When I first set up this blog, most of what I know about the Bangladeshi LGBTQ community and the Muslim LGBTQ community came from the Internet. This was before I came out and connected with people in the physical world. I still have a small collection of online resources, however, and I'm publishing a few helpful links onto one page here. I will update as necessary - whenever I come across something new and/or interesting.
This is a short list outlining various LGBTQ groups, articles and other material that I've found online and it is by no means exhaustive. Quite a few English language Bangladeshi papers nowadays seem to publish LGBTQ themed articles quite easily, especially with regards to hijra issues, something that was rarity when I first started this blog.
Bengali newspapers do not seem to publish positive LGBTQ themed articles or opinions yet, and most of my (basic Googling) only returned factual news about India or same-sex marriage in the West. Online only news site sangbad24.com, however, is in Bengali and does carry some of these articles, but I don't know how wide their readership is. Always, comments seem to be a balance of positive and negative.
Link to media coverage, The Daily Star: www.thedailystar.net/first-local-magazine-for-gays-launched-7611
Linke to media coverage, Dhaka Tribune: www.dhakatribune.com/arts-amp-culture/2014/jan/20/first-ever-lgbt-magazine-launched
Boys of Bangladesh
Project Dhee
A newly launched initiative by Boys of Bangladesh coordinated by the first editor of Roopbaan. Paraphrasing from their Facebook page, Dhee is aims to produce a 5 year strategy action plan for the LGBT community in Bangladesh, created through the input of external allies and the Bangladeshi LGBT community itself.
Check out more at the Facebook page here.
My Gay Experience (in Bangla) by Tonmoy Hasan on somwhereinblog.net
Bangladesh Against Homophobia
GlobalGayz.com
Muslims for Progressive Values
Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims by Scott Siraj Al-Haqq Kugle
Of course this isn't an online resource, but it has been recommended to me by so many LGBTQ Muslim in the UK that I feel I have to put it up here. I have a copy myself, though I haven't finished reading it. Kugle tackles sexuality in Islam in a number of ways, looking at hadith and the Quran, expanding greatly on the story of Prophet Lot along the lines of MPV's approach above.
A slight warning on bi-erasure. Kugle very bluntly states he has not found any positive mention of bisexual identities in the Quran and will not be including bisexuals in his writing. He clarifies that this does not mean bisexual identities are incompatible with Islam, but rather it's just not something he has focussed on. However, the way he talks about sexual minorities generally, even when he is not carrying out theological analysis feels like a very deliberate exercise in bisexual exclusion.
Link to the book on Amazon.
Bangladeshi LGBTQ Resources
This is a short list outlining various LGBTQ groups, articles and other material that I've found online and it is by no means exhaustive. Quite a few English language Bangladeshi papers nowadays seem to publish LGBTQ themed articles quite easily, especially with regards to hijra issues, something that was rarity when I first started this blog.
Bengali newspapers do not seem to publish positive LGBTQ themed articles or opinions yet, and most of my (basic Googling) only returned factual news about India or same-sex marriage in the West. Online only news site sangbad24.com, however, is in Bengali and does carry some of these articles, but I don't know how wide their readership is. Always, comments seem to be a balance of positive and negative.
Roopbaan
Originally a magazine that advertised themselves as a means to spread understanding of homosexuals. They published two issues (in Bengali) of what I'd call a lifestyle magazine, and both made for an interesting, refreshing read. They've sold their magazines and other publications at the Ekushey Book Fair, which is the country's biggest literary event of the year.
More recently they've morphed into a community organisation that promotes the right to love, hosting events for gender and sexual minorites and staging a rainbow rally during Pohela Boishakh. As of mid 2015 they seem very active and as such, a group to watch out for.
Link to media coverage, The Daily Star: www.thedailystar.net/first-local-magazine-for-gays-launched-7611
Boys of Bangladesh
An online network of gay men in Bangladesh. They have a Yahoo Group, website and a Facebook group. I'm linking to the Yahoo Group and website below, and the Facebook group should be a fairly easy search. However, I live in England and so am unaware about how active they are on the ground. Their Yahoo Group is fairly dead.
Link to Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/BoysOnlyBangladesh
Link to Website: www.boysofbangladesh.org
Project Dhee
A newly launched initiative by Boys of Bangladesh coordinated by the first editor of Roopbaan. Paraphrasing from their Facebook page, Dhee is aims to produce a 5 year strategy action plan for the LGBT community in Bangladesh, created through the input of external allies and the Bangladeshi LGBT community itself.
Check out more at the Facebook page here.
My Gay Experience (in Bangla) by Tonmoy Hasan on somwhereinblog.net
Sadly, this post and in fact all of this user's posts seem to have been taken down. The description as follows is what I put up originally.
As far as I know, somewhereinblog.net is the biggest blogging portal in Bangladesh. I have to applaud Tonmoy Hasan for openly writing about being gay on the site, and for bringing attention to LGBTQ issues. If I had to point to one single reason that drove me to start this blog, it would be his post. It was the first time I got to read anything about a gay Bangladeshi's personal experiences, and to see the general public's reaction to such a post. Most surprisingly, said reaction wasn't all bad. I might actually dissect what I've read in the comments in a future post.
As far as I know, somewhereinblog.net is the biggest blogging portal in Bangladesh. I have to applaud Tonmoy Hasan for openly writing about being gay on the site, and for bringing attention to LGBTQ issues. If I had to point to one single reason that drove me to start this blog, it would be his post. It was the first time I got to read anything about a gay Bangladeshi's personal experiences, and to see the general public's reaction to such a post. Most surprisingly, said reaction wasn't all bad. I might actually dissect what I've read in the comments in a future post.
Articles from bdnews24.com
I was pleasantly surprised to find the two articles below published on bdnews24.com circa 2012, even though they are both by foreign writers. I was more interested in how Bangladeshis reacted in the comments section, and it wasn't all bad. I'm not sure how much more they've posted on LGBTQ issues since, so do check out their site.
- Bangladesh's invisible minority by Rainer Ebert: http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2012/01/24/bangladesh%E2%80%99s-invisible-minority/#comments
- Gay rights: A father's perspective by Frank Dominico Cipriani: http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2012/01/24/gay-rights-a-father%E2%80%99s-perspective/
Articles from Dhaka Tribune
This newspaper was founded sometime in 2013, and seems to be of a liberal, leftwing stance. They published a number of LGBTQ themed articles at launch, and have continued to do so at a high enough rate that it's pointless of me to try and maintain a list. Link to a couple of older articles below:
Editorial on decriminalising same-sex relations: www.dhakatribune.com/editorial/2013/aug/29/decriminalising-same-sex-relations
Article on Hijra recognition: www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/nov/11/hijras-now-separate-gender
Bangladesh Against Homophobia
A Facebook group someone on Twitter pointed me in the direction of. It is run by Bangladeshi gay activists and they post various LGBTQ material - links to articles, poetry, promotion of other similar groups in Bangladesh, opinions etc. The fact that they post Bangladeshi material is the most important to me. As far as I know, they do not have a formal existence beyond Facebook.
GlobalGayz.com
I don't know how reliable this site is but they have a collection of LGBTQ articles on Bangladesh: http://www.globalgayz.com/asia/bangladesh
This includes one written about Bangladeshi gay life from the point of view of a foreign visitor: http://www.globalgayz.com/gay-bangladesh-by-martin-foreman/244/
This includes one written about Bangladeshi gay life from the point of view of a foreign visitor: http://www.globalgayz.com/gay-bangladesh-by-martin-foreman/244/
Muslim LGBTQ Resources
I'm not going to define how religious I am, because that is deeply subjective. But I'd like to clarify that my knowledge of Islam is limited. My parents, who were responsible for my Islamic education, probably never anticipated that I'd need to deal with LGBTQ issues.
Imaan
A Muslim LGBTQI support group based in London, but they have a few resources online including a Quran FAQ on verses dealing with sexuality.
Link to their main site: http://www.imaan.org.uk
They also run a sporadically moderated forum for LGBTQ Muslims where you can anonymously interact with others.
Link to their forums: imaanlondon.proboards.com
Link to their main site: http://www.imaan.org.uk
They also run a sporadically moderated forum for LGBTQ Muslims where you can anonymously interact with others.
Link to their forums: imaanlondon.proboards.com
Muslims for Progressive Values
An organisation of progressive Muslims who were initially based in the US but have now expanded to establish chapters in a few other countries. They have an inclusive ethos towards women, sexual minorities etc., and have a brief but useful section on sexual diversity on their website.
They go on to describe non-heterosexuality and Islam are not incompatible. Highlights from the page include:
"The Qur’an refers to people who are intersex—those with signs of being both male and female. This is not a common condition, but it does exist. The Qur’an does not say this condition is “wrong.” The Qur’an offers some guidance for how to treat intersex people in society, but there are many things it does not mention—including their sexuality."
"The Qur’an also refers to 'men who have no need of women'—people we might call 'gay' or 'asexual' today. Yet the Qur’an does not condemn them."
"In the story, the Prophet Lut (PBUH) first advised the people of the city of Sodom to follow God’s path, but they ignored him. Later, the men of Sodom threatened to rape Lut’s male visitors, who were angels disguised as men. God then punished the entire city of Sodom for rejecting their Prophet (Lut) and for “transgressions.”
Some scholars interpret the 'transgressions' in the story of Lut to refer to male homosexuality. Yet the word “transgressions” in the Qur’an can mean something sexual or something non-sexual. Men were not the only ones punished in the destruction of Sodom. According to the Qur’an, the whole city was destroyed. Lut’s wife is specifically mentioned. Were Lut’s wife, other women and the children of Sodom punished for male homosexuality? That does not seem to be a reasonable conclusion."
Link: mpvusa.org/sexuality-diversity
They go on to describe non-heterosexuality and Islam are not incompatible. Highlights from the page include:
"The Qur’an refers to people who are intersex—those with signs of being both male and female. This is not a common condition, but it does exist. The Qur’an does not say this condition is “wrong.” The Qur’an offers some guidance for how to treat intersex people in society, but there are many things it does not mention—including their sexuality."
"The Qur’an also refers to 'men who have no need of women'—people we might call 'gay' or 'asexual' today. Yet the Qur’an does not condemn them."
"In the story, the Prophet Lut (PBUH) first advised the people of the city of Sodom to follow God’s path, but they ignored him. Later, the men of Sodom threatened to rape Lut’s male visitors, who were angels disguised as men. God then punished the entire city of Sodom for rejecting their Prophet (Lut) and for “transgressions.”
Some scholars interpret the 'transgressions' in the story of Lut to refer to male homosexuality. Yet the word “transgressions” in the Qur’an can mean something sexual or something non-sexual. Men were not the only ones punished in the destruction of Sodom. According to the Qur’an, the whole city was destroyed. Lut’s wife is specifically mentioned. Were Lut’s wife, other women and the children of Sodom punished for male homosexuality? That does not seem to be a reasonable conclusion."
Link: mpvusa.org/sexuality-diversity
Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims by Scott Siraj Al-Haqq Kugle
Of course this isn't an online resource, but it has been recommended to me by so many LGBTQ Muslim in the UK that I feel I have to put it up here. I have a copy myself, though I haven't finished reading it. Kugle tackles sexuality in Islam in a number of ways, looking at hadith and the Quran, expanding greatly on the story of Prophet Lot along the lines of MPV's approach above.
A slight warning on bi-erasure. Kugle very bluntly states he has not found any positive mention of bisexual identities in the Quran and will not be including bisexuals in his writing. He clarifies that this does not mean bisexual identities are incompatible with Islam, but rather it's just not something he has focussed on. However, the way he talks about sexual minorities generally, even when he is not carrying out theological analysis feels like a very deliberate exercise in bisexual exclusion.
Link to the book on Amazon.
NSR Khan
I'm tempted to leave the description here as, 'a random woman's blog that I came across online and it touched my heart!' However, NSR Khan is "a lesbian and Muslim by birth...blessed with Scottish and Pakistani parentage". She was a criminal barrister for several years and is now a writer. I was drawn to her site because she writes about personal experiences, and I've linked to my favourite posts below.
congrats on your blog...looking forward to reading more stuffs.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDeleteIt's exam season in the UK, but after that's over I'm hoping to get down to writing more stuff, optimistically within a week or so!
Homosexuality is not approved in islam.
ReplyDelete