The Universal Gay

Sayeeda Warsi speaks to Shahmir Sanni about being outed in full public gaze. The two spoke on the morning where the man who had outed Shahmir was elevated to the House of Lords, but Shahmir explains that he no longer has any space to be angry: he’s exhausted by it. He tells the story of how he found out he was about to be outed, how he told his family, and what they said to him. Shahmir also discusses his own deep reading of the Koran, and why British Muslims need to embrace gay Muslims

Sayeeda Warsi discusses different ways of being gay, with academic and activist Suhraiya Jivraj. They begin their conversation about which death list they were on, for promoting the rights of women and LGBTQ people within Islam, but they move on to the discrimination faced by Muslims in LGBTQ communities. Suhraiya also discusses her own study of the religious sources, and how her grandmother showed her acceptance, without words passing.

Sayeeda Warsi speaks to Ferhan Khan about the challenges he faces as a queer man in both Muslim and LGBTQ communities. Ferhan describes facing homophobia in one, and Islamophobia and racism in the other. He talks about the challenges to his faith in LGBTQ spaces, and why he doesn’t want to be an ex-Muslim. But he also challenges British Muslim parents: don’t be afraid to love your children

Sayeeda Warsi speaks to Yousef, who doesn’t act on his same sex attraction, and rejects it as an identity. In an extraordinarily frank conversation, Yousef explains that he isn’t ashamed of his attractions but that it would be for very difficult for him to be open about them within his community. He discusses celibacy, and what Islam says about same sex attraction. Yousef isn’t his real name, though, and his words are spoken by an actor, because he hasn’t told anyone close to him about his attractions – not his friends, not his family, and not his wife.

Sayeeda Warsi speaks to Nabeela, a British-born, US-based lawyer, about coming out when she’d already achieved personal success. Nabeela explains to Sayeeda why she is so comfortable with her many different identities, and why she is very optimistic for the future

Sayeeda Warsi introduces her new podcast about navigating Islam and same-sex attraction. The two are often presented as binary opposites, but the reality is more complicated.