Read on Twitter
Since this is getting popular I may as well elaborate, this is going to most likely be a lengthy thread, please strap in, and please retweet for exposure, I rarely see such issues discussed outside of Queer Muslim and Black Muslim circles https://twitter.com/sultanashabazz/status/1252061988693270528
Muslim leaders, in trying to combat islamophobia, resort to throwing other Muslims under the bus in appealing to an establishment that hates them, especially black Muslims, and in more conservative appeals queer Muslims not to say that queer Muslims aren’t also thrown in more
Liberal appeals, we are, but in the form of secular allyship to queer non-Muslims and a passive “who?” Directed at queer Muslims, rather than an explicit “No!” To queerness in general which is present in the more conservative contexts
Anti-blackness in those liberal appeals is made out of sheer neglect for black Muslims, in trying to reconstruct a Muslim identity, liberal Muslim leaders failed to recognize black Muslim history and struggles, and the struggles of the greater black community past a basic BLM
Advocacy, additionally the anti-black pitfalls of American neoliberalism are in no way addressed by liberal Muslim leaders. Take for example Ani Zonneveld, the founder of the liberal Muslim org, Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV)
You may know her from a bit ago when R. Ilhan Omar was asked a borderline islamophobic question to condemn FGM (she gave an excellent response if I might add) that was Zonneveld, @MM_Knight details Zonnevelds anti-Arab and anti-black tendencies here https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4wqbww/islam-for-xenophobes
In trying to appeal to a white American audience and present a “pure American” version of Islam, many Muslims are neglected, ignored, and placed in an outsider catagory, as Knight put it, “This “American Islam” shit is really just plain old American racism.”
This is not unique to the liberal and progressive side of the spectrum, it manifests violently on the conservative end as well, it’s how you get patriots like S. H*mza Y*suf, one of the most influential American Muslims who use racist statistics such as “black on black crime” and
Muslim white supremacists like D*niel H*q*qatjou who say things like this
These two examples specifically pertain to white converts attempting to legitimize Islam, a phenomenon that Knight once again writes about https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vdyay3/the-problem-with-white-converts-to-islam
However it’s dangerous to assume this harm is only done by white converts, leaders raised Muslim are also guilty of this sort of preaching, notably the “imam of peace” someone who continually aligns himself and his presentation of Islam with the alt-right
@Hanif_Kiriakos does an excellent analysis of the homophobic preaching done by Y*sir Q*dhi another example of a respected Muslim scholar weaponizing bigoted ideas and neglecting the existence of other Muslims, appealing to an established base of people in the process https://twitter.com/hanif_kiriakos/status/1199359459723825152
The author whom I reccomend most on this issue without a doubt is @BaconTribe , their analysis on the neglect of and subsequent effects of neglecting black Muslims, queer black Muslims, and queer black Muslim womanhood is unparalleled http://taylorvanessa.com/
I borrow a lot of ideas from them in this thread, please support them and @DrinkinGourdMag , they 1000% deserve it
For the record (bc I know ppl will bring this up) I am not attacking these established scholars to create disunity or because I disagree with them, I’m attacking them because they represent a real problem for Muslims everywhere, which can manifest violently
I know that if this tweet blows up I will be attacked for my queerness, whether it be threats or pity, know that for a teenager, I’ve experienced quite a few things, spiritual and physical experiences in which I’m convinced that there is nothing contradictory between Islam and
My queerness, nor is there any friction between the two, except with other Muslims, you will not convince me, hurt me, or fix me, so don’t try
Islam commands that we have a responsibility to our community, this principle is not held up with the neglect of and/or disrespect of other Muslims
