Samra Habib Explained

Samra Habib
Birth Place:Pakistan
Occupation:writer, photographer, activist

Samra Habib is a Pakistani Canadian photographer, writer and activist.[1] They are most noted for Just Me and Allah, a photography project they launched in 2014 to document the lives of LGBTQ Muslims,[2] and We Have Always Been Here, a memoir of their experience as a queer-identified Muslim published in 2019 by Penguin Random House Canada.[3]

Born in Pakistan to Ahmadi Muslim parents, Habib emigrated to Canada with their family in 1991 to escape religious persecution.[3] They grew up primarily in Toronto and were forced into an arranged marriage as a teenager before coming out as queer[4] . Habib has also published journals bringing awareness to international social issues like women's rights[5] and child care[6] .

Just Me and Allah: A Queer Muslim Photo Project (2014)[7]

Habib's photography project, Just Me and Allah, is focused on queer and Muslim iconography in order to spread the hidden culture of queer Muslims . Habib themselves explains the motivation for the photography project saying "I wanted to show everyone the creative and brilliant LGBTQ Muslims I identified with the most and would hang out with at art shows, queer dance parties, and Jumu'ah prayers. So I picked up my camera and decided to photograph what I was witnessing." .

We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir (2019) [8]

We Have Always Been Here was published on June 4th, 2019, and was the winner of the 2020 edition of Canada Reads, in which it was defended by actress Amanda Brugel.[9] It was also longlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize,[10] and won a Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir or Biography at the 32nd Lambda Literary Awards.[11] The memoir has been received as a "...touching story of growing up, finding a home, and discovering oneself against the backdrop of cultural and familial expectations."[12] by the LGBTQ+ newspaper, Seattle Gay News, on April 1st, 2022.

Its title was taken from a quote included in their photography project, Just Me and Allah, from the piece "Dali" describing queer Muslims, " We have always been here, it's just that the world wasn't ready for us."[13] .

Notes and References

  1. Jane van Koeverden, "Why Samra Habib wrote a memoir about growing up as a queer Muslim — and it's now a Canada Reads finalist". CBC Books, June 26, 2019.
  2. Web site: 'Just me and Allah': Photographer seeks to capture diversity of Islam. PBS NewsHour. Elisabeth Ponsot. May 8, 2015.
  3. Sue Carter, "Samra Habib, founder of gay Muslim project, turns the camera on herself in new memoir". Toronto Star, June 21, 2019.
  4. Tracey Ho Lung, "Penning a memoir helped this author find joy from her pain". The Globe and Mail, July 16, 2019.
  5. Habib . Samra . 2003 . "NAC.NAC.Who's There?" . Horizons . 16 . 4 . 9 .
  6. Habib . Samra . 2004 . "Will Child Care Quality Slide?' . Horizons . 17 . 3 . 11 .
  7. Web site: Habib . Samra . 2014 . Just Me and Allah: A Queer Muslim Photo Project . live . Tumblr.
  8. October 2019 . We have always been here. . Diva . 60-63.
  9. Web site: The winner of Canada Reads 2020 is... . Patrick . Ryan B. . July 23, 2020 . . July 23, 2020.
  10. Deborah Dundas, "Mark Bourrie, Helen Knott, Robyn Doolittle feature on final RBC Taylor non-fiction prize long list". Toronto Star, December 4, 2019.
  11. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: The Winners of the 32nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards. Erin. Vanderhoof. Vanity Fair. June 1, 2020.
  12. News: Anderson . Lindsey . April 1, 2022 . " We Have Always Been Here highlights Queer community in Muslim spaces" . Seattle Gay News . 15 . 50 . 13.
  13. Habib . Samra . March 2016 . Just Me and Allah: A Queer Muslim Photo Project . Advocate . 1083 . 60-63 .

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