As Salaam Alaikum, dear traveler. I am Nadia Fakri, proud Muslim sister originally from the City of Marrakesh, Morocco. When most people first meet me, they often say that I'm not what they expect. I stand five foot nine inches tall, a bit curvy but fit, with golden brown skin, long black hair and light brown eyes. A perfect example of Berber womanhood.
You might see me walking about in the Back Bay area of Boston, or Copley Mall, or Boston's Theater District, my old stomping grounds, and make certain assumptions about me. I wear the Hijab, and have a fondness for traditional Islamic dress. I am proud of the culture in which I was born. I do my own thing, though. Make no assumptions, please. If you do, you will end up looking like a fool.
A lot of people think that one cannot be a Muslim and a woman who loves women. I don't like the term lesbian. It's too politically charged for my liking. Tell people that you're a lesbian and it conjures up within their minds the image of a short-haired, masculine female who despises males and yet copies all of their stereotypical behaviors while pursuing typically traditionally feminine ladies. Um, that's totally not me.
I, Nadia Fakri, love women, but I have no hatred in my heart for the male of the human species. I love men. I simply don't have sex with them. I am quite close to my father Ismail Fakri and my younger brother Ali Fakri. My family is wholly supportive and accepting of my way of life. Does that surprise you? Again, it shouldn't. Remember, I warned you against making assumptions...
I don't attend LGBT events anymore, though I used to visit them. I discovered, much to my horror, that a lot of Gay White males and White Lesbians are just as bigoted as their Heterosexual counterparts. Conventional wisdom would have us believe that such people are progressive and tolerant across the board. Nothing could be further from the truth...
Imagine my shock when I see a flamboyant, effeminate Queer Caucasian male shout his hatred for racial minorities to the frigging mountaintops. The dude is spewing racial hatred while holding the Rainbow flag, supposedly the flag of tolerance. I don't want to be part of any group that tolerates such a person. The LGBT community can miss me with that shit.
To most of my fellow Muslims, I am doing something Haram by being who and what I am, a woman who loves women. To the LGBT community, I will forever be the other because my skin is brown, my hair is dark, my eyes are dark, and I wear the Hijab and speak Arabic. What's a gal to do? I simply choose to go my own way.