Hijab Butch Blues

Have you ever read the Quran? How much did you know about Islam before reading Hijab Butch Blues? How, if at all, did this book affect your understanding of Muslim life in America or beyond?

“Not a day goes by that I am not terrified . . . that people can see through me.” Talk about why Lamya H, a queer Muslim currently living in the U.S., chose not to author her own book using her full, real name. What does her anonymity say about her perceived place in the world? What does it communicate to you as a reader?

“I don’t have words for this feeling,” writes Lamya, recalling her early adolescence, “just nebulous thoughts about this thing that is not talked about in my family, my culture, in Islam.” How does the author learn who she is—and what she believes in—through the words of the Quran?

Take a moment to talk about the stories, characters, and themes in the Quran that shaped Lamya’s sense of self. Which story from the Quran that Lamya shared resonated with you the most? How did it change your perspective, and did you learn something new about yourself?

Do you believe that ancient holy books should be up for modern interpretation? You may wish to discuss, as a group, whether scripture plays a role in your lives, and how.

For many years Lamya worried that the “core” of her self was both “wretched and wrong.” But when she enters college, and lives on her own in New York as an adult, Lamya is determined to find a way to be both queer and Muslim. How does she reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith?

“I feel so politically aligned with womanhood,” Lamya writes, “and yet hate inhabiting it.” Talk about how the author presents herself, and how her body is “read” when she wears the hijab. What does her hijab show to the world about who Lamya is—or appears to be?

Lamya wants to believe that a more inclusive Islam is possible. But she is also “not naïve enough to think [queer Muslims] will reach this utopia in [her] lifetime or possibly ever.” What do you believe—or wish for—after having read Hijab Butch Blues?

How can one person’s story, such as Lamya’s, speak for all people—victims of sexism, Islamophobia, and homophobia among them? Do you believe that books, in general, have the power to change the world? Which is mightier: the pen or the sword?

Let’s say you had the chance to invite Lamya to your book club. What kind of questions would you ask her? What would you like to learn most about her life now?