Shanon Shah

It takes a person of great resolve to go against the current grain of society. In Malaysia, where the majority of mainstream society is still mired in an uncompromising conservatism, to attempt to change the status quo is a task which requires immense patience.

Shanon Shah from Malaysia is a PhD candidate at King’s College London. His thesis explores the identity of Muslim sexual minorities in Malaysia. How do these people view themselves? In a milleu where mainstream Muslims even question the faith of their gay and lesbian co-religionists, the answer can be quite complex.

In Shanon’s own words ‘Non-conforming sexual and gender identities are criminalised by the Malaysian state and stigmatised in public discourses, often with religious justifications. My study aims to provide social scientifically rigorous research on the consequences of such criminalisation and stigmatisation. The objective is to obtain non-partisan data on the experiences of Muslim sexual minorities regarding their religious and sexual identities.

'My hypothesis is that this identity construction depends on the social location and religious experiences of the actors involved. Some crucial aspects might rest on the intensity at which Muslim sexual minorities are labeled “deviant”, the extent this is justified “Islamically”, and how socio-economic class affects their vulnerability to state or non-state action.' 

In an age where Islamic discourse regarding homosexuality is generally negative and sides with the pseudoscience of Christian Fundamentalists, Shanon’s research may help shed light on the human side of the story. After all, these are people with human experiences and knowing this will help us build bridges, not burn them.