Muslim Women Are Everything by Seema Yasmin

Author:Seema Yasmin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Prove Yourself

Sumayyah Dawud, United States

IN THE SUMMER of 2015, Sumayyah Dawud went to pray at her local mosque in Arizona, but was banned from entering. At the end of Ramadan, a handful of the congregation had complained to the board of directors of the Islamic Community Center of Tempe that Sumayyah “was not actually female.” Men and women pray in separate areas in most mosques and praying next to Sumayyah in the women’s section of the mosque made them feel uncomfortable, they said. Sumayyah was given two options if she was to continue worshipping at the mosque: either dress “like a man” or provide medical documentation to prove that she was a woman.

Sumayyah converted to Islam in 2013, three years after her gender designation was legally changed from male to female. Aware of the transphobia that exists in many Muslim communities, Sumayyah only told close friends that she was a transgender woman. But when leaders at the Islamic Community Center of Tempe demanded that she prove herself, Sumayyah handed over her government-issued identification that showed she was a woman. The Muslim leaders weren’t satisfied. They demanded medical records. Sumayyah provided information from her doctor, and the chairman of the mosque’s board of directors promised no one else would see the private medical documents. Then he publicly outed her and kicked her out of the mosque. Sumayyah recorded a video documenting her struggle and her commitment to fight for the rights of transgender Muslim women.

Born and raised in Arizona, Sumayyah is a human rights and environmental activist. In online videos, she can be seen wearing her niqab and burqa and bravely confronting right wing, anti-Muslim protestors rallying against the freedom of Muslims to worship in America. Oppressed by those within her community and persecuted by those outside of it, Sumayyah said Islam motivates her continued struggle for equality. “Islam in general strongly values those who strive in the face of difficulties and do not give up,” she said in an interview with GLAAD, an American organization that promotes understanding and tolerance of queer people. GLAAD ran a series of interviews with transgender Americans of faith to celebrate transgender people who follow a spiritual practice. Sumayyah talked about her religious journey, including her study of world religions that led her to become a Muslim. “Islam encourages Muslims to be patient, always trust in Allah, and to stand up for ourselves and others who are oppressed or face injustices.”

Two years before Sumayyah was ostracized by a Muslim community in the United States, a Muslim transgender woman was kicked out of her mosque in the United Kingdom. Lucy Vallender was banned from entering a mosque in Swindon, where Muslim leaders said she had to pray in the men’s section of the mosque for “health and safety” reasons. A white English woman, Lucy had converted to Islam the previous year after studying the religion and finding it promoted peace. Leaders at the mosque quickly dispelled that teaching. They asked Lucy about her bra size and menstruation and asked to see her birth certificate.

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