One of the most OUT and raved about Muslim queens we know is Zakaria. She’s not afraid to show off her emboldened beauty, tatts and boddee oddee all over IG, regardless of the usual connotation associated with her Islamic faith. WOWlebrity Mx Qwerrrk had a little #DownInTheDM chat on QwerrrkOut with the bearded beauty about being Muslim, a femme queer, and a super hot sexual fantasy.
With new inclusive TV shows like HBO’s Here and Now, where one of the characters, Navid (Marwan Salama), comes from a contemporary Muslim family, wears a full face beat and a hijab (at home), and is possibly gay and/or transgender…one of the first gay Muslim marriages in the UK last year…and the recent Pew Research Center survey that concluded that 52% of US Muslims think homosexuality should be accepted, Mx Qwerrrk thought it was the perfect time to see what it’s really like for a queer Muslim in the real world. Check out the full interview below, where Zakaria dissects what is her drag, her sexual agency, and her spiritual abnegation from the Muslim brotherhood, cutting a swath through the binary! (above pic by Jody Leon)
Mx Qwerrrk: Were you born into Islam, or did you adopt it?
Zakaria: I was born into Islam! I strayed for many years, but found my way back to it.
Ethnic background?
I am first generation South Asian American! My mother came here in the 70s from Pakistan, and eventually met my father. We believe him to be Scotch-Irish, though a 23andMe is in our family future!
How did you come out?
That’s a funny one! See, I used to smoke cigarettes. Unfortunately, I started very young… maybe 11, 12. I used to see so many beautiful women smoking, including my mom…traces of lipstick on each filter, painted whispers and seductions. I was down in our basement at the fireplace, stealing extinguished Merit Ultra Lights 100’s with burgundy lipstick, when I heard my mom descend the staircase. As she entered the room, I frantically tried to HIDE what I was doing. She asked regardless. I said, “Momma, I have something to tell you. I think I’m bisexual”… I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I surely had thwarted her suspicions. “Zakaria”, she said with all the might of a mountain. “You’re fucking GAY, and I better NEVER catch you smoking again!”
What is Islam’s position on homosexuality?
I don’t know if I’m qualified to speak for an entire religion, or rather, the evolution of a religion over so much time. Islam, like most contemporary religions, holds large numbers of conservatives. Conservative Islam is NOT okay with queerness, as is with Christianity, and many others.
What is radical Islamism?
Radical Islam is a term used to sensationalize headlines. Islamic Fundamentalist is the true phrase, in regards to Muslims who think back to earlier times and seek to return to the fundamentals of the religion, and live similarly to how the prophet Muhammad and his companions lived.
Sunni vs Shia?
Both sides agreed that Allah is the one true God and that Muhammad was his messenger; but one group (which eventually became the Shiites) felt Muhammad’s successor should be someone in his bloodline, while the other (which became the Sunnis) felt a pious individual who would follow the Prophet’s customs was acceptable.
Are you conflicted about practicing your religion, as a trans person?
Though public participation of my religion as a trans person may hold complications, my practice (and relationship with God*) is much more meditative and experienced within myself.
Do you identify also as a drag queen?
SHES A BEAST!..HAHA!!! I used to be for sure! These days, my gender is so fluid and vibratory that I chalk everything up to being my most authentic and expressive self, moment to moment. So I guess it’s not NOT drag 😜.
How do you negotiate between your femininity and masculinity?
I think first it’s important to recognize that within myself. I have destroyed the crutch of a (gender) binary to the point where answering that question is difficult! Truly, what do we call masculine, and why? What is femininity? Daily, I struggle to reconcile contradictory ideals and isms that exist in my own consciousness, in which I need all my resources 😊. I find I function better without dividing self.
When did you realize the imagery you present, and how you display your sexuality, gave you power?
I love this question! Growing up, my dad ran strip clubs. Strippers were my nannies, sitters, friends, and role models…strong, ferocious femmes that ATE! MEN! UP!…and got paid to do it! Throw in the likes of Grace Jones, Pamela Anderson, Diana Ross, Michael and Janet Jackson, Lil’ Kim– and lest we forget the power of ILLUSTRATION!…Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Witchblade, Harley Quinn…they ALL played with power in sexuality. These folks, and many more black and brown artists, used sexuality to express new facets of identity in contemporary, American culture…in a way I had never seen before. I needed a piece for myself!
What stereotypes would you like to dispel about people’s fears or concerns about Muslims?
Oh GAWD- all of ’em!?!? Look…as a gender-variant, heavily tattooed, pierced, queer American, there is ZERO WAY the muslim brotherhood is going to want me on their team. These people are killers and devils, just the same as all the white, Christian terrorists we’ve been dealing with so frequently.
Anything else you want to add?
Final fact: 11% of all the gold in the world is held by Indian housewives. That means more than you think!
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