As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, I didn't fully enjoy "The Great Mouse Detective" (much less become the "rabid" fan of it that I am today) until I saw the movie for the first time in what must have been nearly a decade, during the very memorable week of Spring Break 2004. In the months leading up to that event, however--starting with (I think) January or February of 2003, if not earlier--I became interested in GMD (despite the fact that, at the time, I felt it was a "horrible" movie & I hated it--there's a long story behind that) & began cultivating a growing passion for the film & its characters.

At the same time, I was also becoming fascinated with online fanfiction (due to numerous visits to Animated Lust & Fanfiction.net), & throughout all of 2003 & 2004, I worked on my (poor) attempts at writing GMD fan-stories, which not only featured the canon cast of the movie, but plenty of new characters, as well. Unfortunately, many of these "new characters" were either parodies of characters from pre-existing movies or TV shows (ex., the Krust Cousins from MLAATR, Madeleine & Sarousch from THOND2) or rip-offs of GMD fanfic characters created by other writers (e.g., Jenny Ratigan, Elizabeth Starling). One of the first (if not the first) completely-original characters I created for my GMD stories, however, was none other than Mumtaz Muhammed.

The idea for Mumtaz Muhammed first came to me in a picture I drew & colored in (circa early 2002) as an illustration for one of the many fantasies that played in my head during the months of my preliminary obsession with GMD. In the picture, Olivia Flaversham (dressed in a poor combination of her two main outfits from the movie) was standing with a young girl mouseling around her size, dressed in a beautiful golden outfit & sandals, with fuschias in her hair. In the background of the picture, the mouse teacher (who would later become Mrs. Sanchez) was smiling as she watched them from her desk, & on the left side of the drawing, there was a chalkboard with the second mouseling's name written on it: Mumtaz Muhammed. (As I recall, the prename & surname for the character of Mumtaz were chosen randomly, from the Indian princess Mumtaz Mahal [for whom the Taj Mahal was built] & the famed Islamic prophet Muhammed.) Though the idea did not occur to at the time I first drew her likeness, I eventually decided (in early 2003) to make Mumtaz Muhammed an official member of the original GMD Fanfic Cast.

The first story (or rather, the idea for the first story) Mumtaz was supposed to appear in was the earliest version of what is now the "Baker Street Family Chronicles" chapter "Cinnamon Mouse"; the preliminary draft of the tale (formerly entitled "The New Girl In School", later "...Town" ), introduced Mumtaz Muhammed & her family (her father Moshe & her sister Yasmin) to the world of GMD. "The New Girl In School" was essentially a rip-off of the "Hey, Arnold!" episode "Miss Perfect" (with characters & elements from "My Life As A Teenage Robot" blended in) & followed a similar storyline--a new girl from another town moved in & joined the school where all the main characters were, only to be belittled & bullied by a group of jealous girls who couldn't stand to have her around...that is, until they discovered that the new girl was dirt-poor & lived with her broken family in a dilapidated apartment on the bad side of town.

Unlike "Miss Perfect", however, "The New Girl In School" had some original twists to its storyline, in addition to the numerous parallels it shared with its "mother" TV episode. For starters, Mumtaz not only moved to Mouse London from another town, but she moved in from another country; it was revealed during the story that Mumtaz & her family (or what was left of it) were Middle-Eastern refugees who had fled to England from Afghanistan to escape oppression & the wrath of the Taliban War (which, by the way, was a result of me advancing the GMD fanfic timeline to 2003--that's another story in itself). Mumtaz's mother was unfortunately killed before she could escape to safety with her husband & daughters, & only adding to her loved ones' misfortunes were Moshe's inability to find a job & the Muhammed family's collapse into poverty.

Shortly after Mumtaz first arrived at her new school, at the beginning of "The New Girl...", Olivia Flaversham befriended the Afghan mouseling &, upon learning of Mumtaz's dire situation, got Basil to help Moshe find a job at the Mouse Detective Agency; in the meantime, the Baker Street Family invited the Muhammeds to stay at their house for a 2-week sleepover / home-warming party, while they helped them get settled into Mouse London & become more acquainted with the city. At the end of the story, after the sleepover / home-warming party was over, Basil accompanied Mumtaz & Olivia to school (while Moshe went on his first case at his new job); everything went smoothly for the two mouselings...that is, until recess, when Mumtaz was bullied & beaten up by a gaggle of mean, racist mouselings formerly referred to as "the Popular Girls" (now the Fickle Five), who had picked on Mumtaz earlier in the story. Basil came to Mumtaz's defense & lectured the Popular Girls on treating other rodents with respect & kindness.

Later that day, as Basil was walking Olivia & Mumtaz home from school, Moshe & Yasmin came outside to greet their daughter & thank Olivia & the Baker Street Family for all they had done for them, including the purchase of the new mansion they could now reside in. And, as was the case with all my GMD fan-stories, everyone lived happily ever after...but, as it turned out, the story of "The New Girl In School" was far from finished. During the years of 2006 to 2008, all my GMD fanfictions & fan-characters were undergoing super-intense revision--including "The Baker Street Family Chronicles", the "New Girl..." chapter (which I renamed with its current title "Cinnamon Mouse", in homage to a Prince song that shared a similar theme with the story), & the characters of the Muhammeds & the Fickle Five. Mumtaz was the first to be "reborn" & updated for the new GMD Fanfic Cast, & although her 'fursonality' characteristics have not really changed that drastically from the way they used to be (save for the addition of a few extra traits & some flaws), much time & effort was spent into shaping the character of Mumtaz Muhammed into the way you see her today, as you read this bio.

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When you're finished reading, please be sure to leave feedback when you're done. I'll take anything from comments to constructive criticism, as long as they're not flames or delivered in an overly-harsh, stern, or mercilessly-nitpicky manner.

Also, this bio is currently incomplete, but it will be updated frequently, so hang tight for anything new. ;)