Living Out Islam

Download or read book Living Out Islam written by Scott Alan Kugle and published by . This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Muhsin is one of the organizers of Al-Fitra Foundation, a South African support group for lesbian, transgender, and gay Muslims. Islam and homosexuality are seen by many as deeply incompatible. This, according to Muhsin, is why he had to act. I realized that IOCOm not aloneOCothese people are going through the very same things that IOCOm going through. But IOCOve managed, because of my in-depth relationship with God, to reconcile the two. I was completely comfortable saying to the world that IOCOm gay and IOCOm Muslim. I wanted to help other people to get there. So thatOCOs how I became an activist. aa Living Out Islam adocuments the rarely-heard voices of Muslims who live in secular democratic countries and who are gay, lesbian, and transgender. It weaves original interviews with Muslim activists into a compelling composite picture which showcases the importance of the solidarity of support groups in the effort to change social relationships and achieve justice. This nascent movement is not about being out as opposed to being in the closet. Rather, as the voices of these activists demonstrate, it is about finding ways to live out Islam with dignity and integrity, reconciling their sexuality and gender with their faith and reclaiming Islam as their own. aa Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle ais Associate Professor in the Department of Middle East and South Asian Studies at Emory University. His previous books includea Rebel between Spirit and Law: Ahmad Zarruq, Juridical Sainthood and Authority in Islam;a Sufis and SaintsOCO Bodies: Mysticism, a Corporeality and Sacred Power in Islamic Culture; anda Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims ."