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A review by notesofacrocodile
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H
5.0
oh god, i loved this so much.
growing up as a trans and lesbian muslim south asian, i didn't expect for someone with identities and a story so similar to mine to be told. but here it is, in my hands. here it is, the struggles that i can recognise so clearly before i can even finish a sentence, my eyes welling with barely-restrained tears. here it is, the confusion, the anguish, the realisations, the anger, and also the deep-rooted love. it felt so liberating to just read about the author growing into her identity, finding a whole community of muslims, queer muslims, who love them back. and the parallels with the stories of the quran to her own experiences with transness and queerness again felt so personal. as a trans and queer person who also feels deeply about faith, this memoir felt like a safe space. the way that the author recounts the stories from the quran was also something so captivating- these are stories that i have heard in my own muslim household so many times and yet i still read each word with care because of the intimate tenderness and admiration with which the author narrates these stories; it is amply clear that they have a very deep attachment to islam. she is angry, she is political, she is loving. they have such touching insights on themselves and everything and everyone around them, all rendered in such moving prose.
i have heard criticisms from some muslims about the specifics of how the author interprets some of the stories when they draw the parallels to their own life, but honestly? they are only personally interpreting the stories in the quran as they have a right to, in order to understand themselves and those around them more, so that they can ultimately love more. and is that not what god would want us to do? to love others and ourselves through islam? besides, these interpretations are only of a source material that is cryptic and has been subjected to various patriarchal and heteronormative interpretations anyway. what this author is doing - both viewing the verses with an open mind and learning to love and live through these verses - is, in my opinion, revolutionary. i wish more people would utilise religion this way, the way it was originally intended to be like.
i feel very incoherent and rambly right now so i will end with this: i cannot recommend this book enough. definitely already one of my favourite books of all time.
a last note: i felt so much closer to my faith after this book. thank you so much for this lamya h., thank you for rejuvenating my faith in god, in love, and in community. thank you for letting us have this intimate peek into your life, to let us see you existing so wonderfully as a queer and trans muslim. thank you.
growing up as a trans and lesbian muslim south asian, i didn't expect for someone with identities and a story so similar to mine to be told. but here it is, in my hands. here it is, the struggles that i can recognise so clearly before i can even finish a sentence, my eyes welling with barely-restrained tears. here it is, the confusion, the anguish, the realisations, the anger, and also the deep-rooted love. it felt so liberating to just read about the author growing into her identity, finding a whole community of muslims, queer muslims, who love them back. and the parallels with the stories of the quran to her own experiences with transness and queerness again felt so personal. as a trans and queer person who also feels deeply about faith, this memoir felt like a safe space. the way that the author recounts the stories from the quran was also something so captivating- these are stories that i have heard in my own muslim household so many times and yet i still read each word with care because of the intimate tenderness and admiration with which the author narrates these stories; it is amply clear that they have a very deep attachment to islam. she is angry, she is political, she is loving. they have such touching insights on themselves and everything and everyone around them, all rendered in such moving prose.
i have heard criticisms from some muslims about the specifics of how the author interprets some of the stories when they draw the parallels to their own life, but honestly? they are only personally interpreting the stories in the quran as they have a right to, in order to understand themselves and those around them more, so that they can ultimately love more. and is that not what god would want us to do? to love others and ourselves through islam? besides, these interpretations are only of a source material that is cryptic and has been subjected to various patriarchal and heteronormative interpretations anyway. what this author is doing - both viewing the verses with an open mind and learning to love and live through these verses - is, in my opinion, revolutionary. i wish more people would utilise religion this way, the way it was originally intended to be like.
i feel very incoherent and rambly right now so i will end with this: i cannot recommend this book enough. definitely already one of my favourite books of all time.
a last note: i felt so much closer to my faith after this book. thank you so much for this lamya h., thank you for rejuvenating my faith in god, in love, and in community. thank you for letting us have this intimate peek into your life, to let us see you existing so wonderfully as a queer and trans muslim. thank you.