Peeking Inside TikTok’s Quran Book Club

Aurora is not alone on their path from outrage at Israel to curiosity about the Quran. A search on TikTok for the phrase “Quran Book Club” reveals a whole mini-movement of young Americans—mostly women—who have started reading the Quran and are actively converting to Islam or considering doing so. Some of the new converts are donning hijabs. Others are not. Some are running to their local mosques. Others are doing this all online. Many come from the progressive vanguard of the American left and many others are ex-Christians. Despite this diversity, however, one thing seems to unite them all: Their decision to convert is rooted in their political feelings about Israel and Palestine. Their profiles are decked out with Palestinian flags and watermelon emojis. They are more likely to talk about decolonization than they are about dua.