Finding a voice – a response to Channel 4’s ‘Muslim Drag Queens’

August 26 2015

A leading equality campaigner reviews the Channel 4 documentary and gives more of an insight about two of its three protagonists…

By Khakan Qureshi

IT WAS WITH great anticipation, I watched “Muslim Drag Queens” on Channel 4 on Monday night (August 24).

This was of interest to me on several levels.

One, as an out and proud gay Asian man, I wanted to see how the “Gaysian” scene was portrayed on mainstream TV.

Two, Zareena and Ibrahim are members of my South Asian LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) social/support group which I founded over a year ago and I wanted to show my support and three, Asifa Lahore (on whom the programme centred) and I have never actually met in person but we are in contact with each other via social media.

So, as you can tell, I had a vested interest in the programme itself.

Zareena (Ibrahim), Sofia (Imran) and Asifa (Asif)

I admire and am proud of the three people who participated in the show. They are three individuals who are not ashamed of who they are and what they stand for – they identify as Muslim AND Gay. This combination has proven for some to be a very divisive subject matter, especially in the realms of social media. Some people queried how they reconcile faith/religion with sexual orientation/identity. Whilst those with strong ‘Islamic views’ have condemned the show, others have celebrated the bravery of ‘Asifa’ and his counterparts.

But in 2015, do we want to celebrate the ‘bravery’ of people who just want to lead their lives as they see fit?

LGBT people within the mainstream are learning to overcome a lot of prejudice and discrimination, especially now in the UK with the amount of legislation created.

However, South Asian or Muslim LGBT people are either just learning to come to terms with their sexual identity, or are ‘coming out’ within limited circles or bowing down to family pressure and marrying to appease their elders or extended family. These were issues which were hardly explored within the documentary.

Marcus Plowright, the director of the show, promised me that it would be “informative, sensitive, enlightening, entertaining and educational”. Whether or not it delivered on these adjectives is a different matter.

What we do know is that it portrayed the three main characters in a light that seemed to define their ‘gayness’ in a categorised manner. Zareena was portrayed as the ‘Promiscuous One’, Asifa the ‘Political one’ and Ibrahim/Safia as the ‘Performer’ – which all seemed to fit in nicely with Channel 4’s remit to court controversy and sensationalise a minority within a minority.

In reality, Ibrahim is a shy, yet very articulate, intelligent young man. There was an element that maybe he was prompted to act or behave in a certain way.

Zareena is a warm, pleasant person who has experienced life in its many forms. The film crew must have spent many hours filming her before they settled on her browsing Grindr on her bed or in the lounge…

I wouldn’t say “Muslim Drag Queens” was a true representation of ‘Gaysian’ life. But whether the audience is surprised or shocked, the contributors identify themselves as gay AND Muslim…being a drag queen is just one aspect of their identity.

On a positive note, the documentary opened up a much needed topic for discussion and being part of the LGBT Community is an aspect of people’s lives which needs to be recognised and accepted.

Previously – Interview Asifa Lahore prior to screening

• More information/support: Birmingham South Asians LGBT – Finding A Voice www.facebook/findingavoice