Justice
The Importance of Queer Muslim Spaces
“Actually, we exist. We are not a contradiction. If we contradict your narrative, there’s something wrong with your narrative, not with us.”
Aamir Ali* woke up early on Sunday at his home in Minneapolis for Suhoor—the prayer and pre-dawn meal that sustains fasting Muslims until sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Before heading back to bed, the 31-year-old Ph.D student checked his phone, and read that while he had been asleep, the worst shooting in U.S. history had occurred.
As he read the details of how a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent named Omar Mateen opened fire at a gay club in Orlando, ultimately killing 49 and injuring another 53 innocent people, Ali*—who is gay and originally from Afghanistan—was enveloped in shock.