In 2016, an American Afghan man shot up a gay nightclub in Orlando. 49 people were killed and 50 were injured. The night of the attack, the aggravator, Omar Mateen, pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Since the shooting, Mateen’s sexuality has been a subject of public discussion, many believing his motivation was complicated by his own repressed homosexuality.
This speculation of Mateen’s sexual orientation leads to the topics of Islam, Love, and Sexuality.
The LGBTQI+ community preaches for love in its attempts to exist safely and publicly. Stark against this, the Orlando Nightclub shooting is ‘proof’ of the intolerance of Islam. Although Mateen never explicitly stated this attack was aimed at the LGBTQI+ community, given the venue of the attack and the ideology to which he pledged, this attack highlights the homophobia common in today’s Islam.
I want to be explicit and state that these aspects of restricted love and homophobia are based on the loudest opinions pushed by both Islam and the West. These will be left as surface statements because my intention is not to focus on the East versus West debate, or to unpack Islamophobia and fundamentalist Islamic scholarship. Instead, I want to explore love and sexuality as presented in Islamic poetry.
Intolerance and homophobia is common in Islam. The orthodox view is that homosexuality is a sin and in some cases is punishable by death. But these prejudices against love and sexuality become confused when you experience the societies and cultures belonging to Islam. In the Islamic world, it is more likely for a male to share tenderness with his male companions than it is for him to share affection with his wife. Men share kisses on the cheeks, walk down the street holding hands, and amorously cuddle. I’ve heard of same-sex intimacies shared behind closed doors, and it would be dishonest of me to omit my knowledge of the Central Asian practice of Bacha Bazi [translates to ‘boy-play’]. These affections are so normalised in Islamic society that it contradicts the homophobic attitudes present in the same communities. Does this contradiction allude to an influence of unrestricted love in Islam?
Islam, as a religious and cultural system, has woven poetry into its aesthetic and devotion. Poetry, respected as an oral tradition since pre-Islamic Arabia, was adapted into the Islam. The poetry specifically inspired by the Islamic mystical sect called Sufism gives insight into the concepts of love and sexuality in Islam. Although the sect itself is undervalued, Islamic culture is influenced by the spirituality and romance of Sufi poetry. Muslims recite Sufi poems like they recite verses from the Qur’an, convert the stanzas into melodies, share its messages like it is a guide to unfurl the meanings of faith, and express an esteem for Sufi poets only similar to that of the Abrahamic prophets. My parents ritualised our mornings to the sound of Sufi devotional music, entwining the morals of spiritualism with every lesson, and inspiring me with tales of Sufi romance. To this day, Sufi poetry is the one thing uniting my family over our differences in politics, religion, and culture.
Sufis aim to attain freedom by complete immersion with the Divine Love. God is universal, is love. With this perspective, the universe has been created in the pure reflection of God’s Grace. Sufi poetry is an expression of the spiritual relationship with God. Love, the grand theme in Sufi poetry, came to its purity by the wisdom of the eighth-century female mystic Rabi’a al-Basri. Basri preached against restricted and dictated love, espousing instead a doctrine of Divine Love, an act of selfless and unconditional devotion. By this doctrine, love flows freely and is not bound by a world of control and fear.
Not confined to the strict dogmas of faith, it is characteristic of Sufi poetry to express a love of a ‘controversial’ nature, that is, ‘love between the unconventional partners, contravening the societal norms, religious norms, traditions, cultures and code of conduct.’[1] In the practice of the respect for God’s universality, the Sufi concept of love becomes a disruption to the bound practices and perceptions of Islam.
I
Have
Learned
So much from God
That I can no longer
Call
Myself
A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,
a Buddhist, a Jew.
The Truth has shared so much of Itself
With me
That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even a pure
Soul.
Love has
Befriended Hafiz so completely
It has turned to ash
And freed
Me
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
To submit to God, is to submit to all. True Love cannot be bound by worldly binaries and distinctions. Faithful to God’s universality, Sufism reaches above the parameters of conventional Islam.
Whatever the Plato of the age advises you to do,
Give up your self-will and act accordingly to his counsel.
Rumi
Thirteenth Century
This reference to Plato, a non-Muslim, as a symbol of great wisdom, demonstrates the universality behind the Sufism. Although Sufism is rooted in Islamic theology and spirituality, its concept of love has been nourished beyond the confines of faith. One example of this is Sufi acceptance to the philosophy of Neoplatonism. Neoplatonism is a school of Greek Hellenist philosophical and religious thought. At its core, Neoplatonism is the belief that The One is the principle of unification and the source of all creation. Like Islamic thought, the source of creation is believed to be where all things are from and where all things will return. Similar to Sufi thought, Neoplatonism maintains that it is the responsibility of each individual human soul to return to the source of creation through contemplation of The One.
The concepts of love, shared between Neoplatonism and Sufism, are expressed in Plato’s dialogue, Symposium. Set during a dinner party in honour of the tragic poet Agathon, the guests give speeches in praise of Eros. Among the speeches, Eros is described in two categories; Common Love and Heavenly Love. This understanding of love is supported in another speech, where true Eros is declared to promote righteousness in people. This categorisation of love is also used in the Sufi doctrine of Divine Love, which distinguishes between a selfish love that fulfils only the ego of the self and a truer, more virtuous, selfless love. As Symposium continues, Eros is proposed as a meditated love that extends beyond human interaction. Following this train of thought, another speaker describes humans to have once been twice the people they are now, and set with the task of wandering this earth in search of the other half that was lost. These concepts of love are the reasons for Sufi poetry, an extension for unity with the Divine.
He left me, and himself he departed
What fault was there in me?
Neither at night nor in the day do I sleep in peace,
My eyes pour out tears!
Sharper than swords and spears are the arrows of love!
There is no one as cruel as love,
This malady no physician can cure.
There is no peace, not for a moment,
So intense is the pain of separation!
Bulleh Shah
Eighteenth Century
Love is understood as the ideal possibility of perfection. A perfection only attained through contemplation and by absolving the self. Love is required to be fulfilled in order for the self to experience enlightenment. The battle is with a love that has become distracted by external corruptions and confines. Like Neoplatonism, Sufism uses Divine Love as a means to reach enlightenment. The Greek concept of Eros supports the disruptive quality of Sufism, giving proof that love transcends the rules of religion.
A lover of God?
They'll make much fuss;
They'll call you a Kafir
You should say –– yes, yes.
Bulleh Shah
Eighteenth Century
[1] Mizan, Arpeeta Shams. ‘A Beginner’s Take On Sufi Poetry: Does The Sufi Love Transcend Religious Borders To Encapsulate Humanity?’ Journal of the Asiatic Society Of Bangladesh 61(2016): 150
[2] Annemarie, Schimmel. As Through a Veil: Mystical Poetry in Islam. New York: Columbia University Press, 1982. 84.
[3] Jaffer, Amen. ‘Spiritualising Marginality: Sufi Concepts and the Politics of Identity in Pakistan’ ‘Society and Culture in South Asia 3(2017):184
I, you, he, she, we
In the garden of mystic lovers,
these are not true distinctions.
Rumi
Thirteenth Century
To embrace love as universal, as God, Sufism threads the spectrum of sexuality through its poetry and mysticism. Fluid and queer expressions of love are very common in the tradition of Sufi poetry. Framed as spirituality, on some level, Muslims accept these poetic expressions of queerness.
Before I go any further I should outline my choice of using the word queer. Queerness encapsulates a wide range of genders and sexualities, and does not feed into the sharp gender divisions that sexuality requires. As the Sufi concept of love is a disruption to the restrictions placed on Islam, it is only appropriate to associate its poetry with a fluid orientation. In my opinion, queerness leans into spirituality, favouring not the body but the heart.
Queer rebellion against the conventions of Islam is exemplified by the works of Sufi poets. The popular characters of Islamic literature are adapted into Sufi poetry to speak of a love that disobeys the social, sexual, and religious conventions. The dynamics of the King and the Handmaiden, Layla and Majnun, and Zuleikha and Yusuf, explore a love that bridges social hierarchies, religions devotion, and romantic constraints. As alcohol is a forbidden substance in Islam, the use of imagery such as wine and drunkenness plainly shows the Sufi's disregard for conventional Islamic morality. Sufis proudly admit their disobedience and praise the experience as an intoxication with God.
From the large jug,
drink the wine of Unity,
So that from your heart
you can wash away the futility of life's grief.
But like this large jug,
still keep the heart expansive.
Why would you want to keep the heart captive,
like an unopened bottle of wine?
With your mouth full of wine, you are selfless
And will never boast of your own abilities again
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
Inspired by Divine Love, the Sufi expresses a queer rebellion in its poetic form. As there is little specific information available on the intimate lives of most Sufi’s, the speculation of intimacy and romance is interpreted from devotional Sufi poems. Although we only have speculation, sometimes the queerness is unwrapped so simply and beautifully.
It happens all the time in heaven,
And some day
It will begin to happen
Again on earth —
That men and women who are married,
And men and men who are
Lovers,
And women and women
Who give each other
Light,
Often will get down on their knees
And while so tenderly
Holding their lover's hand,
With tears in their eyes,
Will sincerely speak, saying,
My dear,
How can I be more loving to you;
How can I be more kind?
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
Another tale of queer rebellion can be witnessed in the life of the Sufi saint and poet, Rumi. In the case of Rumi and his beloved Shams-e Tabriz, there is no proof of their sexual relationship, however their intensity of love is undeniable. Rumi left his status as a respected Islamic theologian, to pursue wisdom in relationship with the wandering dervish, Shams. The desire was for an experience with love, with God. Rumi and Shams were quickly enamoured with one another. Regardless of the risk of his family’s merit, Rumi entertained nine months of disjointed near-seclusion with Shams. ‘The two mystics spent days and nights, weeks and months together, deeply immersed in discussing mystical love, and forgetting the world, family, and disciples.’[2] The spiritual immersion shared between the two mystics inspired the very poetry that Rumi has come to be celebrated for.
It is not to say that Sufism eradicates homophobia, but its concepts do offer a religious framework that is inclusive of queerness. Sufi poetry espouses that being is not of the body but of the soul. This concept manifests itself amongst the Hijra communities of the subcontinent. Hijra is a term that encapsulates the third-gender, a gender identity that is not limited to the body but is characterised in terms of the spirit. The Hijra performance of gender is vivacious, expressive, brash, and confident. This performance is understood as a form of mast, an intoxication consumed by Divine pleasure, connecting Hijras with a spirituality focused on the complete absorption with God. By adopting Sufi traditions and concepts, Hijras are able to validate their gender identity against orthodox Islamic doctrines. Under the influence of Divine Love, Hijras reject the values, demands, and social orders of society to make space for a universal expression of love. The dismissal of society is described as a ‘radical act of love.’[3]
Sufis have a long tradition of defying the dominant social order by inverting gender roles in their poetry. By masking their voice in the performance of another gender longing for their love, Sufi poets represent the fluid relation between love from being to God. God is in everything and everything is in God. In the case of Bulleh Shah, the Sufi poet proudly traverses the gender binaries by dressing in feminine clothing and adorning jewellery, and dancing and singing in public to validate his religious devotion.
Remembering Ranjha day and night
I’ve become Ranjha myself.
Call me Dhido Ranjha,
No more I be addressed as Heer.
I am in Ranjha and Ranjha is in me
There is no distinction left.
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
Given the queer perspectives and homosexual references of its poetry and culture, I have always found the homophobia of Islam unsettling. As the prejudice plays out violently, it seems to act in conflict to the very culture and religion it believes to be protecting. The shooting carried out by Omar Mateen did nothing to safeguard and bolster Islam. Instead, he wasted the lives of innocent humans, assisted in the vilification of Islam, and further alienated the community of Queer Muslims. Mateen prioritised his judgment over his trust in God, replacing faith with hostility. To submit to God requires a respect for universality. To restrict love is to restrict God. God is universal, is love.
My position on the topic of Islam and sexuality is influenced by a respect for Sufism. The spirituality of Sufi poetry helps me imagine a world above the restrictions and control placed onto my feminine form. It supports my fluidity as a devotion of love, as a path to experience the Divine. There is the possibility that I am desperately trying to find acceptance in a hostile religion. On my day of judgment I could be chastised for waving from the strict path and making a mockery of faith. But in truth, I am willing to chance my soul for the practice of love.
Bahar Sayed. Born and raised in Whadjuk/Perth and is currently settling in Sydney.
Writer and text-based artist. In an attempt to gather identity, Sayed’s work is attentive to her immersion in contrasting cultures and the conflicted sense of self that this creates.
Her practice enjoys exploring the links between disparate ideas, sometimes threading nuanced comparisons while other times desperately trying to find a connection.
Sayed’s written exploration of place has contributed to the Where are you from? exhibition series, and her essay Cruelty and the Theatre of Jihad, on the acceptance of cruelty through art in comparison to religion, was published in unMagazine 13.1. Her research on the contemporary relationship between drugs, politics, and Islam was arranged into a documentary titled Hashish, trading. Recently, Sayed’s experimental text-based art inspired by her relationship with language and code-switching was published by Heart of Hearts press, under a collection of artist works titled Healing practices.
In 2016, an American Afghan man shot up a gay nightclub in Orlando. 49 people were killed and 50 were injured. The night of the attack, the aggravator, Omar Mateen, pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Since the shooting, Mateen’s sexuality has been a subject of public discussion, many believing his motivation was complicated by his own repressed homosexuality.
This speculation of Mateen’s sexual orientation leads to the topics of Islam, Love, and Sexuality.
The LGBTQI+ community preaches for love in its attempts to exist safely and publicly. Stark against this, the Orlando Nightclub shooting is ‘proof’ of the intolerance of Islam. Although Mateen never explicitly stated this attack was aimed at the LGBTQI+ community, given the venue of the attack and the ideology to which he pledged, this attack highlights the homophobia common in today’s Islam.
I want to be explicit and state that these aspects of restricted love and homophobia are based on the loudest opinions pushed by both Islam and the West. These will be left as surface statements because my intention is not to focus on the East versus West debate, or to unpack Islamophobia and fundamentalist Islamic scholarship. Instead, I want to explore love and sexuality as presented in Islamic poetry.
Intolerance and homophobia is common in Islam. The orthodox view is that homosexuality is a sin and in some cases is punishable by death. But these prejudices against love and sexuality become confused when you experience the societies and cultures belonging to Islam. In the Islamic world, it is more likely for a male to share tenderness with his male companions than it is for him to share affection with his wife. Men share kisses on the cheeks, walk down the street holding hands, and amorously cuddle. I’ve heard of same-sex intimacies shared behind closed doors, and it would be dishonest of me to omit my knowledge of the Central Asian practice of Bacha Bazi [translates to ‘boy-play’]. These affections are so normalised in Islamic society that it contradicts the homophobic attitudes present in the same communities. Does this contradiction allude to an influence of unrestricted love in Islam?
Islam, as a religious and cultural system, has woven poetry into its aesthetic and devotion. Poetry, respected as an oral tradition since pre-Islamic Arabia, was adapted into the Islam. The poetry specifically inspired by the Islamic mystical sect called Sufism gives insight into the concepts of love and sexuality in Islam. Although the sect itself is undervalued, Islamic culture is influenced by the spirituality and romance of Sufi poetry. Muslims recite Sufi poems like they recite verses from the Qur’an, convert the stanzas into melodies, share its messages like it is a guide to unfurl the meanings of faith, and express an esteem for Sufi poets only similar to that of the Abrahamic prophets. My parents ritualised our mornings to the sound of Sufi devotional music, entwining the morals of spiritualism with every lesson, and inspiring me with tales of Sufi romance. To this day, Sufi poetry is the one thing uniting my family over our differences in politics, religion, and culture.
Sufis aim to attain freedom by complete immersion with the Divine Love. God is universal, is love. With this perspective, the universe has been created in the pure reflection of God’s Grace. Sufi poetry is an expression of the spiritual relationship with God. Love, the grand theme in Sufi poetry, came to its purity by the wisdom of the eighth-century female mystic Rabi’a al-Basri. Basri preached against restricted and dictated love, espousing instead a doctrine of Divine Love, an act of selfless and unconditional devotion. By this doctrine, love flows freely and is not bound by a world of control and fear.
Not confined to the strict dogmas of faith, it is characteristic of Sufi poetry to express a love of a ‘controversial’ nature, that is, ‘love between the unconventional partners, contravening the societal norms, religious norms, traditions, cultures and code of conduct.’[1] In the practice of the respect for God’s universality, the Sufi concept of love becomes a disruption to the bound practices and perceptions of Islam.
I
Have
Learned
So much from God
That I can no longer
Call
Myself
A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,
a Buddhist, a Jew.
The Truth has shared so much of Itself
With me
That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even a pure
Soul.
Love has
Befriended Hafiz so completely
It has turned to ash
And freed
Me
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
To submit to God, is to submit to all. True Love cannot be bound by worldly binaries and distinctions. Faithful to God’s universality, Sufism reaches above the parameters of conventional Islam.
Whatever the Plato of the age advises you to do,
Give up your self-will and act accordingly to his counsel.
Rumi
Thirteenth Century
This reference to Plato, a non-Muslim, as a symbol of great wisdom, demonstrates the universality behind the Sufism. Although Sufism is rooted in Islamic theology and spirituality, its concept of love has been nourished beyond the confines of faith. One example of this is Sufi acceptance to the philosophy of Neoplatonism. Neoplatonism is a school of Greek Hellenist philosophical and religious thought. At its core, Neoplatonism is the belief that The One is the principle of unification and the source of all creation. Like Islamic thought, the source of creation is believed to be where all things are from and where all things will return. Similar to Sufi thought, Neoplatonism maintains that it is the responsibility of each individual human soul to return to the source of creation through contemplation of The One.
The concepts of love, shared between Neoplatonism and Sufism, are expressed in Plato’s dialogue, Symposium. Set during a dinner party in honour of the tragic poet Agathon, the guests give speeches in praise of Eros. Among the speeches, Eros is described in two categories; Common Love and Heavenly Love. This understanding of love is supported in another speech, where true Eros is declared to promote righteousness in people. This categorisation of love is also used in the Sufi doctrine of Divine Love, which distinguishes between a selfish love that fulfils only the ego of the self and a truer, more virtuous, selfless love. As Symposium continues, Eros is proposed as a meditated love that extends beyond human interaction. Following this train of thought, another speaker describes humans to have once been twice the people they are now, and set with the task of wandering this earth in search of the other half that was lost. These concepts of love are the reasons for Sufi poetry, an extension for unity with the Divine.
He left me, and himself he departed
What fault was there in me?
Neither at night nor in the day do I sleep in peace,
My eyes pour out tears!
Sharper than swords and spears are the arrows of love!
There is no one as cruel as love,
This malady no physician can cure.
There is no peace, not for a moment,
So intense is the pain of separation!
Bulleh Shah
Eighteenth Century
Love is understood as the ideal possibility of perfection. A perfection only attained through contemplation and by absolving the self. Love is required to be fulfilled in order for the self to experience enlightenment. The battle is with a love that has become distracted by external corruptions and confines. Like Neoplatonism, Sufism uses Divine Love as a means to reach enlightenment. The Greek concept of Eros supports the disruptive quality of Sufism, giving proof that love transcends the rules of religion.
A lover of God?
They'll make much fuss;
They'll call you a Kafir
You should say –– yes, yes.
Bulleh Shah
Eighteenth Century
[1] Mizan, Arpeeta Shams. ‘A Beginner’s Take On Sufi Poetry: Does The Sufi Love Transcend Religious Borders To Encapsulate Humanity?’ Journal of the Asiatic Society Of Bangladesh 61(2016): 150
[2] Annemarie, Schimmel. As Through a Veil: Mystical Poetry in Islam. New York: Columbia University Press, 1982. 84.
[3] Jaffer, Amen. ‘Spiritualising Marginality: Sufi Concepts and the Politics of Identity in Pakistan’ ‘Society and Culture in South Asia 3(2017):184
I, you, he, she, we
In the garden of mystic lovers,
these are not true distinctions.
Rumi
Thirteenth Century
To embrace love as universal, as God, Sufism threads the spectrum of sexuality through its poetry and mysticism. Fluid and queer expressions of love are very common in the tradition of Sufi poetry. Framed as spirituality, on some level, Muslims accept these poetic expressions of queerness.
Before I go any further I should outline my choice of using the word queer. Queerness encapsulates a wide range of genders and sexualities, and does not feed into the sharp gender divisions that sexuality requires. As the Sufi concept of love is a disruption to the restrictions placed on Islam, it is only appropriate to associate its poetry with a fluid orientation. In my opinion, queerness leans into spirituality, favouring not the body but the heart.
Queer rebellion against the conventions of Islam is exemplified by the works of Sufi poets. The popular characters of Islamic literature are adapted into Sufi poetry to speak of a love that disobeys the social, sexual, and religious conventions. The dynamics of the King and the Handmaiden, Layla and Majnun, and Zuleikha and Yusuf, explore a love that bridges social hierarchies, religions devotion, and romantic constraints. As alcohol is a forbidden substance in Islam, the use of imagery such as wine and drunkenness plainly shows the Sufi's disregard for conventional Islamic morality. Sufis proudly admit their disobedience and praise the experience as an intoxication with God.
From the large jug,
drink the wine of Unity,
So that from your heart
you can wash away the futility of life's grief.
But like this large jug,
still keep the heart expansive.
Why would you want to keep the heart captive,
like an unopened bottle of wine?
With your mouth full of wine, you are selfless
And will never boast of your own abilities again
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
Inspired by Divine Love, the Sufi expresses a queer rebellion in its poetic form. As there is little specific information available on the intimate lives of most Sufi’s, the speculation of intimacy and romance is interpreted from devotional Sufi poems. Although we only have speculation, sometimes the queerness is unwrapped so simply and beautifully.
It happens all the time in heaven,
And some day
It will begin to happen
Again on earth —
That men and women who are married,
And men and men who are
Lovers,
And women and women
Who give each other
Light,
Often will get down on their knees
And while so tenderly
Holding their lover's hand,
With tears in their eyes,
Will sincerely speak, saying,
My dear,
How can I be more loving to you;
How can I be more kind?
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
Another tale of queer rebellion can be witnessed in the life of the Sufi saint and poet, Rumi. In the case of Rumi and his beloved Shams-e Tabriz, there is no proof of their sexual relationship, however their intensity of love is undeniable. Rumi left his status as a respected Islamic theologian, to pursue wisdom in relationship with the wandering dervish, Shams. The desire was for an experience with love, with God. Rumi and Shams were quickly enamoured with one another. Regardless of the risk of his family’s merit, Rumi entertained nine months of disjointed near-seclusion with Shams. ‘The two mystics spent days and nights, weeks and months together, deeply immersed in discussing mystical love, and forgetting the world, family, and disciples.’[2] The spiritual immersion shared between the two mystics inspired the very poetry that Rumi has come to be celebrated for.
It is not to say that Sufism eradicates homophobia, but its concepts do offer a religious framework that is inclusive of queerness. Sufi poetry espouses that being is not of the body but of the soul. This concept manifests itself amongst the Hijra communities of the subcontinent. Hijra is a term that encapsulates the third-gender, a gender identity that is not limited to the body but is characterised in terms of the spirit. The Hijra performance of gender is vivacious, expressive, brash, and confident. This performance is understood as a form of mast, an intoxication consumed by Divine pleasure, connecting Hijras with a spirituality focused on the complete absorption with God. By adopting Sufi traditions and concepts, Hijras are able to validate their gender identity against orthodox Islamic doctrines. Under the influence of Divine Love, Hijras reject the values, demands, and social orders of society to make space for a universal expression of love. The dismissal of society is described as a ‘radical act of love.’[3]
Sufis have a long tradition of defying the dominant social order by inverting gender roles in their poetry. By masking their voice in the performance of another gender longing for their love, Sufi poets represent the fluid relation between love from being to God. God is in everything and everything is in God. In the case of Bulleh Shah, the Sufi poet proudly traverses the gender binaries by dressing in feminine clothing and adorning jewellery, and dancing and singing in public to validate his religious devotion.
Remembering Ranjha day and night
I’ve become Ranjha myself.
Call me Dhido Ranjha,
No more I be addressed as Heer.
I am in Ranjha and Ranjha is in me
There is no distinction left.
Ḥāfeẓ
Fourteenth Century
Given the queer perspectives and homosexual references of its poetry and culture, I have always found the homophobia of Islam unsettling. As the prejudice plays out violently, it seems to act in conflict to the very culture and religion it believes to be protecting. The shooting carried out by Omar Mateen did nothing to safeguard and bolster Islam. Instead, he wasted the lives of innocent humans, assisted in the vilification of Islam, and further alienated the community of Queer Muslims. Mateen prioritised his judgment over his trust in God, replacing faith with hostility. To submit to God requires a respect for universality. To restrict love is to restrict God. God is universal, is love.
My position on the topic of Islam and sexuality is influenced by a respect for Sufism. The spirituality of Sufi poetry helps me imagine a world above the restrictions and control placed onto my feminine form. It supports my fluidity as a devotion of love, as a path to experience the Divine. There is the possibility that I am desperately trying to find acceptance in a hostile religion. On my day of judgment I could be chastised for waving from the strict path and making a mockery of faith. But in truth, I am willing to chance my soul for the practice of love.
Bahar Sayed. Born and raised in Whadjuk/Perth and is currently settling in Sydney.
Writer and text-based artist. In an attempt to gather identity, Sayed’s work is attentive to her immersion in contrasting cultures and the conflicted sense of self that this creates.
Her practice enjoys exploring the links between disparate ideas, sometimes threading nuanced comparisons while other times desperately trying to find a connection.
Sayed’s written exploration of place has contributed to the Where are you from? exhibition series, and her essay Cruelty and the Theatre of Jihad, on the acceptance of cruelty through art in comparison to religion, was published in unMagazine 13.1. Her research on the contemporary relationship between drugs, politics, and Islam was arranged into a documentary titled Hashish, trading. Recently, Sayed’s experimental text-based art inspired by her relationship with language and code-switching was published by Heart of Hearts press, under a collection of artist works titled Healing practices.
Runway Journal acknowledges the custodians of the nations our digital platform reaches. We extend this acknowledgement to all First Nations artists, writers and audiences.
Runway Journal is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Runway Journal receives project support from the NSW Government through Create NSW.
Runway Journal acknowledges the custodians of the nations our digital platform reaches. We extend this acknowledgement to all First Nations artists, writers and audiences.
Runway Journal is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Runway Journal receives project support from the NSW Government through Create NSW.