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Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World | 
 enlarge | Author: Afdhere Jama
Publisher: Salaam Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $11.21
You Save: $3.78 (25%)
New (8) from $11.21
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 82266
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 184
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 6 x 0.5
ISBN: 0980013887
EAN: 9780980013887
ASIN: 0980013887
Publication Date: July 25, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In "Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World", Afdhere Jama chronicles the struggles of 33 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in 22 countries. The majority of these people live in countries where it is illegal to have same-sex relationships. Caught between the modern world and the severe laws they face, many risk everything by meeting, having sex, or falling in love with other queers.
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| Customer Reviews:
Unexpected July 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World" is not what I expected it to be. I prepared myself for a depressing book because the book is about people in the developing world. Instead I found it to be insightful, engaging and even fun read.
I would say what I enjoyed the most about this book is the interesting stories. There are gay and lesbian stories but also transgendered as well as people who are questioning sexuality.
The book is suitable for all. There isn't any obscenities and the reader is not bombarded with sex the way the western gay books tend to.
Very educational July 27, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is very helpful in understanding gays in Muslim countries. The author writes in a neutral narrative and therefore allows the reader to understand each person profiled in their own circumstance. Some of the people in the same country or region sometimes have different experiences.
In terms of geography, it is somewhat systematically presented. It starts with Africa (Nigera, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya), goes through the Middle East (Arab countries, Israel, Turkey, Iran), Asia (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, China), and ends in Europe (Turkey, Bosnia, Ukraine).
Most people in the book live in countries with a majority of Muslims. When the author profiles people in countries with Muslim minority, he brings in couple or someone who can represent the Muslim as well as the Non-Muslim population. For example, the story about Israel in which there is a relationship between an Arab and Jewish men. Another example is India which has a story between Muslim and Hindu women.
Overall the book helped me see the injustices in many different societies. It is not just gay or whatever. The author notes for example the contradiction between how secular Turkey is and yet its homophobic policies. I also saw Iran in a different light. The story about Darfur was probably the most unexpected to me. Well done.
Very important book July 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have learned so much from this book that I can honestly say it changed my life. I never knew what life is like for a lesbian living in Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, or Turkey. It is written with a lot of respect for the subjects it explores as well as the people being used to illustrate these issues. Some of the people are living decadent lives and others are parents raising children. Even when he is writing about the most heart wrenching stories, Afdhere Jama keeps a certain cool that makes you feel calm. We need books like this one.
Shedding Light on Gay Muslims July 25, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Jama, Afdhere. "Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World", Salaam Press, 2008.
Shedding Light on Gay Muslims
Amos Lassen
Having lived many years in the Middle East, I was quite anxious to read this study of gay life in the Muslim world. Afdhere Jama follows the lives of thirty-three people in twenty-two countries and what we get is quite a complicated picture. Jama is the editor of "Huriyah", a queer Muslim magazine so he obviously is acquainted with the subject. He states that "I set out to tell the stories of people suffering everywhere. Instead I was confronted with diverse lives including happy ones--sometimes in places I never imagined". This is the surprise of the book as here in the West we have been led to believe that gay Muslims are persecuted, given death sentences and forced to live miserable lifestyles.
The stories range from surprising to touching. One young man in Iran clubs all night long even though he is the son of a high-level Ayotollah (politician) and lives a completely different life during the day.
We read about gays and lesbians in Iran who live much as we do here in America and this is so contrary to what we have been told. But in Saudi Arabia there are disturbing stories like the gay Saudi that was executed by members of his own family. Jama states that "horrible, horrible things happen in many of these [Muslim] countries, people disappear without a trace. And that happens because gay and lesbian Muslims have no voice. They can't object to abuse because, as far as anyone is concerned, they don't exist".
Jama grew up in Somalia and he was deeply affected when a lesbian couple in northern Somalia was executed in 2001 and this was when he got the idea to write this book. He felt he had to tell these stories but did not know how. He looked at gay history in the West and realized that it was often the countries that had unified gay communities did not suffer as the individuals in the Muslim world. The internet gave him an opportunity to help him travel and people helped him get to the people he needed to see. He thanks these people in his acknowledgements but he also encourages them to unify and be more active. "I tell everyone to do what they can. I'm not expecting anyone in Saudi Arabia to carry gay flags. There are many ways we can support the community...there are those who are directly involved in political activism."
Many of the stories in the book are "untold stories" because there are communities that we know nothing about. Jama shows his passion for transgender people and gay women. We have heard about being gay in Morocco and in Pakistan but we know nothing about trans people and lesbians.
Jama covers a lot of ground in his nook. He writes about Nigeria, Bosnia, Indonesia, Lebanon and counties that we know little about as well as looks at gay Muslim minorities in places like China, Israel, India and the Ukraine.
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