Features / LGBT
Book launch to feature Queer Muslim author Omar Sakr
Some Muslim communities do not accept queerness.
The intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and Islam is a topic not often given a voice.
That’s why it’s important for a queer Muslim perspective to be platformed in Bristol.
is needed now More than ever
Omar Sakr was raised in Western Sydney and is the author of a new, critically acclaimed, book called Son of Sin.
Omar will be appearing on November 19 at independent book store, Bookhaus, on the Rope Walk to launch the book in the city.
Son of Sin focusses on a protagonist called Jamal, who is raised in Western Sydney by Lebanese aunties, uncles and grandparents.
The novel follows Jamal as he grows up, takes a trip to Turkey in search of a homeland and father he has never known and reckons with his identity as a queer Muslim.
Son of Sin follows Jamal, a young queer Muslim as he navigates his intersectional identity – photo: Bookhaus
Omar’s coming of age novel brings together issues of race, religion and sexuality. Bookhaus describes his book as examining “with a poet’s eye, the destructive nature of repressed desire and the complexities that make us human.”
Omar has spoken openly about his difficulties navigating his own sexuality in a religious household. He has also spoken about how writing and poetry allowed him to take the pain and transform it into something beautiful and productive.
The Bookhaus event will feature Omar in conversation with Sabrin Hasbun, a Palestinian-Italian writer based at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Tickets for the event cost £6, and can be purchased here. Son of Sin can be purchased here.
Main photo: Isabella Moore
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