#queer mosque

[lgbtqiamuslimpedia]

Muhsin Hendricks

Birth : Unknown

Ethnicity : South Asian, African

Alumni : University of Islamic Studies, Karachi (1990-1994)

Gender : Cisgender man

Sexuality : Homosexual

Occupation : Imam, scholar, human rights activist, interfaith activist

Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic scholar, researcher & human rights activist.He is called world's first Gay Imam. He has done independent research on Islam and sexual diversity, an area that does not often get explored in the Muslim/Islamic world. He has also delivered many papers and facilitated workshops on Islam and Sexual Diversity to many organizations in South Africa, USA and Europe. Muhsin is founder of The Inner Circle/Al-fitrah Foundation, the largest organization for LGBTQI+ Muslims in Africa & CCI Network, a network of inclusive muslims, faith leaders & activist. He founded the first gender-affirming, queer-friendly mosque in South Africa (the mosque is affiliated with organization Al-fitrah Foundation).

#gaymuslim #gay indian #gay africa #queer muslim #lgbtqi muslims #homosexuality in islam #progressive muslim #inclusive islam #gay imam #queer africa #interfaith #intersectional #queer affirmating #queer mosque #homosexuality and islam

[bangladeshiqueermuslims]

Muslim world's only mosque with Rainbow

I never imagine that there could be a mosque or masjid with a rainbow, especially in a conservative muslim-majority country. It can be a momentum for LGBTQIA+ muslims of Bangladeshi backgrounds to embrace the diversity of Allah. When I came know about this mosque, I was pretty shocked. It could be the only mosque in entire muslim world that has a vibrant rainbow minaret.

This mosque's name is Chawkbazar Shahi Jame Masjid, located in Chawkbazar, Puran-Dhaka. It was built by Emperor Shaista Khan. It is one of the oldest & largest mosques in Bangladesh. Guys, let me remind you of one thing: it is not a “LGBTQ+ friendly mosque." The mosque's rainbow minaret has also become a tourist attraction. It's ironic that the Bengali people living in this suburb have never had objections regarding the mosque's rainbow minaret. I think they are/were unaware of the symbolism of the rainbow, which stands for solidarity among queer and trans folks. BTW, there are some LGBTQI+ and hijra groups in the Puran-Dhaka suburb.

Homosexuality is a punishable offense in Bangladesh, under the British-inherited Penal Code Section 377. Hijras & kothis are visible queer individuals in South Asia. The South Asian term "hijra" refers to multiple genders, such as AMAB transgender individuals, transvestites, masculine women (intersex type), AMAB non-binary individuals, & intersex folks. The term doesn't include trans male. The term "kothi" specifically refers to transvestites, bottom gays, and effeminate males. Hijra community has existed since the early 10th century. In 2013, Bangladesh officially recognized hijras as a third gender. However, this subcultural gender minority still faces social stigma and discrimination.

#rainbow #rainbow mosque #queer muslim #queering islam #queering the map #diversity #loveislove #god loves all #allahlovesequality #allahlovesus #Bangladesh

[silvysartfulness]

Just a week into the US election year of 2024, and I'm already seeing some Takes™ on my dash.

Please. No.

I know you hate your options, guys, but third party will not win. They simply won't, not in 2024, no matter how much you wish they would. Building that kind of voting power takes time, and with the current voting-suppression systems and gerrymandering in place, you're just not there yet.

And you know the people who are tempted to try it anyway are the people on the left and some lost-looking centrists. And you know that taking those votes away from the Democrats while the people on the right turn up to vote en-mass as they always do means that Trump will win.

I cannot overstate how much you can't let that happen. You can't.

You can feel betrayed and be frustrated with the Biden government all you like, but you can't hand that position of power back to Trump and the conservatives. People will suffer. People will die. Within your own country and globally.

If you seriously think Trump in power will mean less genocide and fascism in the world, I'm sorry, but you're straight up delusional.

Please think really hard about what narratives you're buying into, supporting and spreading this year. Not immune to propaganda etc. People who try to cloud your judgment by appealing to your anger and sense of helplessness, telling you not to vote, or vote third party may genuinely believe what say - or they're manipulating you into throwing your vote away. Either way, the end result is the same.

And frankly - the choice is yours, but if you intend to chase the third party pipedream right now and thereby allowing a fascist government to take over and dictate global politics for the next four years at least (provided their next insurrection isn't successful, leaving them in power indefinitely...)

Then kindly unfollow me. Right now.

I have zero patience for the leftist "perfect or nothing" mindset when the alternative is outright open and proud fascism. No fucking dithering. You have one job this year. You can either vote for the lesser evil like a fucking grownup and then work within the system for further change, or get right out of my face.

That's all.

#people voting 'third party' got a nationalist right-wing party in power in my country #they're suggesting banning mosques #they're talking about exiling pretty much anyone not born here #it's a shitshow #and with your ultra-religious conservatives #you'd better believe the right will come for the queer and neurodivergent people hard #this isn't a fucking game #you either do everything in your fucking power to keep fascists out of your government #or sit right down and never pretend to care about human rights again #this has been a fucking rant #may delete later #real world bullshit

[militantbodies]

#mosque #Muslim #queer-affirming #queer

[makingqueerhistory]

Queer history fact: Salim Halali moved to Paris shortly before Nazi Germany invaded, and subsequently, when Germany took power, authorities harassed him for being gay and Jewish.

The founder of the Great Mosque of Paris, Si Kaddour Benghabrit, had encountered Halali before and admired his music. When he saw what was happening not only to Halali but to many other Jewish people in Paris, he stepped in. He procured fake papers and hid Jewish people in the mosque when necessary. Because Halali was so well-known, this wouldn't do. Instead, he placed a fake grave for Halali's grandfather in the mosque's cemetery to prove Halali was Muslim, thus defending him from the officers.

Benghabrit would go on to assist many other Jewish people in Paris; historians estimate around 100 were helped, but some of the first reports claimed thousands were assisted by the mosque throughout the war.

It is largely because of this that Halali made it through the war, continuing with his music career.

Later, Halali had the opportunity to perform in Israel, though he was an anti-Zionist. During a performance in Jerusalem in the 1960s, he yelled in Arabic, "Long live the Arab nation." He had things thrown at him and never returned to Israel.

#queer history #lgbt history #gay history #queer #lgbt #making queer history

[mauesartetc]

FREE PALESTINE MASTERPOST

Trying to keep this blog more art- and creativity-focused in general, so I'll be removing the Gaza-related reblogs that are about a month old. But I'll use this post as a permanent archive that will update periodically (some of this information will grow dated as the situation develops, but I think it's important to keep a record of just how fiercely opposed people were to Israel's actions from this moment forward). We should all continue to raise our voices about this, and refuse to support politicians who enable genocide. Remember, they work for us, not the other way around. Keep going.

October 2023

-Donation links

-Social media links

-US congress ceasefire script

-Decolonizepalestine.com (information, mythbusting)

-More donation links

-Ways to pressure politicians for a ceasefire

-HUGE resource list

-"Is there anything I can do to help Palestinians besides call my representatives and beg them to stop killing people?"

-"We are isolated now"

-Palestine and landback

-210 PAGES of dead people's names.

-Bail money for Palestine Action

-Article list

-US action items

-Boycott info

-Grand Central Station shut down by protestors

-Message to white American citizens

-UK ceasefire petition

-How YOU can help Palestine (regularly updated!)

-"Please try amidst all this fury and grief to still have faith in the common people." (+donation links)

-Reminder about protest etiquette and privacy

-Prints for Palestine

-"We have no communication with the outside world. They are using their military might to harm us. We have no power but the power of God, no one but God. Please, pray for us." (spoken over mosque speakers)

-DAILY donate button + more donation links

-"Doesn't Israel have a right to exist too?"

-Script for US Congress calls

-Queerness under apartheid

-Sudan is also at war

-Hundreds of thousands of protestors in London

-Half a million.

-Tips for folks with phone anxiety

-This comic got real

-European and Canadian ceasefire scripts

-"The people of Gaza see the protests. That is reason enough to come even if nothing else." WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU. WE ARE HERE.

November 2023

-More genocides than just Palestine

-How to buy e-sims to circumvent Gaza's internet blackout

-"Occupying territories is illegal. Resistance to occupying forces is legal."

-MASSIVE resource list

-"For decades now the media has told us Muslim men are savages, terrorists, wife beaters and everything in between. I want you to challenge this trope the next time you see it in the media. Let these photos serve as a reminder."

-"Don't stop talking about the Palestinian genocide. IT'S WORKING."

-UN resignation letter

-Israel won't allow Irish or Brazilian citizens to leave Gaza

-"Palestine must never be forgotten. Promise me that." (from the documentary "Children of Shatila")

-Gifs of pro-Palestine rallies around the world

-Support Palestine's last kufiya factory

-Protestors flood the streets in Washington DC

-Explanation of why calling representatives is a numbers game

-FREE ebooks on the history of this conflict

-Petition to screen films by Palestinian directors

-Call to boycott Gal Godot's work

-Indigenous activists block weapons shipment to Israel

-If you're attending a protest, DON'T TELL YOUR GOVERNMENT SHIT. Y'know, friendly advice.

-Links to support Palestine Action and Palestine Legal. Get in the way.

-Parallels between Israel and the surveillance tactics used by NYC mayor Eric Adams

-Don't spiral into doomerism. Persevere.

-Want a different strategy to contact your representatives? Try faxing them!

-Florida rep Michelle Salzman calls for the death of all Palestinians

-"The phone doesn't stop" :)

-Indian trade unions call on the government to scrap deals with Israel

-An overview of Israel's human rights violations, and two major political groups that have exacerbated Zionism in the US

-Israeli man explains why he's protesting

-"Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us."

-US House of Representatives votes to send billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel

-Canadian email campaign and petitions

-"Canada's First Nation standing with Palestine"

-"Freedom is infectious as it is just and no one is free until they ALL are."

-Israeli forces invade al-Shia hospital

-Leaked list of weapons the US has sent to Israel

-Only 32% of Americans believe the US should support Israel

-Cop City action demonstrates how to protest effectively

-Refugee grandmother "doesn't have to imagine a multicultural and integrated Palestine- she remembers it".

-Protestors block the Bay Bridge in San Francisco (plus bail fund)

-Israeli forces attack schools in northern Gaza. SCHOOLS.

-Journalist shares an update from an Indonesian hospital and pleads for others to spread it around as it "may be the last video we are able to send"

-Scottish Parliament votes overwhelmingly to demand a ceasefire

-Sobering texts from a friend providing humanitarian aid in Gaza. "They have been distributing guns to the civilian settlers and allowing them into the West Bank to terrorize people" "We have been given option to leave. None took it"

-"the absolute bare minimum in this situation is 1) a complete ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid in Gaza, 2) complete halt of all military foreign aid to the Israeli government, 3) the Israeli government being prosecuted for its war crimes in the International Criminal Court, and 4) land back and reparations for the Palestinian people. free Palestine means free Palestine, not just temporarily stop carpet bombing Palestine."

-"It's important that you keep posting and speaking about the ongoing genocide. This 5 day agreement isn't the end of things."

-Boosting the incredible, FREE daily donate button again

-Protests at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

-"REMINDER THAT ANTISEMITES AREN'T WELCOME HERE AND WON'T BE TOLERATED"

#free palestine #masterpost #master list #long post

[ticklepinions]

Everyone should read the following. If we are a community you need to understand a few things.

Are you entitled to say anything you want due to "free speech"? Hell yeah!

Should you? Absolutely the fuck not!

The blatant racism, anti-queerness, transphobia, misogyny and fatphobia I have seen is down right abhorrent. And if you display any of these ideologies or opinions, you simply do not belong here. You shouldn't be comfortable making a safe space for yourself as you make this lovely community unsafe for the rest of us.

There is nothing political about human rights. But unfortunately that's where we are in this life. I'll try not to be biased but certain political leanings tells me all I need to know about you. POC conservatives will always make me laugh. You are nothing but a pawn for the cis/hetero/whites who don't give a shit if you live or die. Nothing but a slur, a body to dispose of. You may share their views but they are not sharing the power and privilege they have with you.

Let's talk about certain individuals who act so tough under the "big strong amurican sharing their views just to get shitted on, fucking snowflakes". Why do you want to be oppressed so badly? Why do you purposely antagonize people and then when they defend themselves you try dismissing them by saying how they're wasting their time... The irony of it all. The sheer ignorance.

I feel sorry for you people. Truly, I do. But I'll be damned if I let any of you try to tear any of us down for having opinions and ideologies (hint hint see the irony?) that fight for the rights of people who don't have them.

And let me get something clear- from the river to the sea. We all should not stop fighting till all of us are free. There are so many resources out there to educate yourself, yet you choose to remain ignorant. You do not belong here. You act as though you are better than everyone else because you have "edgy" opinions, opinions that literally call for the deaths of the marginalized and oppressed. You do not belong here. You have the gall to tell people they are wasting their time, when their sheer existence alone is putting them at risk for isolation and death (by the same bigoted people you support). You do not belong here.

If an elephant (Israel) has it's foot on a mouse's (Palestine) tail, tell me which one is truly the one at risk. There is a gen0cide going on. If Israel is trying to reclaim it's "land" why bomb it? Why destroy it? With a military with their degree they should be able to eliminate all these "terr0rists" with minimal to no "collateral damage" (aka the 30,000 innocent Palestinians, 2/3rds of which were woman and children, with countless injured, orphaned, homeless and starving). Why bomb hospitals, mosques, sacred places? Standing with Palestinian people is not antisemitism, it's anti gen0cide and war crimes (a multitude of which Israel has shamelessly committed).

And I'm not on anon. I stand for the people of Palestine. I stand for justice. I stand for equity. I stand for the freedom of all oppressed people.

And I implore everyone who follows me to educate themselves. The right path does not lead you to discriminate against the marginalized. Continue to fight my friends, continue to amplify the voices of those unheard, continue making this community and those you belong to, safe for all and unsafe for those who think otherwise.

For you @knismosexual + @littleonelee

I hope you truly reflect on how your actions impacts this entire community and the communities you live in. Until you learn how to act right, unfortunately this community isn't for you. You shouldn't feel welcome here. You shouldn't feel like you belong here. DMs are wide open if you have any thoughts. But again I say, supporting transphobic, racist, anti-queer, misogynistic, discriminatory views is not simply an "opinion" or personality to adopt. You are hurting real people, accepting the deaths and harassment that plague them every single day. You have no place in this community.

#twordpinion #tword community #tickle community #ticklepinion #tword content #tickling #important #important post #free palestine

[clusterlgbt]

Sending my love and support to neurodivergent/disabled Muslims this Ramadan.

Muslims who can’t fast for health reasons. Your health always comes first. If you need to eat due to medication, diabetes, ED recovery, or any other reason, it’s good that you’re doing that. There’s so much more to Ramadan than just fasting.

Muslims who struggle with remembering salah or reciting Quran. Disabled Muslims who can’t perform the movements of salah the way that other Muslims do. Nonverbal Muslims who can’t pray or recite with mouth words at all.

Muslims who are immunocompromised and can’t go to things like taraweeh or iftar or praying in the masjid. I know that it’s isolating, I hope you’re able to still enjoy Ramadan and find community. Please keep yourself safe this month and always.

Muslimahs who can’t wear hijab due to sensory issues.

Muslims with sleep disorders who struggle to wake up for Fajr.

Muslims who struggle with addiction to alcohol, drugs, substances in general. Your addiction is not your fault and having addictions is not haram.

Muslims who are told that mental illness isn’t real, whose issues are swept aside.

I also want to give a special shout-out to queer Muslims. Muslims who are not able to present as the gender that they are. Muslims who don’t know which side of the mosque to go to. Muslims being pressured to find straight relationships, who have to hide their real relationships or the fact that they don’t want a relationship at all. Muslims who are out and proud, Muslims who are closeted. It goes the other way too. Muslims who face Islamophobia within the Queer community. Allah SWT made you just the way you’re supposed to be, you are not haram.

Shoutout to reverts as well, especially reverts who don’t have a Muslim community. Maybe no one around you even knows you’re Muslim at all. Maybe you’re eating and fasting and praying alone all month, but that won’t be forever. You’ll find your community.

Remember: “With hardship comes ease.” It’s okay if Ramadan is not an easy time for you, things will get better. Allah SWT tests those that He loves the most. You are not alone this month, you are never alone.

#mod eponine #muslim #queer muslim #neurodivergent muslim

[akajustmerry]

Hi

1 love your blog and podcast

2 I’m really enjoying your weekly Palestinian film recs

3. Do you have more recommendations for Arab and Middle Eastern cinema ?

Thank you ☺️

helloooooo, thank you 🥰 I have a whole sideblog which I don't promote enough called @swanasource where I and my co-mod @thatidomagirl frequently post middle eastern/SWANA film and films made by swana filmmakers in the film tag here:

I myself am still on my journey of watching more swana films (and non-english and non-Western films) so I won't claim to be any sort of exhaustive expert. but here are some of my favourites!

Salt of this Sea (2008). Dir. Annemarie Jacir. Palestinian film about a Palestinian-American woman heisting an Israeli bank

The Persian Version (2023). Dir. Maryam Kershavez. Comedy about an Iranian-American lesbian who gets pregnant after a one night stand and so decides to learn more about her family history.

Kedi (2016). A calming and beautiful Turkish documentary about the cats of Istanbul

Ali's Wedding (2017). A rom-com about an Iraqi-Australian Muslim who falls in love with the Lebanese girl from his mosque who's helping him get into med school.

The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020). Tunisian thriller about a syrian refugee who agrees to let his back be tattooed and be part of a living exhibition by a notorious artist so he can get a visa.

Sirens (2020). A documentary about the queer Lebanese all-girl metal band, Slave To Sirens, set around the Beirut explosion.

In Vitro (2019). A short Palestinian sci-fi film about an elderly woman in an underground bunker trying to describe the world before to a young woman who's only ever known the bunker.

Cairo Time (2009). Dir. Ruba Nadda. Look, this film isn't perfect but It's about a white American woman who's husband is a UN worker in Egypt. She goes to visit him in Cairo, but her husband is waylaid so he sends his bestie played by the beautiful Alexander Siddig to take her around Cairo and oh my GOD the romantic tension of this movie keeps me up at night.

Butterflies (2018). One of my fave movies ever. A Turkish comedy about 3 estranged siblings who have to take a chaotic road trip to fulfil their father's last wishes.

#swana tag #film #anon #/

[incorrectmahabharatquotes]

History denial (yes we were definitely colonized by the Muslim invaders who broke and looted our temples and forcefully converted and massacred many of our people, taking our temples back is a decolonization movement as pointed out by that other anon). Then Kashmir is an integral part of India denial... how can you even say that.

I'm myself a Hindu and a queer, and reading your views came as an unpleasant surprise. Please go do some reading, and educate yourself about how reclaiming temples isn't about hating other communities. Muslims and other minorities can and have been living in peace with Hindus for centuries. What the invaders did was wrong, and acknowledging that doesn't make Hindus Muslim haters.

You answered that other anon with no reasoning, just that whatever happened, happened before your time. All vibes no research or learning.

Unfollowing. I can make Mahabharat quotes myself.

Tipu Sultan famously destroyed temples as well as donated heavily to temples.

You tell me what to think of that.

Temples have been the site of politics since time immemorial. They were the storehouses of public engagement. And that's why they were attacked. And if we draw this logic to today: Religion is in itself politics. You cannot seperate your celebration of the Ram temple from what it really signifies: The destruction of what is presumed to be a mark of colonization.

Agreed, Muslim rulers did demolish temples. But you take one look at the bulldozer politics of today and tell me: Who is being held accountable here? Are the poor Pasmanda and lower caste muslims, who barely have enough space for themselves to live the descendants of Mahmud of Ghazni? Did they inherit the wealth of whatever was looted from the Somnath temple?

Also tell me one thing: why did the Supreme court not conclude on whether there was a temple structure under the mosque, and still give the go signal? Why was the government assigned priest murdered for stating that the Ram Mandir was purely political? Why were there many 'Ram Janmabhoomi' sites before the Babri Masjid issue? And this is not ancient history, dear anon, this was hardly a generation back.

All I ask of you is to engage critically with the world around you. Yes, celebrate Ram within your house, Mod S and I will not break into your house and laugh at you. But take one look around you as to how your celebrations are actually built on others' misery.

Oh, and by the way: if we as a nation were really decolonising.......why are massive corporations kicking Adivasis of their lands in Aarey, Hasdeo (where our dear Adani is trying to 'develop' coal mines), Gadchiroli, and many many many many places where displacement happens through casteist Panchayat meetings which are held under the supervision of the State (which are not done in the presence of the people actually affected by such projects).

In my head it means one thing: The Ram Mandir is only a carrot waved in front of us to distract us from the real State Violence that goes on. And personally, I think that's a very disrespectful way of using a god. Its actually.....saddening.

Thank you for protecting your peace and unfollowing us, though! I wish you farewell on your internet journey

-Mod G

---------

Hello, Anon-Who-Is Unfollowing-And-Have-Decided-to-Announce-Your-Departure-Because-You-Wanted-Our-Attention,

Well, you have my attention. But it seems like I don't have yours because you have somehow managed to only read one paragraph selectively and completely gloss over everything else.

If you had read what I said clearly, you would have clearly seen the part where I said that the political majority CANNOT claim reclamation because YOU ARE NOT OPPRESSED. YOU HAVE ALL THE POWER. Do you understand this? Or has any hint of nuance completely managed to escape you? YOU, AS A SELF-PROFESSED HINDU, ARE NOT BEING OPPRESSED FOR YOUR HINDU IDENTITY IN THIS COUNTRY. YOU IN NO WAY ARE EVEN A LITTLE BIT HARMED BY A TEMPLE BEING DESTROYED CENTURIES AGO.

You want to talk about decolonisation? Let's talk about how the term "Hindu" that you're so proud of is actually a very recent term and is actually only a thing because the European colonisers just wanted an easy religious box to put us all in. If you're really so gung-ho about decolonisation, please decolonize yourself fully and throw away this term too. While we're at it, let's also examine why your decolonisation efforts are so selective?

"I'm myself a Hindu and a queer". I notice you conveniently skipped over the "dalit" part of my identity that actually might have led to a massive difference in lived experience in this country. I also talked about reparation to the "lower" castes. You skipped that too.

What the invaders did was wrong, and what you're doing is wrong too. Their wrongs don't mean that you are automatically right.

I gave you all my reasoning, told you everything. You skimmed through them and paid attention to the only part that you wanted to focus on.

Thank you for unfollowing, I hope you have a good day.

-Mod S

#mod replies #ask reply #asks #mod: g #mod: s

[whilereadingandwalking]

Around 25 million people around the world speak Dutch as their first language—in Netherlands, but also in countries that suffered from Dutch imperialism and exploitation, such as the Republic of Suriname and Indonesia. I found so many books hard to find—particularly from Dutch-Indonesian authors—but still found some incredible recommendations for you all in translation.

Favorites? Probably historical fiction The House of the Mosque by Kader Abdolah, translated by Susan Massotty, and the eerie, edgy queer novella We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets, translated by Emma Rault. Reviews to come, but for now, check out the full list over at Book Riot!

#books in translation #translated literature #bookworm #bookish love #books on books #we had to remove this post #the house of the mosque

[imperiuswrecked]

I’m so sorry to ask you to do this, but you seem to have a relatively big platform on here. If you’re comfortable doing so, please urge your followers to research the Ben Gurion Canal Project. It is a canal that would connect the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and would be a 3rd longer than the Suez Canal, it’s one of the reasons why the US and the rest of the west is so adamant on eradicating Palestinians.

This is a map of Egypt, Sinai Peninsula, and Palestine. What is happening right now is the mass genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza strip and other mass murders in the West Bank. Israel wants to push all the men, women, and children they didn't murder from Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula which is a desert. They want complete control of Gaza, look at how small Gaza is, look at how small. There have been the equivalent of Hiroshima levels of bombs dropped into a place that is barely a few miles long. Palestine is NOT BIG, and Gaza isn't a country it's a part of Palestine, its a city.

I posting these to show the difference, I won't post all the gore and death pictures of the victims, people can look that up for themselves.

Gaza houses millions of Palestinians, many of whom are refuges from the 1948 Nakba, where their homes and lands in the north, south, and center of Palestine were destroyed or stolen by Israeli Settlers. Despite that they have a beautiful city, they built their lives there, through all the wars Israel waged on the Palestinian people they built beauty. This isn't the first time Gaza is being bombed. Gaza has been an open air concentration camp for 16 years, the people inside cannot leave, no one who isn't cleared by the Israeli Military can enter. They have cut off the people of Gaza from the rest of the world for years. No amount of peaceful protest by the people of Palestine asking Israel to take down the wall, to let them have rights, to let them return to their homes, to visit any other part of their country has worked. They murdered the peaceful protestors. This time though they don't want to just make war on Palestine, or drop the annual bombs, they want to eradicate the people of Palestine in Gaza. They are leveling this place to rubble. They have bombed grocery stories, schools, bakeries, universities, churches, mosques, hospitals, cancer centers, more hospitals, they have murdered over 10,000 people in one month, UN workers, Doctors, Journalists, civilians, babies, children, women, men, the elderly, the queers, the Christians, the Muslims, everyone, even the Israeli hostages they keep screaming about, 60 of them have been murdered by Israel themselves. Every form of life they can find they kill. They have cut off all aid. They have cut off all water. They have cut off or destroyed any sources of food. Even before this they have ships in the sea to stop fishermen from fishing too far out. They saw the starving people of Gaza fishing for food in this ongoing massacre, they bombed the boats. This is a genocide. They have been very open about how this is a genocide, there is no confusion here this is the deliberate genocide of the Palestinians. Israel has the support of America. Israel and America will not do a ceasefire. This is very deliberate. Why? The land is so small, they already have almost all of the other land, so why? Besides hating all Palestinians, besides that, why?

Gaza has oil/gas, the resource belongs to the Palestinian people. Israel has already made contracts for companies to come mine the resources. They don't have that right. It belongs to Gaza. Palestine has been slowly suffocating under the Israeli Occupation for 75 years, no human rights, no way for the economy to make money, no self determination, olive trees are burned, farmers land have been stolen, Israel pushes their own products for sale, everything is controlled by Israel. This resource would have brought in money to the Palestinian Economy, it could have lead to more jobs for people. They wouldn't have to rely on trying to get work visas to work in the occupied territories.

But the biggest reason? The Ben Gurion Canal Project.

We all know the Suez Canal, how could anyone on tumblr forget the Ever Given and the Suez Canal?

The Suez Canal brings in over 9 million dollars yearly to Egypt. Egypt controls the canal. Western Powers, America, UK, etc. don't like that. Israel wants to cut Palestine, they want to tear into its earth, they want to rip a scar down Palestine to make Ben Gurion Canal. If they did this, then they would control the canal, and all those millions of dollars would go right back to Israel and America and their allies. All that money made from the blood of innocent people. Built on the destruction of stolen land. Paid for with the lives of Palestinians. This is why Israel is will not stop murdering people. This is why America gave them the green light to murder as much people as they want. This is why they do not care about the history, bombed old historical buildings like the 3rd oldest church in the history of the world. This is why they do not care about a single Palestinian life.

It's not about religion, it's not about "arab terrorism", it's not about any of the lies that they tell. This is about leveling Gaza to dust so they can build their canal and bring more death and more control over neighboring countries and controlling resources in the middle east.

If you want to learn more about Palestine then follow @palipunk who has great resources, there are lots of books, and information out there just ready to teach people about who we are and why we fight so hard to survive. We deserve to live free on our land. Don't just listen to lies the Western and Israeli media tells everyone, do your own research and share if you all can.

Palestine is small. It's a country that wants to be free, from the British, from America, from Israel. Palestine has been fighting for so long to be free, all the people want is to live on their land, to grow their olive trees, to fish in the sea, to create, to love, to be able to visit each other without walls or soldiers controlling us, to pray, to share in humanity, to be respected and seen as humans. Palestine is old and small and beautiful. Palestine is made up of so many beautiful people and religions, we have such a rich culture and history, we love to sing, we love to dance, and write poetry, and tell stories, and cook, we love to learn, did you know we have the highest literacy rate per population? We love each other, we love the world. Palestine is our hearts, they are killing our hearts.

#imp answers #palestine #history #current events #sorry I got carried away but its been very emotional for me these past weeks

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting my brother to follow Islam?🐢

(Emoji so I can recognize my submission)

⚠WARNING⚠: This is a reaaal long one and also contains discussion of some potentially triggering subjects.

I'll try and explain this as concisely as I can but this is just a part of a long ongoing issue I have had with my brother. I (16F/X) have been at odds with my brother (19M) over a multitude of subjects. We debate often but the problem is he is very stubborn so the debates usually don't result in anything beyond me being frustrated and his opinions remaining unchanged. The problem is that he has unfortunately started going down a nazi rabbit hole and picking up all sorts of extremely harmful ideas. I'll list some of them for you so you can get a general picture: Denying evolution, the rothschild conspiracy, general antisemitism, transphobia, monarchism /facism, calling all sexual content filthy, misogynistic ideas, hating on atheists, etc. As an atheist who is also aroace, nonbinary and also very progressive, this makes me feel greatly uncomfortable. Let me be clear, I don't think I'm the asshole for opposing these ideas, the part where I could be the asshole is me opposing his transition into religion. A lot of his more radical ideas started sprouting after he started getting into Islam like the whole denying evolution thing and his rampant antisemetism. Also just to be clear, I have nothing against Muslims and I am not trying to say that Muslims inherently don't believe in basic science, it's just the particular circles that my brother has been exposed to that are giving him these ideas. However I will acknowledge the that it might be my own implicit bias that is making me reject his own interest in Islam. I'd also like to note my brother has been struggling with his health basically his entire teen life, where he has trouble sleeping, has barely any energy and this has led to him becoming depressed. He barely has any interests and those he had he's recently said he no longer enjoys. It's clear to me this is why such toxic ideas have appealed to him, because he feels disconnected and lonely. He barely goes out, he barely eats, he sleeps until the early afternoon, he has to shave and shower every single time he goes out and if he accidentally nicks himself while shaving he will adamantly refuse to go. It really upsets me to see him this way because I can tell he is suffering but he will never talk to me about it. However it doesn't change the fact that he has said some truly abhorrent things. I have tried many times to show him he's wrong or to gently guide him towards a more progressive and educated outlook but he is too stubborn to change.

This fully came to a head when we were having dinner together with our parents and he kept repeating the same arguments that god must be real because XYZ or, evolution is fake because XYZ and I would tell him why I disagreed with his reasoning. Continue in circles for two whole hours. This ended with me telling him that he was a dumbass and that he should stop watching religious content.

I feel I am an asshole here because just as I don't want to be forced into a religion, I shouldn't force him out of one, but I feel since he's picked up religious ideas he's only gotten worse. Just yesterday he officially became a Muslim at a nearby mosque. I feel I should be happy for him but I can already see problems that may arise. He has to do 5 prayers (salat) a day at certain times and this morning he slept through two. I also worry about Ramadan since he's already very skinny and barely eating, I don't think further fasting will help at all.

Even worse, he's been spreading some of his ideas to my parents. They don't take on all his BS thankfully but they have absorbed some of the more troubling stuff, particularly his transphobia. I try to avoid queer topics as much as I can for this reason but whenever it does come up I always feel sick just sitting there listening to them.

Yet again I want to reiterate that Muslims are not a monolith and do not all share the same opinions but an unfortunately high number are greatly opposed to the idea of queer people. Not to mention many hold strong beliefs regarding the strict divisions of male and female. I don't know. Yet again, it could just be accidental Islamophobia on my part but I don't think it's a coincidence that he started getting more extreme once he got into particular Muslim circles.

So tumblr, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[allieebobo]

heyy! first of all i LOVE your writing so much (actually obsessed), rayyan is on my mind 24/7 and somehow deepal ended up being my favourite character even though they're not an ro lmaoo

anyway i was just curious about some aspects of rayyan's religion, especially as a queer hijabi muslim with really conservative parents myself. i know you've answered asks about her sexuality before, but i was wondering what hijab means to rayyan? like, when does she wear it, does she consider it mandatory, etc

sorry if you've already answered another ask like this, have a great day / night <3

Hi! Aww thank you so much!!

Yes this is a great question that has been asked before, and I'd like to give a relatively detailed, but work-in-progress answer now, and invite thoughts, inputs feedback etc. from Muslim readers! This answer goes for f!Rayyan regarding the hijab, but both genders for the portion of religion.

Rayyan's relationship with Islam/religion in general is complex. They grew up doing everything they're meant to do - pray, fast during Ramadan, abstain from alcohol, go to the mosque etc. But as they've grown older they've come to see their relationship with these practices and festivities as more about culture and family and community than about personal belief.

Furthermore, as they slowly begin to come to terms with their queerness, which places them somewhat at odds with some more conservative beliefs, I think it's reasonable to say that Rayyan is... still in an ongoing process of figuring out where they stand and what they believe.

That said, even while in Egypt (bearing in mind Rayyan was not too old when they move to America), their family belonged to a slightly more middle-class, educated, more Liberal-leaning segment of Muslim Egyptians, and based on my research: while wearing hijab is still mostly an expectation for women, there are apparently a significant number of Egyptian women who do not wear a hijab outside and especially during sports.

I'd say Rayyan is far more conservative in their dressing when they're home with family; in college they wear the hijab on social occasions, but not when they are playing tennis, and typically cover most of their skin / avoids immodest wear (though this is also a personal preference/style choice).

Before I end off, I also wanted to share some pics also of some of my fave Egyptian squash players (Egypt absolutely crushes at squash, by the way, it'a fascinating!)

From left to right: Nouran Gohar (currently world No. 3), Hania El Hammammy (current world No. 2), Nour El Serbini (current world No. 1) and my personal fave, Raneem El Weleily (former world No. 1, retired).

And also in spirit of Eid, thought it would be cool to share a video documentary short video on professional squash players fasting over Ramadan, which I could imagine Rayyan doing!

https://youtu.be/QrJDpVSVvLQ?si=seFQ-DAS3LTn_v63

#if #asks #interactive fiction #ct:os #college tennis: origin story #rayyan

[maybe-muslim-and-queer]

Yesterday I said my Shahada and did all 5 daily prayers for the first time. I’ve done all 5 prayers again today and have connected with some queer Muslims in a club on Trevor Space and joined the el-Tawhid Juma Circle: The Unity Mosque on Facebook and plan to attend their Friday Juma service InshaAllah. I’d like to say my Shahada again in a mosque surrounded by other Muslims, but I’m beyond happy to have done it now and am enjoying learning more about the Quran and Islamic faith and praying to Allah. Though I may not be anywhere close to a “perfect” practicing Muslim, I definitely feel like I made the right decision.

If you’re queer and Muslim/interested in Islam and how it connects to lgbt concepts a couple resources I found that I recommend include this guide list: [https://taplink.cc/infolgbtq] and this Google drive folder: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vWsmtnWZaoMMWCu4BqVfVqxRI-OvnvN_]. I especially recommend this post discussing the story of Prophet of Lut (pbuh) since that story is often brought up against homosexuality in Islam: [https://thefatalfeminist.com/2020/12/07/prophet-lut-a-s-and-bal-%d8%a8%d9%84-the-nahida-s-nisa-tafsir/]

I plan on waiting until I develop a stronger relationship with Allah through reading and understanding the Quran and develop my religious practice more before I tell those I know in person, but it’s important to me that I begin connecting with other Muslims now + I’d like to share my experiences and thoughts on here :3

That’s all I have to post myself for now. As-salamu Alaykum, I hope you have a good rest of the week and follow me if you’re interested <3.

#lgbt muslim #queer muslim #revert islam