EID MUBARAK!

To our wonderful family, wherever in the world you are!

Although Eid is a time of joy for many Muslims, for some things can be quite different. Some of our family are isolated from their relatives and communities and may not be surrounded with the festivities normally associated with Eid.

If you know any Muslim who might be alone today or tomorrow, or who doesn't have anyone to celebrate eid with, reach out to them. We need community now more than ever, and those in the dark need to see that there is light.

Salaam love,

Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection and can unearth a lot of fear and uncertainty. With everything going on, your mental health suffering is highly understandable-- remind yourself that it's normal to be effected by world news, take a breath, and find ways to ground yourself

I don't know your full situation, but I can deeply understand your struggle. As a student, I often felt really powerless and confused because I didn't have full agency of my life. I feel like your stress with world news, uni, family, religion, and honestly the strain of Ramadan are making it hard to see a solution. I will tell you now as someone who has survived to 35, there is never a singular solution. I don't say this to scare you, but to prepare you and to arm you with knowledge.

Reconciling your identity is a personal journey that can take place any time of your life. Being safe and away from your parents is a journey about practicalities and agency (which is hard to achieve as a student). I am not saying they are not tied, but I think it can help to try to separate the pieces of both where you can.

There is a lot of dialogue, especially among white queer people, about "being authentic and being open and coming out of the closet," but the truth is it's just much harder for us. Queer, people of color, Muslim-- it's harder. If you need to stay closeted, or quiet, about your queerness in order to survive, there's no shame in that

I honestly think for your safety, you should focus on finding a footing in your life and slowly work towards independence.

Not to give you another book to read, but the memoir "Hijab Butch Blues," by Lamya H follows the author, a South Asian lesbian who ends up studying in the USA, and her journey with her faith, identity, and family, who they are largely still closeted to

And lastly, you don't need permission from anyone but yourself, but if you need encouragement, just remember "there is no compulsion in religion," if you don't feel like a Muslim, then don't. It's ok if you need to practice it culturally for your safety, but Allah, or God, or whatever you end up believing in, will understand and encourage the path that is true to you

Best of luck, we are here for you

Mashallah we are so happy for you. Thank you for continuing to pursue your truth

❤️

Homosexuality and same-sex relations are most certainly not a mental illness. It is perfectly natural and has been documented not only in humans, but in over 1500 other species of animal. In fact over 51 species of primate, from lemurs to apes have been known to exhibit 'homosexual' behaviour. As for whether or not it's an abnormality, whilst it is true that in one species the prevalence is relatively low, save a few, the fact that same-sex relations and intimacy are so widespread seem to indicate the fact that it is both commonplace and quite normal.

Although humans are the only animals to categorise homosexuality and the other orientations into social identities, we are also the only species that chooses to discriminate against those that identify as such.

I would suggest reading this very well known article as a starting point, which discusses the natural prevalence of this phenomena.

We love you too!

I think most of us who are older wish we had something like this growing up. Visibility is so important, and can be the difference between total isolation and finding community. Just knowing that other people exist that are going through the same struggles as you can be so alleviating to ones soul.

Hey family! What do you think of our new logo?

Kindly designed and donated by @80linesofvirgil , a wonderful and divinely talented artist, check him out!

I would suggest that you start by educating yourself on gender dysphoria and what it is, the biological and psychological makeup and what that means for you, if you haven't done so already. That knowledge will help you find your place on the gender spectrum and hopefully alleviate some of your anxieties by equipping you with the knowledge of understanding your body and mind.

As for dealing with your family, every situation is very difficult. If they are someone who you think might be more open minded and amenable to change, then it may be worth exploring the idea of educating them in bite sized pieces to see how they respond, and using that as a way to open dialogue around the subject. If thats not the case, it may be an idea to bide your time u til it is safe for you to express yourself outside the confines of a guardian.

I hope this helps somewhat, please get back to us with more details if you need anything else.

As always, please feel free to add to this post.

Salaam!

I would start with Islamic Texts: A Source for Acceptance of Queer Individuals into Mainstream Muslim Society by Muhsin Hendricks. Have a look at the sources there, and hopefully that will snowball into something helpful to you.

We are planning on creating a queer Islamic academia masterpost soon, so please watch this space!

Also, our instagram will be used mostly to post about academia, check that out too.

We're sorry for what you went through, truly. It's a sad and very real experience for so many. Hopefully your new path helps you find peace.

Salaam, welcome and thank you! We wish you all the best on your journey

"Verse 24:31 of the Quran may be considered by many in the West as dictating the modesty of women and denying them the right to choose their own modesty. Yet, it has been extremely liberating for women at the advent of Islam when they were perceived as mere chattels of desire. By lowering their gaze and donning an extra piece of garment in public, women were demonstrating their desire to be appreciated for more than just their physicality. This demonstration would be unnecessary in front of the category of men “who have no desires for women” and poses no threat to them. One such category of men would be the men who have no natural inclination towards women as they would clearly not pose a threat to their womanhood. In this way the Quran makes it clear that such a category of men do exist in society"

Islamic Texts: "A Source for Acceptance of Queer Individuals into Mainstream Muslim Society" - Muhsin Hendricks

The Murder of Muhsin Hendricks

The tragic murder of Muhsin Hendricks has yet again highlighted the brutality of our struggle. The spotlight swings onto the topic of LGBTQIA+ Muslims once more, and with it come the terrifying reality of how dangerous it is for us to simply exist.

The reaction of a lot of Muslims is at times chilling and it can be difficult not to see what's online as a reflection of the larger Muslim community. Fear, bigotry and ignorance spew out onto comment sections of posts that seek to remember and pay tribute to the late imam, and then ensues the war of opinions and malignant rhetoric that often follows these "controversial" posts.

In truth we are an easy target. Easily othered, easily identified and easily scapegoated for issues that were never in our power of making. Islam is a complex and ancient religion, the texts of which can and have been interpreted in hundreds of ways. Scholars have examined verses and words for decades of their study and yet there is no single consensus for all Muslims to follow.

In its very nature Islam recognises that its followers are flawed, in its very central doctrine is the notion of the unwavering forgiveness of the Creator. At no point are we asked to be perfect, we need only submit and repent, and do our best to follow the guidance set out before us. Allah recognises we will falter and fail and yet he asks only that we come back to Him. The only judge in all the worlds is Allah, and we are instructed to leave judgement only to Him. And yet here we are. Those who reject us find righteousness in their hatred. They are so insecure in their own faith, so ashamed of their own acts and so terrified of their own judgement that they seek to point to us, a logical fallacy that's almost insulting to the very nature of final judgement. Each soul is accountable for itself and nothing more.

We need visibility and resistance now more than ever. Social media is everywhere, and accessible without any real checks and balances to all. Those who are youngest, and those who are most vulnerable in our community will be at risk of being exposed to terrifying and dangerous opinions. They need to see that they have community, they have peers and role models, and that people who will love and accept them exist in all corners of the world. That was the message of Muhsin Hendricks, that Islam is inclusive, and beautiful, and full of love.

So I urge you all, wherever you see hatred being strewn across these platforms with such indignity, to challenge and resist if you can. We owe it to all those who have fallen for our struggle, and all those who will come after us to maintain the momentum in any way we can. We have come so incredibly far, and we need to showcase this, and be visible and proud.

Salaam

Hello, it's Hussnain here. This blog hasn't been the most active in recent time, however this is no longer the case. The world is changing, and not always for the better. I think it's more important now than ever to show that there are safe places for people of our community. We cannot afford to quietly exist or we will be thrust back into the silence of closed doors. This project started as a platform for us to share our stories and experiences; to unburden ourselves of shame, and embrace the light of our existence, and it needs to continue.

As always, submissions are welcome and wanted. We could not exist without the help of everyone who has ever scrolled through this tumblr.

Our platform is also expanding to instagram, please follow us there as well.

Follow us on instagram!