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>> 155 5 Forging Minority Alliances When the mountain of injustice will topple When under our feet—we who suffer—the earth quakes Over their heads—those who wield power—the bolts flare We, too, shall see that day When only the name of God will remain That is absent yet present, seeing yet also seen The cry of “I am truth” will rise, that is me and also is you1 The people of God alone will rule, that is me and also is you! We, too, shall see that day ~Faiz, Hum Dekhenge These fiery words belong to the Urdu poet and literary hero of Pakistan, Faiz Ahmad Faiz (died 1984). He protested against the injustices of British colonial rule, and after independence he railed against the corruption of the Pakistani government, especially its autocratic military rulers. When this poem, “We, too, shall see that day,” was sung in Lahore by the ghazal artiste, Iqbal Bano (died 2009), her voice and his words tapped the long-suppressed hopes of 50,000 Pakistani listeners who erupted into sustained cheers of Inqilab Zindabad!—“Long Live the Revolution!” Even though Faiz was in prison at that time, his voice reached the people and spoke in an incandescent fusion of messianic hope and secular protest to assert that Islam promises justice for all. He draws out images from the Qur’an that evoke “the last day” when God will judge those who have been unjust, and invokes Sufi images about the impoverished who live with nothing but love and speak truth to power. For Faiz, neither faith nor mystical love could bring about the radical justice 156 > 157 prove that they are not racist, and conveniently ignore how some church leaders uphold bigoted stereotypes or religious hatred for gay, lesbian, and transgender members of their own African American community. In a similar way, some politicians and Christian leaders make a display of their respect for Muslim community leaders without holding them accountable for how Muslim communities treat vulnerable members within their own groups, like women and youth along with transgender , gay, and lesbian members. For this reason, some activists from among gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims focus on building bridges. Their strategy for social change depends upon cultivating allies in various minority groups far from their own communities. To do this, they advocate the politics of empathy . They urge others who may not be homosexual or transgender—or who may not be Muslim—to understand their plight through empathy. They ask their allies to see oneself in the other, witness their common humanity despite social differences, and to uphold the rights of others just as they would like their own rights upheld. Across the boundaries of ethnic group, sexuality, gender, and religion, these activists strive to build bridges and strengthen relationships of alliance and mutual understanding . We can call this mode of activism “forging minority alliances.” Faisal: Opener of Possibilities In the Faiz poem quoted above, the poet sings, “The people of God alone will rule, that is me and also is you! We, too, shall see that day.” The people of God who rule are known as khalifa, literally one who follows in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad who ruled. In Islamic history, the khalifa was an individual ruler who was first among equals. But as Islamic history quickly betrayed Islamic teachings, the khalifa became an autocratic king. Faiz’s poem holds out the hope that history’s perversion can yet be rectified—we can still recognize that the people of God who rule include both you and me. This is a reformist notion of what it means to be a khalifa, a notion that is advocated by Muslim champions of democracy (like Abdullahi an-Naim) and Muslim feminists (like Amina Wadud). Both these Muslim thinkers in the United States espouse the idea that the khalifa is not a ruler but is rather any and every responsible and ethical person. 158 > 159 the takbir—“God is greater”—to dignify the memory of those who had been killed, persecuted, forced into inauthentic lives of lies, or driven to suicide. The rally was organized by Al-Fatiha Foundation during its national conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning Muslims. Faisal Alam, who initiated the support group, spearheaded the prayer ritual. The public prayer for the dead highlighted how Muslim leaders, by condemning homosexual and transgender persons in their communities, inflict both real and symbolic violence on fellow believers, perhaps without realizing the...

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