Just me and Allah: Photographs of Queer Muslims
Just Me and Allah: Photographs of Queer Muslims exhibition and video interviews by photographer Samra Habib to launch during World Pride
TORONTO, ON, MAY 21, 2014-This summer, Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA), Videofag Gallery and Parliament Street Library will hold exhibitions by Toronto photographer Samra Habib featuring queer Muslims. The shows are curated by Marcin Wisniewski.
“While there has been discussion around multilayered identities in academia, there is a need for accessible visual representation that will serve as historical evidence of the existence of queer Muslims,” says Habib.
“Mainstream Islam isn’t always welcoming of LGBTQ Muslims yet a lot of the Muslim traditions and rituals bring queer Muslims comfort and provide a sense of belonging.”
Whether it’s through celebrating Muslim traditions in queer spaces or incorporating aesthetic elements and symbolism in their everyday lives, the work explores the ideas of community and personal expression that are inspired by Islam but are the individuals’ personal re-interpretations. Video interviews reveal some of the subjects’ complicated relationship with Islam and how it’s shaped by historical and political events in the last decade.
"Samra’s work is not only aesthetically engaging but also culturally demanding,” says Karen Stanworth, head of curatorial committee at the CLGA. “The location of the show in the CLGA Reading Room will inspire dialogue around identity, politics and history.”
The exhibition will launch at Parliament Street Library on June 18th. On June 24th the CLGA will open a satellite show to coincide with the exhibitions running at Videofag Gallery and Parliament Street Library. On July 2nd, a discussion panel at the CLGA featuring prominent queer Muslims (including Salaam founder El-Farouk Khaki) will complement the exhibition. The panel will be moderated by journalist Elio Iannacci. A closing party at Videofag will follow.
About the photographer:
Samra is a Toronto-based writer and photographer who has written and spoken about her relationship with Islam for the New York Times, CBC Radio and Fashion magazine.
Exhibition dates:
Parliament Street Library: June 18-July 9, 2014
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives: June 24-October 5, 2014
Videofag Gallery: July 10-July 14, 2014
Related events:
Opening reception: Wednesday, June 18th, 2014 @ 6:30 p.m. at Parliament Street Library (269 Gerrard Street)
Discussion panel: Wednesday, July 2, 2014 @ 6:30 p.m. at the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives (34 Isabella Street)
Closing party: Thursday, July 14, 2014 @ 7 p.m. at Videofag Gallery (187 Augusta Avenue)
Aside from posting information about exhibition-related events, I thought I’d use this blog to publish interviews with some of the subjects I’ve photographed. My hope is that it’ll become a resource for young queer Muslims who are looking for support and answers.
Who: Samira
In one word, how would you describe your relationship with Islam?
Tumultuous
Why did you decide to participate in this photography project?
I had made a conscious decision about a decade ago to live my life out loud. By that I mean, to not shy away from any of my identifications; be they sexual, political, cultural and/or religious. Naturally, I felt it necessary to do so because I had met so many youth who were quite conflicted and closeted and in fear of living their lives. This is a small token or gesture on my part to let them know that they should not underestimate their families or their communities.
What advice would you give to young queer Muslims who are looking for support and a community that accepts them for who they are?
It may be a tad long winded of an answer but it has guided me through a lot and has become my mantra when I have been asked to speak on behalf of an entire religion, gender or sexuality. It’s a quote by James Joyce:
"I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe, whether it calls itself my home, my fatherland, or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use — silence, exile, and cunning."
Also, the only acceptance you should seek is your own. Once you can come to terms and accept who you are, with all your idiosyncrasies and hyphenated identities, everything else will fall into place and those who can’t or don’t accept you for who you are and how you choose to love…in the words of Rabindranath Tagore, “they have a corpse in their mouth.”
Who: Dali
Why did you decide to participate in this photography project?
When I first brought up the topic of queerness back home, I remember I was in class. My philosophy professor said that being homosexual is a “western” phenomenon, and that, in the Arab world, such “debauched people” do not exist. My participation is mainly to encourage queer visibility in the Muslim community. Through art, at least, we’re saying that yes, we’re here, and we do exist.
What advice would you give to young queer Muslims who are looking for support and a community that accepts them for who they are?
We have always been here, it’s just that the world wasn’t ready for us yet. Today, with all the political upheavals in the Muslim World, some of us, those who are not daily threatened with death or rejection, have to speak for the others. They have to tell stories of a community that is either denied or scorned. Together, through facing distinct realities, we should be united—united in the desire to be, in the desire to enjoy be-ing free, safe, and happy. It is not going to be easy and one may never reach a reconciliation with oneself (or with religion) but, at least, we should care for each other. In face of the challenges, our sense of community and our shared aspirations for a better world should make us stronger.
Why did you decide to participate in this photography project?
When I first brought up the topic of queerness back home, I remember I was in class. My philosophy professor said that being homosexual is a “western” phenomenon, and that, in the Arab world, such “debauched people” do not exist. My participation is mainly to encourage queer visibility in the Muslim community. Through art, at least, we’re saying that yes, we’re here, and we do exist.
What advice would you give to young queer Muslims who are looking for support and a community that accepts them for who they are?
We have always been here, it’s just that the world wasn’t ready for us yet. Today, with all the political upheavals in the Muslim World, some of us, those who are not daily threatened with death or rejection, have to speak for the others. They have to tell stories of a community that is either denied or scorned. Together, through facing distinct realities, we should be united—united in the desire to be, in the desire to enjoy be-ing free, safe, and happy. It is not going to be easy and one may never reach a reconciliation with oneself (or with religion) but, at least, we should care for each other. In face of the challenges, our sense of community and our shared aspirations for a better world should make us stronger.
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