ETJC In the News: Eid: Being LGBT and Muslim

El-Farouk Khaki writes in the Huffington Post on the occasion of Eid al-Adha about Hagar’s struggle and the connection to the struggle of LGBTQ Muslims:

It is Hagar’s courage and determination and Ismail’s certainty of faith as a young boy that God would not extol a sacrifice for the sake of a sacrifice, that I held to my heart as I did tawwaff (circumambulation) around the Kaaba with my parents, aunt, cousin and partner earlier this year as we performed the Umrah (lesser hajj), surrounded by women and men of all colors, ages, national and linguistic backgrounds, and all orientations and gender identities. As my partner Troy said to friends, “I was there praying with 700,000 people, and I was praying for peace, justice and for my queer and non-queer brothers and sisters around the world to find freedom and joy.”

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