Muslims on the Margins: Creating Queer Religious Community in North America

Offers vivid stories of nonconformist Muslim communities

The turn of the twenty-first century ushered in a wave of progressive Muslims, whose modern interpretations and practices transformed the public’s perception of who could follow the teachings of Islam. Muslims on the Margins tells the story of their even more radical descendants: nonconformists who have reinterpreted their religion and created space for queer, trans, and nonbinary identities within Islam.

Katrina Daly Thompson draws extensively from conversations and interviews conducted both in person in North America and online in several international communities. Writing in a compelling narrative style that centers the real experiences and diverse perspectives of nonconformist Muslims, Thompson illustrates how these radical Muslims are forming a community dedicated to creative reinterpretations of their religion, critical questioning of established norms, expansive inclusion of those who are queer in various ways, and the creation of different religious futures. Muslims on the Margins is a powerful account of how Muslims are forging new traditions and setting precedents for a more inclusive community― one that is engaged with tradition, but not beholden to it.

Katrina Daly Thompson is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities and Professor of African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The author of Popobawa: Tanzanian Talk, Global Misreadings, their recent work has appeared in American Anthropologist, Language and Communication, and the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology.