Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - We Have Always Been Here

This was a short read but a very powerful memoir! Habib explores a lot of intersections as she tells her life story, being a queer Muslim Canadian immigrant. I couldn’t help but make comparisons in the beginning to that middle grade novel I read recently, Other Words for Home. Both tell what it’s like to be a Muslim middle schooler in the western world, having just immigrated from the Middle East. And both had to leave their father behind, at least in the beginning. Habib’s relationship with her parents was a constant thread throughout her story, as their paths weave together and apart over Habib’s life. That they could come back together after being separated for some pretty damn good reasons was a testament to their characters and their remarkable abilities to collectively choose a way forward in love and acceptance. I really appreciated how Habib has dedicated her time and creative efforts towards unpacking what it means to be both queer and Muslim. She and her mother find common ground in that they both agree the heart of their faith is rooted in love, not hate. All relations have extremist sects, but so much attention has been drawn to the Islamic varieties. Habib and her memoir stand as a testament that this is not the truth of Islam, that their spirituality does not stem from hatred, and that their is room in the Muslim faith for the queer community.

Content Warnings

More...