BEING A QUEER MUSLIM - COMMON APP ESSAY FOR UMICH!

COMMON APP ESSAY

PROMPT:
Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. Min 100/ Max 300

To think that I belong in a community of people who share the same thorns as me is heartbreak. Being a living contradiction, juxtaposing sin and religious virtue. I am part of a community that embraces a love that transcends the boundaries defined in the Holy Quran. A group that will shy away from kneeling in the same masjid as their siblings in Islam because their heart beats for someone of the same sex. I sit among people who would still pray to feel a sense of ease and security but are astray from constant practice because of the understanding that their prayers would be denied.

The personality and individualism that bloomed inside of me would end up being my biggest weed. I am viewed no different than wilting rose, unpleasant and unfavorable, beyond the point of care. My parents would tell me to avoid acting on my feelings and love a version of me from before they knew who I really was. My father would tell me to pray and atone for my sins and my mother would strip away a part of me that I knew from birth. "You are not a real Muslim if you think like that." But I am. I am Muslim and I am definitely lesbian. I believe in my god just as much as anyone else, I believe in the stories and meanings behind our practices, I celebrate the holidays and customs that muslims do. But I am also a firm believer in loving who makes you happy. Love that exceeds gender, sex, and outgrown morals.

To me having this circle of people is knowing I'm not alone even though I feel like it. It has strengthened my passion for advocating for inclusivity. It is a place that grants me ease of mind.

Somehow the presentation seems incomplete to me. I am looking for some reference as to how the Muslim community might have a way of circumventing the Quaran and alllowing its LGBTQIA community members to somehow gather and celebrate that which makes them special. I have read the negative about the community in your presentation. I have read about your fears and wishes for a more accepting Muslim community. The question then becomes, what have you and the community done to try and implement changes to the religious system? Why can't you fight the system? Or, how have you fought the system in an acceptable manner? Surely there is much more to the community that what you have presented here. Balance the negative with the positive if there are any to be mentioned.