Celebrating Eid al-Fitr 2022 and The Islamic Faith With LGBTQ+ Muslims

As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end and Muslim people worldwide prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with family, friends, and neighbors, many LGBTQ+ Muslims say they often feel left out or ostracized by their family members.

Historically, Islamic scholars have viewed homosexuality as sinful and many still continue to believe that. As a result, many Muslim leaders and scholars condemn same-sex relationships, and families and communities have been known to ostracize queer Muslims. However, things are slowly changing. Several groups supportive of gay Muslims have sprung up in countries like the US and the UK in recent years, such as Muslims for Progressive Values, Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Hidiyah LGBT, Imaan, Queer Arabs, etc. Thanks to these groups and more openly gay Imams like Daayiee Abdullah in the US, an increasing number of Muslims worldwide want to address anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes.

As part of myGwork's exploration and celebration of faith in the LGBTQ+ community, we will be hosting an event to learn more about the Islamic faith, and the experience of LGBTQ+ people who are Muslim, or from a Muslim culture or heritage, especially during this holy month of Ramadan.

The event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 4 May 2022 (4pm BST). Speakers include:

• Ejel Khan, Co-ordinator at the Muslim LGBT Network
• Alia Ramna, Welsh Ballroom Queen
• Laila El-Metoui, Equity Educator at LemEducation.com
• Rahim El Habachi, Creative Associate at National Theatre Wales
• Osman, Outreach at Hidayah

Click here for more information about the event and to sign up.