was a member of the Conference Board of Canada. He hosts a podcast on the difficult conversations of racism, called Different People. Dr. Abdulrehman’s work has been recognized by the Society of Consulting Psychology for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Consulting.

A TEDx speaker on “Resolving Unconscious Bias” and the founder of tesbias.com and livingwithracism.com, he believes insight of our biases can be the beginning of a resolution to systemic racism. He is an assistant professor with the department of clinical health psychology at the University of Manitoba and has held three visiting professor positions at Zanzibar University, the State University of Zanzibar and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, due to development work in Tanzania. He has previously served on the board of the Committee of International Relations and held the position of chair. 

He is also the author of the best-selling book titled, Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence. His second, third and fourth books are due out in 2025. They include, Movies, Miniseries and Multiculturalism; How Film and Television Helps Us Understand Culture and Social Justice, a novel about supernatural folklore from Zanzibar, entitled, Jinn in the Family, and an anthology of poetry by writers of color, entitled, The Poetry of Angry Black and Brown People. He was also listed as one of the 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans of 2024.

Jinn in the Family Synopsis:

Jinn in the Family is a haunting novel that blurs the lines between myth and memory, using horror to reveal how the past and cultural identity refuses to stay buried. Drawing on Swahili and Arabic traditions of the jinn, the story follows a Zanzibari family whose lives are shaped by an unseen inheritance; a presence that binds them across oceans and generations.

Set against the backdrop of migration from Zanzibar to Canada and the revolution in Zanzibar, the novel explores what it means to carry both culture and silence into new worlds. As the characters grapple with faith, belonging, and family secrets, the presence of the jinn becomes a metaphor for the histories immigrants cannot escape; colonial displacement, cultural loss, and the weight of memory that shadows even the most ordinary lives.

Both eerie and deeply human, Jinn in the Family uses horror to illuminate the immigrant experience; the longing to preserve tradition, the fear of assimilation, and the quiet strength of communities who endure by carrying their histories within them.

Why did you write Jinn in the Family?

I think the reason I wrote Jinn in the Family was a matter of survival - of the story of my people at least. As we watch the extermination of many people around the world; Palestinians, Sudanese, and more, we are also watching their stories be erased as mainstream media leaves out the facts. Though fiction, Jinn in the Family, is based on real historical events, and some real people. And it was my way of confirming, in writing, the story of our people, and the folklore behind us - yes, including the supernatural stories of the jinn. Zanzibar was a small country, now amalgamated into a larger one, Tanzania. And it was important to me to have the history of our people be recorded in a nuanced and interesting way. I also am a big fan of horror and jinn stories. My most favorite of such are the ones layered with real experiences and history. Having recently co-authored, Movies Miniseries and Multiculturalism (with a chapter focusing on fantasy and horror), Jinn in the Family was just one additional way for me to lend a cultural voice to that genre of literature. 

What do you want readers to learn about Zanzibar and its history, people, culture and the revolution?

What I have always loved about Zanzibar, is that this little set of islands and it’s people have a lot to teach the world about how identity is so intersectional. It is possible to be Black, Arab, Indian, Muslim in a single identity. When the world focuses on race, Zanzibar has always taught us about ethnicity, and the role of culture being the broader more stronger rope that binds us all together. And though to me, Zanzibar (at least what was described in Jinn in the Family) was more a time than a place, I hope the book informs people about places less known, and encourages a curiosity about not just geography but spirituality. I hope also that when people read about the “revolution” in Zanzibar, they understand that peace is a fragile endeavor that we must all work hard to protect. And how it can be easily disrupted by supremacy and colonialism as it was in Zanzibar. 

What does it mean for you that other Muslims and maybe even non-Muslims are able to connect with this novel?

More than understanding the history of Zanzibar, I would like readers to take away the messages of relatability common to us all. They include many things but most importantly these three things; (1) If we are not careful, racism and colonialism will divide us and not only will we be erased, but our death and our erased history will be done by other people of colour as we fight for the breadcrumbs dished out by those we have allowed to be come the colonial elite. (2) The jinn in this book can be taken as literal supernatural beings (which fits many Muslim cultures), but I would also like readers to understand that they are metaphors for cultural identity. That in many ways we as people of colour living in the Western world, feel haunted by our identities and often ashamed to admit it is a part of us, worried those from the White and Western world will believe we are silly, superstitious, less scientific and barbaric for believing in these old tales. (3) That though we must be stubborn in our identity, who we are, what places we call home, and how much we choose to identify for safety, can change in the blink of an eye. And so the one thing we must hold to greater than even identity, is a sense of community. 

What inspired you to found Lead with Diversity Press? How do you hope it will make a difference in publishing?

I’ve published Jinn in the Family under my new press, Lead With Diversity Press; an indie press focused on publishing the works of authors of colour. As someone who has published academic articles and two other books (Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence and Movies Miniseries and Multiculturalism; Using Film and Television to Understand Culture and Social Justice), and knowing other authors and academics who are people of colour, I know just how hard it is for many of us to be published. And furthermore to have our works published in our own voices without being edited. Though I have been fortunate with my academic publishers, I know many are not. I wanted to develop a press to ensure we lifted as many authors of colour as possible. In that attempt our first anthology, The Poetry of Angry Black and Brown People (or TPOT) published 41 authors of colour. The same publication will be donating profits to orphans in Gaza who survived the genocide. We at Lead With Diversity Press believe that it is important to lift the voices of people of colour both through literature and through social efforts and charities, like Islamic Relief, who we will be donating to and who is helping us promote the book to raise funds for charity. 

Thank you for so much for sharing your work with me, Dr. Abdulrehman! Visit Tuma's Books to purchase Jinn in the Family and The Poetry of Angry Black and Brown People.