Asifa Siraj
Biographic Data
| ID | 1260889 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Asifa Siraj |
| GIVEN NAMES | Asifa |
| FAMILY NAME | Siraj |
| SIGNATURE | SIRAJ A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Glasgow |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4624-6674 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 160 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 11 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
British Pakistani lesbians existing within the confines of the closet
This study explores the complex interaction between ethnicity, gender and [homo]sexuality and how this creates a framework of stigma that compels some British Pakistani lesbians to remain within the closet. The 'closet' here is a metaphor that describes the concealment of one's homosexual identity and the outward 'performance' of heterosexuality. British Pakistani lesbians precariously inhabit a sociocultural environment that constrains the expre…
Sexuality in the shadows of a friendship
Friendships have the potential to transform and reconfigure lives and improve one's health and mental well-being through mutual affection, understanding, care, and love. The social, cultural, and religious ostracism British Pakistani lesbians encounter in their lives means that their friendships, in particular with other lesbians, are crucial for fostering a sense of self-acceptance and personal enrichment. Friendship can provide a supportive net…
British Muslim lesbians
I Don't Want to Taint the Name of Islam”
Islam is characterized as an extremely homophobic religion, which strictly forbids the union of two people of the same sex. This belief causes an immeasurable amount of strain and anxiety for lesbians because their feelings, desires, and emotions are considered "unnatural" and aberrant. The homophobic Islamic model of homosexuality thus celebrates heteronormative performances of gender and sexuality. In the present study, the issue of how religio…
Smoothing down ruffled feathers
Based on interviews with 30 Muslim women in Glasgow (Scotland, UK), this article examines and explores the construction of their feminine identities. Very little research has attempted to examine the ways in which Muslim women understand and perform gender, and how their version[s] or meanings of femininity serve to reify gender differences. The study reveals that participants base their identities on four ideals of femininity: the possession of …
Perceptions of ‘coming out’ among British Muslim gay men
The cultural processes of heteronormativity and compulsory heterosexuality are acutely active within Islamic societies. The present study explored perceptions of ‘coming out’ among a group of British Muslim gay men (BMGM), focussing upon the potential consequences for identity processes and psychological well-being. Ten BMGM of Pakistani descent were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interview transcripts were subjected to i…
Isolated, Invisible, and in the Closet
In the last three decades, there has been a significant growth in the literature on lesbian identity and relationships, but the study of lesbians from a Muslim background is conspicuously absent. This article was prompted partly by the relative absence of research into the lives of Muslim lesbians in Britain, and partly by the fact that much of the literature on Islam and homosexuality has tended to focus on homosexual men, ignoring the position …
Meanings of modesty and the hijab amongst Muslim women in Glasgow, Scotland
Based on interviews with 30 Muslim women in Glasgow, Scotland, the study explores the meanings that the women attach to modesty and the hijab. Fifteen of the 30 participants wear the hijab. The article begins with an overview of the debate between traditional Muslim scholars and Muslim feminists about whether the hijab is an Islamic obligation. It illuminates the significance of space, as veiling practices are deeply enmeshed and embedded in the …
Because I’m the man! I’m the head”
The construction of the homosexual ‘other’ by British Muslim heterosexuals
On being homosexual and Muslim
Meanings of modesty and the hijab amongst Muslim women in Glasgow, Scotland
Based on interviews with 30 Muslim women in Glasgow, Scotland, the study explores the meanings that the women attach to modesty and the hijab. Fifteen of the 30 participants wear the hijab. The article begins with an overview of the debate between traditional Muslim scholars and Muslim feminists about whether the hijab is an Islamic obligation. It illuminates the significance of space, as veiling practices are deeply enmeshed and embedded in the …
I Don't Want to Taint the Name of Islam”
Islam is characterized as an extremely homophobic religion, which strictly forbids the union of two people of the same sex. This belief causes an immeasurable amount of strain and anxiety for lesbians because their feelings, desires, and emotions are considered "unnatural" and aberrant. The homophobic Islamic model of homosexuality thus celebrates heteronormative performances of gender and sexuality. In the present study, the issue of how religio…
Isolated, Invisible, and in the Closet
In the last three decades, there has been a significant growth in the literature on lesbian identity and relationships, but the study of lesbians from a Muslim background is conspicuously absent. This article was prompted partly by the relative absence of research into the lives of Muslim lesbians in Britain, and partly by the fact that much of the literature on Islam and homosexuality has tended to focus on homosexual men, ignoring the position …
The construction of the homosexual ‘other’ by British Muslim heterosexuals
Perceptions of ‘coming out’ among British Muslim gay men
The cultural processes of heteronormativity and compulsory heterosexuality are acutely active within Islamic societies. The present study explored perceptions of ‘coming out’ among a group of British Muslim gay men (BMGM), focussing upon the potential consequences for identity processes and psychological well-being. Ten BMGM of Pakistani descent were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interview transcripts were subjected to i…
Because I’m the man! I’m the head”
British Muslim lesbians
Smoothing down ruffled feathers
Based on interviews with 30 Muslim women in Glasgow (Scotland, UK), this article examines and explores the construction of their feminine identities. Very little research has attempted to examine the ways in which Muslim women understand and perform gender, and how their version[s] or meanings of femininity serve to reify gender differences. The study reveals that participants base their identities on four ideals of femininity: the possession of …
Sexuality in the shadows of a friendship
Friendships have the potential to transform and reconfigure lives and improve one's health and mental well-being through mutual affection, understanding, care, and love. The social, cultural, and religious ostracism British Pakistani lesbians encounter in their lives means that their friendships, in particular with other lesbians, are crucial for fostering a sense of self-acceptance and personal enrichment. Friendship can provide a supportive net…
On being homosexual and Muslim
The construction of the homosexual ‘other’ by British Muslim heterosexuals
Because I’m the man! I’m the head”
Perceptions of ‘coming out’ among British Muslim gay men
The cultural processes of heteronormativity and compulsory heterosexuality are acutely active within Islamic societies. The present study explored perceptions of ‘coming out’ among a group of British Muslim gay men (BMGM), focussing upon the potential consequences for identity processes and psychological well-being. Ten BMGM of Pakistani descent were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interview transcripts were subjected to i…
Isolated, Invisible, and in the Closet
In the last three decades, there has been a significant growth in the literature on lesbian identity and relationships, but the study of lesbians from a Muslim background is conspicuously absent. This article was prompted partly by the relative absence of research into the lives of Muslim lesbians in Britain, and partly by the fact that much of the literature on Islam and homosexuality has tended to focus on homosexual men, ignoring the position …
Meanings of modesty and the hijab amongst Muslim women in Glasgow, Scotland
Based on interviews with 30 Muslim women in Glasgow, Scotland, the study explores the meanings that the women attach to modesty and the hijab. Fifteen of the 30 participants wear the hijab. The article begins with an overview of the debate between traditional Muslim scholars and Muslim feminists about whether the hijab is an Islamic obligation. It illuminates the significance of space, as veiling practices are deeply enmeshed and embedded in the …
I Don't Want to Taint the Name of Islam”
Islam is characterized as an extremely homophobic religion, which strictly forbids the union of two people of the same sex. This belief causes an immeasurable amount of strain and anxiety for lesbians because their feelings, desires, and emotions are considered "unnatural" and aberrant. The homophobic Islamic model of homosexuality thus celebrates heteronormative performances of gender and sexuality. In the present study, the issue of how religio…
Smoothing down ruffled feathers
Based on interviews with 30 Muslim women in Glasgow (Scotland, UK), this article examines and explores the construction of their feminine identities. Very little research has attempted to examine the ways in which Muslim women understand and perform gender, and how their version[s] or meanings of femininity serve to reify gender differences. The study reveals that participants base their identities on four ideals of femininity: the possession of …
British Muslim lesbians
Sexuality in the shadows of a friendship
Friendships have the potential to transform and reconfigure lives and improve one's health and mental well-being through mutual affection, understanding, care, and love. The social, cultural, and religious ostracism British Pakistani lesbians encounter in their lives means that their friendships, in particular with other lesbians, are crucial for fostering a sense of self-acceptance and personal enrichment. Friendship can provide a supportive net…
British Pakistani lesbians existing within the confines of the closet
This study explores the complex interaction between ethnicity, gender and [homo]sexuality and how this creates a framework of stigma that compels some British Pakistani lesbians to remain within the closet. The 'closet' here is a metaphor that describes the concealment of one's homosexual identity and the outward 'performance' of heterosexuality. British Pakistani lesbians precariously inhabit a sociocultural environment that constrains the expre…
Sociology (11 works) · Gender Studies (10 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Marriage and Sexual Relationships (6 works) · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues (5 works) · Islam (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Social Psychology (4 works)