Lion on the Inside is the powerful and inspiring true story of Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a fierce advocate for basketball for all. As a young child, Bilqis excelled at basketball and was encouraged by her family to continue pursuing the sport. However, when she was ready to launch her professional basketball career, Bilqis was told that she could not play the game wearing her hijab because of specific rules around headgear. Desperate to play professionally and pursue her talents, Bilqis was put in the unfair situation of having to choose between her religious identity and her career.

Though she made the difficult decision to walk away from professional basketball, Bilqis, with the support of others, played a foundational role in overturning the unfair rule around headgear by writing letters and speaking out. Bilqis continues to have a lasting impact through her non-profit organization and other opportunities she engages in to advocate and inspire.

This book is a critical tool for the classroom as it offers many opportunities for cross-curricular learning. In Language Arts, students can write letters to Bilqis sharing their views around her achievements and advocacy. They can also be encouraged to learn more about equity issues in basketball/sports and write letters advocating for change. In Visual Arts, students can draw, design and create their own basketball jerseys. Students can learn about community helpers and the characteristics of role models in Social Studies. In Physical Health and Education, they can try some of Bilqis’s basketball moves.

Through the exploration of this book, students can feel inspired and motivated by Bilqis’s example and they, too, can seek out causes they are passionate about, and consider the actions they can take to make a positive impact in their communities. They can also remember, reflect on and implement Bilqis’s important words: “Sometimes the paths on our journey are difficult, but remember that we are making the paths easier for those who will follow.”

Rabia Khokhar is a member of the Toronto Occasional Teacher Local.