September 10, 2002 | Rajab 3, 1423 - By Faisal Alam
Op-Ed: Remembering September 11th as a Queer Muslim
September 11, 2001 will forever be etched in the minds of
people around the world as a day in history when our nation
and its citizens wondered what had gone wrong and a day
when all of our lives came to a stand still. As I reflect
upon this past year and all that has happened around the
world, the emotions and feelings that come to mind are a
combination of anger, sorrow and exhaustion.
Anger – at the militant and extremist Muslims who hijacked
a dynamic and peaceful faith and used the name of God to
justify their actions – and anger at a world gone awry
where civil liberties are destroyed and the cries of battle
reign, in the name of a “war on terrorism”. Sorrow at the
loss of so many human lives – both on that fateful day and
as a result of our war on the “evil-doers,” where
“collateral damage” is dismissed as though it is recycled
paper going to waste. Exhaustion - in my soul, in my
spirit, in my body, and in my heart from the news of
increasing hate crimes, the rhetoric of hate and xenophobia
spewing through our media and press, and the continuing
crackdown of LGBT people around the world by oppressive
regimes now legitimized by our government.
Moments after I found out that the terrorist attacks were
committed by a group of people that called themselves
‘Muslim,’ I knew that my work with Al-Fatiha would double.
As an all volunteer run organization with more than 700
members spread across three countries in ten chapters, I
knew that the lives of most lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender Muslims would drastically change. I knew that
our mission to support LGBT Muslims, who are struggling to
reconcile their sexual orientation or gender identity with
their faith, would become more crucial than ever. It soon
also became clear to me that Al-Fatiha’s work to educate
the larger LGBT community about our faith of Islam would
take on a new meaning.
For the past one year, I have crisscrossed the United
States, city after city, speaking at dozens of venues to
thousands of people about how September 11th changed the
lives of queer Muslims around the world. I have written
letters to editors and columnists of far too many LGBT
newspapers imploring them not succumb to Islamophobia, the
irrational fear of Islam and Muslims. I have flown to
three countries since September 11th speaking to allied
organizations and conferences about the backlash faced by
LGBT Muslims since 9/11: the increase in asylum cases, the
fear of being “out” as both queer and Muslim, the
“voluntary” interviews, racial and ethnic profiling at
airports and on highways, the fear of arrest and
deportation, and the worry about the fate of our family and
friends abroad. I have interviewed with dozens of
reporters from around the world on the challenges facing
our community. I have written at least half a dozen
letters of support for asylum cases in a world where
freedom is now cherished more than ever before. And I have
met with hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender Muslims in cities across the United States to
discuss the backlash and aftermath of 9/11.
As I remember September 11th, I realize that our world has
changed in many ways, yet has remained the same in many
respects as well. The looming “war on terrorism” has
turned our communities into a battleground. And the
environment for peace, social justice, and tolerance –
three principles that are at the core of Islam and the
mission of Al-Fatiha – seem to be far more distant today,
than they were a year ago. But not all is at loss.
LGBT Muslims today have realized their unique role in our
post September 11th world. Many have gained a newfound
identity as Muslims and have reconnected with their
spiritual and religious heritage, proving to many in the
United States that they are as “American” as any one else.
The activist world of queer Muslims also seems to have
taken on a new life. While human rights abuses continue
against sexual minorities in countries that are
predominantly Muslim, the LGBT Muslim community has found
new strength in speaking out against injustices committed
by authoritarian regimes. More and more LGBT Muslims are
speaking out against the illegal occupation of Palestinian
cities and towns by the state of Israel and are instead
calling for justice and peaceful co-existence of Israelis
and Palestinians, living side by side. LGBT Muslims are
joining anti-war and anti-globalization demonstrations and
protests, making the connections that the our new “war on
terrorism” is not a “new” war at all – but rather a war to
expand corporate empires and to build new ways to ensure
access to oil – all at the expense of democracy, civil
liberties, and freedom.
As a queer Muslim, this year on September 11th, I will be
mourning all the lives that have been lost since the first
plane hit the World Trade Center on that fateful day – in
New York City, at the Pentagon, in the crash in
Pennsylvania, as well as the hundreds of people that have
been lost in our governments’ war on terror in Afghanistan.
I will be joining thousands of others around the world by
participating in a candlelight vigil for peace and a rally
to protest the impending war on Iraq. This year on the
anniversary of September 11th, I will be reflecting on the
past year and all that has come from it – the trials and
tribulations as well as the support and sense of community
that I have gained from people across the globe.
In a world that seems to be filled with anger and hate, the
only peace of mind comes from knowing that ultimately those
that advocate non-violence and harmony will prevail. But
until then, LGBT Muslims around the world including myself
will continue to search for true social justice through a
progressive vision of a world that will one day accept all
of humanity and unify itself under the umbrella of
equality.
------------------------------------------------------------
Faisal Alam is a 25-year old queer-identified Muslim of
Pakistani descent. He is the founder and director of
Al-Fatiha, an international organization dedicated to
Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT). Faisal has been an activist for almost 10 years,
first in the mainstream Muslim community, and now in the
LGBT movement. He is currently active in LGBT faith-based
organizing, human rights work, immigration and asylum
rights, and LGBT-youth organizing. Faisal lives in
Washington, DC, and works in the field of HIV/AIDS.
Faisal Alam
Email: FaisalAlam@...
US Tel. 202-271-0067
------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment