Three Options of LGBTQ Muslims: When Theology and Civil Rights Collide
What happens when a woman is told she is the source of sin, and child bearing is her punishment? How should black people react when they are taught the color of their skin mandates servitude to others by God's decree? Come and discuss the challenges of identity, human & civil rights, and the Muslim Faith.
Our speaker, Joshua Salaam, was born in Camden, New Jersey, and he first came to NC to serve at an Air Force base (where he earned an “Airman of the Year” award in 1996), where he helped establish Muslim Friday prayer services on the base (and served as Imam for several years). Even when he was young he worked with youth, including over 20 years as a counselor and participant in the Muslim Youth in North America organization. Along the way (1992) he helped start MYNA Raps, which morphed into the international music group Native Deen. After the military he worked on drug education with youth from low-income families in Wayne County.
In 2000 he moved on to other efforts, campaign manager, private investigator, home renovation manager, and (elected) Chairman of the Baltimore Community Association. He has a master’s degree in Islamic Studies and a chaplaincy certificate from Hartford Seminary, and he is working on a doctorate in ministry. He has lectured at several universities, including Harvard and Princeton, and in July of this year he became Muslim chaplain at the Center for Muslim Life at Duke University.