Intersection & Acceptance
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Samra Habib beautifully illustrates the complexities of her intersectional identity as a queer Muslim in Canada, connecting it to her social, cultural and religious identity. She highlights her experiences being marginalized in both the queer and Muslim sphere, and how her intersectional identity always challenged her acceptance in each environment. In the queer sphere, her acceptance was challenged because of the lack of representation of both queer people of colour and queer Muslims. In the Muslim sphere, her queer identity challenged her acceptance because of the ostracization of queer folks in islamic environments because of the common conceptualization of queer people as sinners.
Habib's experience at Unity Mosque marks a pivotal point in her self-acceptance of her intersectional identity, because, for the first time in her life, it signified a space where both her Muslim and queer identity was respected. It became a space where different understandings and relations with Islam were respected, largely contrasting with her experience at her local mosque.
Habibs connection with Unity Mosque somewhat parallels her mother's experience with her local mosque, in which they both act as a haven for acceptance. For her mother, her local mosque accepted her cultural and religious identity as a Pakistani Muslim in Canada. Unity Mosque for Habib accepted her sexual and religious identity as a queer Muslim. It is interesting to observe that despite the unique intersectionality of identities, safe havens of acceptance are critical in affirming self-identity especially when identities outside these spheres are constantly contested and discriminated against.