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Xenophobia in US affecting
minorities: gay author:
[World News]: Chicago, Jan 30 : A well-known South Asian gay
activist and author whose latest book is prescribed reading in Chicago
community colleges says he has stopped reading Urdu poetry in trains and buses
in the US since 9/11.
Ifti Nasim would seem to be a contradiction in more ways than one. A maverick
to some, an unforgivable iconoclast to others, a gay activist both respected
and reviled, and a prolific poet and author.
Nasim, who sometimes favours fur jackets and ample jewellery, is also given to
making statements that outrage many.
The title of his book is unusual as are its contents. "Myrmecophile"
(the term defines an insect of a foreign species that lives more or less
permanently in an ant colony) is a collection of Nasim's personal and political
poems.
The book is laced with humour and outrage. It is prescribed in the syllabus as
an attempt by the college faculty to acquaint students with the "Islamic
contribution" to modern literature.
Reactions from the students have been mixed.
"For American students, it is like a breath of fresh air. It is not what
they see on television," Nasim told IANS in an interview.
"But South Asian Muslim students, even those born in the US, are
indifferent," he said.
Nasim attributed this indifference to the "prejudices they have inherited
from parents. They will accept what I have said from an American, but not from
a fellow Muslim."
"I came here (to the US)
for the freedom of choice and _expression_," Nasim said.
But the post-9/11 environment disturbs him. "There is a lot of xenophobia.
What bothers me is one minority setting itself up against another minority.
Even some African Americans have come out against Muslims," he said.
The prevailing atmosphere of suspicion has affected Nasim's life in unexpected
ways.
"Earlier, I used to read in buses or gardens. Now, I don't. Some idiot
seeing me read an Urdu book may think I am studying a terrorist's manual,"
he said.
"There is so much anti-Muslim propaganda over radio and television, it has
a ripple effect on the ethnic community," Nasim said. He blamed the
situation partly on Muslims.
"Muslims have taken their freedom for granted. They should come out and
say terrorism is wrong. The Muslim clerics are quiet. I don't know why,"
he said.
Being gay and a Muslim is a 'double whammy' so to speak. "If you are a
Muslim and gay, you are a minority within a minority," Nasim said.
Despite the consternation he has created within the community, Nasim is
unrepentant.
"What is a passionate Muslim?" he asked. "Does it mean only
going to the mosque or reading the Koran five times a day? I am passionate about
human causes. They can belong to any religion. When you stand up for one, you
stand up for everyone."
As a writer, Nasim strives to be above sectarian issues. "It bothers me to
see discrimination and mindless hatred. It is very important for me to have a
cause. But hatred is not a cause," he said.
Old Hindi movies are a passion. "I am the hopeless romantic. What I like
about (old) black and white Hindi films is that love stopped at the navel. They
inspire me to write," he said.
Dispelling ignorance about gays remains a life-long mission. "Gay children
will stand by their parents the rest of their lives, no matter how badly the
parents must have hurt them."
Nasim is not quite in favour of gay marriage.
"Gays are better off being partners. They should not copy straight
people," he said, adding, tongue firmly in cheek: "Why should they
get married anyway? They have seen enough suffering without it."
--Indo-Asian News Service
