According to a UK publication, London is all set to witness an LGBTQI Muslim festival that has been organized by Imaan, one of Europe's biggest charity that supports LGBTQI Muslims. Founded in the year 1999, Imaan's reason behind organising this festival is reportedly to ensure that no Muslim living in the UK has a sense of alienation from their own family or their community.

The Muslim pride festival

A Muslim woman by the name of Joy Muhammad said she is part of a group of people who are working towards organising a festival in the UK by trying to raise funds worth £5000 for the LGBT Muslims and to celebrate their culture. The 29-year-old further added that Britain has already witnessed a parade for Blacks and transgender people and those who identify as bi-sexial, and therefore the time is now ripe for a Muslim LGBTQI parade.

The festival will aim to celebrate diversity within the Black, Asian and other miniroty ehtnic communities also known as the BAME to showcase that they are all not the same and just don't have one identity but different ones. Another issue that is troubling the LGBT Muslim community in Britain is that they are being forced to decide and choose either the queer identity that they hold or the religion that they follow, although this problem is not exclusive to just the Muslim LGBTQI community.

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No difference between identity and religion

Joy Muhammad stated that she did not find a difference between identity and religion but was of the opinion that the Muslim community's approach to any type of sexual orientation can be problematic for a few LGBT people. Joy further added she did not discuss sexuality within her community and irrespective of one being straight or gay, such topics cannot be talked about at all as there are a lot of conservative groups within the community. 

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The plans for the Muslim pride festival received a positive response from a film director by the name of Almass Badat who himself is a part of a Muslim LGBTQI group HIdayah. While speaking to an international news agency, he added that while he was growing up, he looked everywhere to find someone who was a fellow queer. He further said that it was a pleasant feeling whenever he walked into a familiar environment filled with people of the same values and same kind. 

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