Book Review: This Arab is Queer
This anthology will punch you in the gut. It will also ground you through narratives of revolt, desire, identity, heritage and love.
‘This Arab is Queer’ is an anthology of essays by writers from the Arabian Peninsula (spanning Egypt, the Gulf, and the diaspora). Edited by Elias Jahshan and published by Saqi Books, the personal narratives span time and borders and give a broader perspective on the experiences of being LGBTQ+ and Arab. While there are moments I found shallow and intensely invested in the white gaze, the stories are courageously honest.
I only expect fearless storytelling from Mona Eltawahy. I wasn’t surprised when her essay, “The Decade of Saying All That I Couldn’t Say”, knocked me breathless. Without caution, Mona depicts the dangers of using your voice, especially when your position is intersectional. She uses her voice in this piece with reckless rebellion that feels like a Riot Grrrl, “Fuck you!”.
In contrast, Zeyn Joukhadar’s exploration of his connection to opera as a trans man is a gentle song of identity that reflects on the context of the orientalist opera genre. Zayn presents a hyper-awareness of the Westernised gaze with warm intelligence.
Tania Safi portrays the experience of being Muslim post-911 with unrestricted candour in the piece “Dating White People”. Tania speaks of her “shameful youth” as a young Mulism person in Australia. Her coming-of-age and coming-out story is deeply touching, as is her respect and connection to her culture. Tania says, “I’ve come to love my heritage more now than ever before”.
At times, the anthology felt like soundbites. The final essay was content from a Twitter feed, which was mildly entertaining but seemed an odd choice for a book with such gravitas.
While the anthology has ebbs and flows, it conveys that the Arab LGBTQ+ community is not a monolith. On the whole, This Arab is Queer is potent and contrastive. Each story speaks to the experiences of each individual through their personal lens.
This Arab is Queer was edited by Elias Jahshan and is available in paperback and digitally.
It features the contributions of writers:
Khalid Abdel-Hadi, Amna Ali, Madian Aljazeera, Mona Eltahawy, Raja Farah, Saleem Haddad, Zeyn Joukhadar, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Saeed Kayani, Dima Mikhayel Matta, Hasan Namir, Danny Ramadan, Tania Safi, Omar Sakr, Anbara Salam, Hamed Sino and Ahmed Umar.