Illegal Citizens: Queer Lives in the Muslim World

by Afdhere Jama

In 'Illegal Queer Lives in the Muslim World,' Afdhere Jama chronicles the struggles of 33 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in 22 countries. The majority of these people live in countries where it is illegal to have same-sex relationships. Caught between the modern world and the severe laws they face, many risk everything by meeting, having sex, or falling in love with other queers.

Genres: Islam, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2008

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Assigned reading for my GLBT sociology class. A quick read, this book features short excerpts from the lives of queer individuals in the Muslim world. One downfall of this work is the presence of both grammatical and spelling errors, which I found somewhat distracting while reading. Overall, interesting, but not the first GLBT related work I would recommend. Good to skim, hard to talk up.

[Eireann]

Lots of stories; some devastating, some inspiring. Came out on small price and could use a decent copy editor! Beyond the typos, though, a very compelling look at how queerness and the cultural response to it varies throughout Islamic societies.