In my previous blog entry entitled The Bakla and The Muslim: An Unexpected Bond of Friendship , I have recounted my encounter with Majid while studying in Australia as an exchange student some years ago. Majid and I were not only flatmates, but also became very good friends at that time. The beautiful and genuine friendship that developed between Majid and myself was rather surprising, if not unexpected, given that I am a bakla and Majid a Muslim.
This friendship seems to be an oxymoron if understood and apprehended through the lens of the dominant image of the Muslim societies as being blatantly and unapologetically homophobic. Homosexuality is, after all, consider a crime so heinous that if any man or woman found guilty of it, can be executed. And yet, here is Majid, a devout Muslim who is not only tolerant – but later turns-out to be so accepting of who I am.
The Baklush Phenomenology Blog 