During Ramadan, @unionseminary cancelled an Iftar being put on by UTS Students for a Liberated Palestine (SLP) and Queer Muslims of NYC (@queermuslimsofnyc ). The Iftar was meant to be a safe space for Muslim students to gather and engage in critical reflection. It was to feature Dr. Mohamed Abdou (@slightlydrifting ) on the first stop of his “Death to the Akademy” tour, offering insights into this geo-political moment and a discussion of strategies for how student organizers can “confront the liberal akademy & topple the Euro-Amerikan empire where they are.”
The Board of Trustees and administration released a vehemently Islamophobic statement denouncing the event, they sanctioned UTS SLP, and they have continued to pursue disciplinary action against student organizers. These are excerpts from a response from concerned UTS SLP alumni. Link for the full essay is in the bio.
Want to join our organizing efforts? DM for details.
Art by Mohammed Afefa (@mohammed_afeaf ) and Dana Barqawi (@dana_barqawi )
The death of Osman Hadi has exposed a rift in the Bangladeshi left as some chose to standby his image as a leftist revolutionary who upheld working class values. However, less spoken about in Bangladesh’s mainstream media and discourse, is Hadi’s profound illiberal stances from his promotion of Bengali Muslim ethnonationaljsm to his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
Immediately after Hadi’s death, the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, burning of the Daily Star & Prothom Alo and vandalism of Chhayanaut demonstrated an immense law and order lapse under the watch of Muhammad Yunus’s interim government. More importantly, it pointed to the ideological tent Hadi had created in Bangladesh through his right-wing stances.
Despite only having one poetry collection out, he was buried next to Kazi Nazrul Islam. Despite having a smaller role in the July Revolution relative to Hasnath Abdullah or Nahid Islam, he was lionized in his funeral as a youth leader. Despite giving a speech where he seemed to credit the Bangladeshi Hijra community for their role in the July Revolution, his mentioning of them was more of a questioning of their alleged growing influence after the July Revolution, inciting otherness, fear and violence towards the Bangladeshi LGBTQ community.
Mikail Rahman (@banglatheyshi ) writes in this piece how Hadi’s Bengali Muslim Ethnonationalism and embrace of bioessentialism goes against the ambitions of a more inclusive Bangladesh. This piece bravely and powerfully makes the case how Hadi’s role in Bangladeshi politics and greater discourse limits instead of expands the possibilities of minorities after he ousting of Sheikh Hasina by preying on anti-India sentiments and religious majoritarianism, rather than pluralism.
#Bangladesh #LGBTQ
Gifts! Feeling abundant and Mamdanumdant and wanted to share gifts of community based writing workshops. If you’d like to gift A Furious Blooming: Writing Into Personal and Collective Grief or the long form workshop Two Truths and a Lie: Writing Memoir and Autobiographical Fiction to a loved one, I’m sharing special gift tuition! For multiple gifts, write to me and I’ll work with you . Art by @sasasare 💕 #queerlit #queermuslims #southasianliterature #southasianbooks #queerdesi #asianamerican #southasianliterature
As-Salaam Aleikum! 🌙
Looking for a warm, family-friendly, inclusive, modern, and progressive Muslim community?
Join us for our Annual Meet & Greet + Bollywood Movie Night hosted by the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-e-Islam Lahore of Ontario! 💫
🗓 Saturday, Oct 18 | 5PM onwards
📍 OAAIIL Mosque / TorYork Masjid
🎬 Free & Family Friendly!
It’s a chance to connect, learn, laugh, and celebrate community together 🤝
✅ RSVP (if you can!) and share with friends to spread the word: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/oaaiil-toryork-islamic-centre-meet-greet-family-movie-night-tickets-1805799828899
#AsSalaamAleikum #TorontoMuslims #ProgressiveIslam #CommunityEvent #BollywoodNight #FamilyFriendly #Ahmadiyya #ProgressiveMuslim #BIPOC
Eid Al Adha and Pride Month - what’s not to love?
🌈 As always, may the queer Muslims have the best, most joyful #Eid of all.
❤️ May we be surrounded by love and acceptance; friends and community today and everyday.
🤲🏽 Ameen!
➡️ Swipe through to see some of the in person and online events for an inclusive Eid. If you know of any more, drop them in the comments.
#queer #lgbt #pridemonth #gay #gaymuslim #queermuslim #lgbtmuslim #transmuslims #lgbtq🌈
Let’s be honest, the effects that these acts will have will be detrimental for Queer Muslims. Not only Queer Muslims in the United States and Canada, but it clear that in a matter of time there will be a rise in support from hateful European Muslim leaders.
Insha’Allah we will continue to bring more information soon!
Crescent & Star tote. 5 colors. Measures about 16” x 20” flat and is made of 100% polyester, with comfortable cotton webbing handles, and an interior pocket large enough for a phone or iPad mini. Also available as a mug, and throw pillow and of course, T-shirt.
Benefits Beloved Arise, "the first national organization dedicated primarily to empowering youth to proudly embrace both their faith and queer identity." @beloved_arise
Tap bio link to shop or go to
#BelovedArise #QueerYouthOfFaith #ProgressiveMuslim #GayMuslim #LesbianMuslim #BiMuslim #TransMuslim #QueerMuslim #Islam #Islamic #Muslim #Muslim #QueerMuslims #GayMuslims #LesbianMuslims #AllahLovesYou
LGBTQ Crescent & Star pillow. Comes in and 22x22" and 18x18" size. 5 colors. Also available as a T-shirt, tote, and mug.
Benefits Beloved Arise, "the first national organization dedicated primarily to empowering youth to proudly embrace both their faith and queer identity." @beloved_arise
Tap bio link to shop or go to
#BelovedArise #QueerYouthOfFaith #ProgressiveMuslim #GayMuslim #LesbianMuslim #BiMuslim #TransMuslim #QueerMuslim #Islam #Islamic #Muslim #Muslim #QueerMuslims #GayMuslims #LesbianMuslims #AllahLovesYou
Mairaj un-Nabi + Yaum e-Be’sat Mubarak to all the Queer Muslims celebrating 💖
بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ
سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِىۡۤ اَسۡرٰى بِعَبۡدِهٖ لَيۡلًا مِّنَ الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡحَـرَامِ اِلَى الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡاَقۡصَا الَّذِىۡ بٰرَكۡنَا حَوۡلَهٗ لِنُرِيَهٗ مِنۡ اٰيٰتِنَا ؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ السَّمِيۡعُ الۡبَصِيۡ
Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (al-Qur’an 17:1)
Thank you Gotham Book Prize! Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion has always been my love letter to New York City. It started as a series of odes to my home neighborhood Corona, Queens. As the book grew, and Razia left Corona to explore the city, I added all my NYC touchstones, the ones I loved as a teen and still do: The Strand (where I met Ben McFall), the East & West Village, the Staten Island ferry,
Central Park’s Bethesda fountain, Stuy Park, Grand Central (both its 7 train platform in the bowels and its gorgeous terminal of constellations above) The Corona Public Library, The Met, where I still visit Sappho on rainy days. Yes, I didn’t go to high school as much as explored the city :) I love NYC and it means the world to me that the Gotham Book Prize, created for books celebrating NYC chose Roses alongside so many great books I also love! Thank you 💕
#GothamBookPrize #NewYorkCityLiterature #QueensPublicLibrary #CoronaPublicLibrary #BethesdaFountain #MetropolitanMuseumOfArt #StatenIslandFerry #StuyvesantHighSchool #NewYorkCityOtherChair #PTKnitwear #queerliterature #queermuslimfuturism #queermuslimsunplugged
