New research on the relationship between queerness and Islam

Major success: The ethnologist PD Dr. Viola Thimm from the Chair of Cultural and Social Anthropology at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has been accepted on to the prestigious Heisenburg program of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Over a period of five years, she will investigate how religious practice interweaves with sexual and gendered identity.

You have received Heisenberg funding for your project “Gender, Queer, Islam: Transregional Reconfigurations of Muslim Pilgrimage”. What is your main objective?

The key issue for me is what is known as commensurability, in other words the compatibility between queerness and the Muslim faith. I am exploring in which situations these two areas overlap, where they are mutually exclusive, and how queer Muslims shape their lives accordingly. The pilgrimage to Mecca is a particularly fascinating aspect, as here all genders practice the religious rituals together in spite of gender segregation being the norm when practicing other Islamic rituals across the globe. My hypothesis is that the pilgrimage rituals may harbor potential for more freedom of gender expression.

What sparked your interest in exploring spirituality and queerness among Muslim pilgrims?

This topic emerged from my previous research. I have spent a long time conducting ethnographic field research in Malaysia, and noticed that Islam played a major role in the lives of those I talked to. It is a factor that cannot be ignored, and is more and more frequently becoming mixed in public discourse with policies taking a hostile attitude towards queer individuals. At the same time, it was important to me in a Western context to use my writing to take a stance against sweeping and often racially charged depictions of the Muslim lifestyle. Pilgrimage gives another perspective regarding religious practice and takes a more differential view of existing assumptions.

Even today, being queer and being Muslim are often still considered incompatible. Homosexuality is punishable with the death sentence in most of the Gulf states, for instance. What do you intend investigating in this area of potentially conflicting priorities?

I would like to explore these seemingly clearly contradictory aspects in more detail and shine a light on their multifaceted nature. It is often claimed in Western discourse and in religious-orthodox contexts that queerness and Islam are incompatible.

My research asks how queer people themselves experience this relationship between religious faith, gender identity, and sexual orientation. I am particularly interested in how this topic is instrumentalized in society and politics.

As a cultural and social anthropologist, you actively take part in (religious) events and ceremonies instead of just observing from afar. What have you gained from talking to queer Muslims to date?

Profound insights can only be gained from directly participating in long-term ethnographic field research. Queer Muslims often talk of inner bargaining processes that are strongly influenced by their religious experiences.

A pilgrimage can have a particularly transformative effect. Some people reported that they experienced a more intense relationship to Allah during the pilgrimage that inspired them to accept their identity as a queer person in different ways from before. Such experiences often contradict the expectations of people close to them.

Why is the pilgrimage to Mecca so important for Muslims?

The pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj, is one of the five pillars of Islam and therefore has a major religious significance. For many believers, it is a unique experience that allows for particularly close communion with Allah. At the same time, the pilgrimage is strictly regulated, as pilgrim visas are subject to quotas. In countries such as Malaysia, this results in long waiting lists of up to 90 years, that make it even more difficult to participate. It is a highly charged political and social event that goes far beyond the religious dimension.

You already received funding from the DFG from 2016 to 2020, and researched the travel habits of Malaysian Muslim women on their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Does your current Heisenberg project follow on directly from your earlier DFG funding?

The content is linked, but my new project takes a broader view. Over the next five years, my latest project will build on my previous empirical experience, but lay a stronger focus on questions of gender, sexuality and religious practice in non-normative contexts.

About Heisenberg funding:

Heisenberg funding allows highly qualified researchers to continue their outstanding projects at an institution of their choice in preparation for a professorship over the course of the five years of funding. The funding program is open to all researchers who already meet the requirements for being appointed to a permanent professorship.

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