by Pepe Hendricks (Editor), Muhsin Hendricks (Foreword by)
Hijab: Unveiling Queer Muslim Lives is the first known collection of South African Muslim stories relating to Islam and sexual diversity. This anthology shares real-life stories of people that have struggled, or may still be struggling, to reconcile their spirituality and their sexuality. These are stories that illustrate the oneness of being and reflect on how some interpretations of the scriptures may alienate others. Although the collection focuses predominantly on Muslim stories, it is universal in its approach in dealing with spirituality rather than religion. The stories are all biographies, or autobiographies, and the writing process was a therapeutic one for the authors of these powerful stories. Hopefully they will provide strength and courage to others in similar situations, not so much through a deeper understanding of those who share their stories in this collection, but rather through a process of identification with the circumstances related by these courageous story-tellers.