The Koran and the Flesh: The Pilgrimage of a Gay Imam

by Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed

Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed is an Imam and Koranic scholar. He is also gay.

In this memoir, he explains the journey he has taken to be both the founder of a mosque in Paris and to be openly gay, after a troubled childhood in Algeria in poverty and living with an aggressive and often violent father. He explains how a journey to Mecca brought him back to a deeper understanding of his Muslim faith and how there is nothing in the Koran that condemns sexual, racial, gender or political diversity.

Hardcover

Published February 13, 2025

Reviews

[Pieta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this, and of course it is a feat in itself to write so personally. There was some beautiful writing, for sure. But the text as a whole felt disjointed and not particularly compelling. Though advertised as a memoir it didnt really feel like one, but it wasn’t an essay or literary work either. It felt a bit like a first draft that could’ve benefitted from a more coherent thread.

[David Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A personal, elegant and moving account, written with sincerity and an attractive calm. Zaheb reminds us that Islam means peace and states he has found his. All the braver after the recent murder of Muhsin Hendricks, the gay Imam in Cape Town where Zaheb married.

[Quinn Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this memoir to be very informative and allowed me to pause and reflect about the intersection between the author's equally important identities in religion and sexuality. I liked the discussion of family and friendship and how it impacted his own life and experience as well.