Scope and arrangement
The Maryam Jameelah Papers, (1945-2000, 2.1 LF), includes correspondence (published and unpublished), manuscripts, bibliographies, chronologies, speeches, questionnaires, published articles, photographs, videocassettes, and artwork. Through her own correspondence to her parents and other family members, her Pakistani mentor, Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maudoodi, particularly those found in Memoirs of Childhood and Youth in America 1945-1962,Jameelah provides her readers with a candid view of her life as a young girl struggling with identity, and finding herself at odds with the culture around her. Except for one letter from her mother, published in the beginning of the Memoirs?correspondence from her parents, sister, and other family members are not found in these records
The Maryam Jameelah papers are arranged in four series:
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This series contains primarily letters to Jameelah's parents and family members over most of her life in the United States (1945-1961) and in Pakistan (1963-1999), (Box 1, folders 1-6; Box 2, folder 1). Whether or not all letters written during this period are included here is unknown; the bulk of the earliest correspondence to family members is published as a book, Memoirs of Childhood and Youth in America, 1945-1962.This material is an important element to understanding Jameelah's search for "her place in society," the development of her interest in Islam, and her decision to leave her homeland for Pakistan (Box 2, folder 1). It is unknown how much, if any, of this material is edited
Also included in this series are examples of some of her more recently published works on Islamic culture and reviews of other books (Box 1, folder 3), bibliographies of her works, with addenda, and a chronology of her life, which proves to be very enlightening in understanding the course of events in her life, (Box 2, folders 5, 6, and 7). Augmenting this is the collection of her correspondence with Maulana Maudoodi, her mentor in Lahore, Pakistan (Box 2, folder 2). These letters also document well Marcus' mindset, values, and circumstances before her move to Pakistan. They are in English, as the Maulana's secretary translated them for Jameelah, but the Arabic originals are included.
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The collection includes three unpublished versions of Jameelah's novel of a Palestinian refugee family. The first copy is hand written in a bound book, the second two are typescripts. An separate epilogue for the story was written in 1995, and added to each copy
The illustrations for the story are in a disassembled scrapbook, which includes black and white pencil sketches and color drawings, (between approximately 3x2" and 8x10" in size, Box 4) and a box of oversized pencil sketches (approximately 11x14" and larger, box 5). Additional illustrations were made later by Ms. Jameelah and bound in a scrapbook entitled, My Art Work from Childhood to Maturity, 1938-1957. (Box 6)
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The photographs consist of color snapshots of family members on special occasions such as the weddings of both sons and the engagement party of her youngest daughter. Also includes photographs of Mohammed Yosuf Khan's first wife, Shafqa Khanum and her children and family members, photographs of Jameelah in the early years of her life in Pakistan (black and white) and the visits of sons Khalid and Haider with family in the U.S.
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Includes two videocassette tapes. The first is of an interview with Maryam Jameelah at the Jama'at-e-Islami Headquarters, Mansoore, Pakistan. Zaki-id-din Sahib, Director of Islamic Circle of North America interviews Jameelah on how and why she left America, her conversation to Islam, and her life in Pakistan. Her husband and two sons are with her, but only husband, Mohammed Yusuf Khan adds any comment. The sound track is difficult to hear.
The second was made when Marya Khunum and Haider Farouq Khan and his wife visited grandfather Herbert Marcus the U.S. The tape shows a long visit with grandfather Marcus, and visits to Mamaroneck and Larchmont places of interest to the Marcus family, including the school and synagogue Jameelah attended as a child.