Hi. I read your write up about religion and queerness, and I found it quite thought provoking, however, one statement you made ignores a whole subset of people.
'won't hear islamic criticism from non ex muslims at all, because you expect us to dismantle "our inner muslims" in ways you aren't ready to dismantle imperialism and racism in you.'
You assume, or rather imply that everyone with criticism of Islam is a racist imperialist. On the contrary, some of us critique Islam BECAUSE we are victims of racism and imperialism. People where I'm from were colonised twice, first by violent Arab expansionism and Jihads, and then by the British.
My country is almost 50/50 between Christianity and Islam, and a decent portion of it operates Sharia law. As a 'culturally Christian' person raised in the majorly Islamic north, it was hellish. I was lucky enough to be in a safe area, most were not. Non Muslims in the region were and still are lynched for being infidels and forced to follow Sharia. Countless people have been stoned, burned, or otherwise killed just for the accusation of them blaspheming the prophet, regardless of whether or not it was true. The rampant terrorism within the country mainly targets non-believers to kill, harass, or forcibly convert them (including by corrective rape). In every Muslim majority region of my country, this is the reality.
On the topic of racism, some of the worst anti-Blackness and racist harassment I've experienced has been from Muslim Arabs. Like all Abrahamic religions, racist faithfuls love to go on long tangents about how we're cursed by God. When a black person brings up the centuries of persecution from Arabs, or the modern day funding of human rights violations from the oil states; there is always an Arab Muslim rushing to tell us why we deserve it because we're backwards barbaric infidels who worship trees and are the descendants of a cursed man.
Of course this isn't all Arabs, nor is it all Muslims and ex Muslims.
But my people were not originally Muslims, nor were they originally Christians. Both were used against us as tools of colonisation. I don't have a problem with Arabs, but I have a severe problem with the historical and current bigotry many of them have shown towards Africans.
I don't expect anyone to dismantle their inner Muslim because I consider that type of thinking to be fundamentally flawed.
However, I also don't see why I should have to dismantle the imperialism and racism within me (when my people are the victims of said imperialism and racism from all sides) just to be allowed to critique the religion and culture that was used to exploit my people for centuries.
This is not to detract from what you said, because I agree with it completely. Nor is it to antagonise you. Just wanted to provide another perspective to all you've said.
Sorry for the long write up.
hey so i am not arab btw for further clarity
i get what you mean and honestly while i try to give nuance the world i am in will not allow me give enough nuance to not get attacked from every side ever. (not to say you do, it's just the treatment i've been already getting)
my people were tengrist before they were muslim, and it's a whole lot of discuss from many sides of it, since it's not gone from our culture at all. i am also very much on the ex muslim territory.
the thing about it is how your pain is justified and valid, the other thing is how it will be used by first world to destroy you AND the muslims you live around, but you'll likely suffer first. i say this not so much from muslim raised perspective, but from central asian perspective. russians can be racist, they often are, but in front of the first world i will defend their asses because i know they don't actually care about my central asian pain, they just see it as a tool to kill us both.
the thing is it can and probably will be used against you too. i of course also hear west asian christian perspectives, anon i assure you i will hear out an armenian and an assyrian, you're in my priority far more than a blonde alex from michigan, i hope i make it clear
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