Faisal Alam is a queer-identified Muslim activist of Pakistani descent. At age 19, while trying to reconcile his sexuality with his faith, Faisal organized the first-ever gathering of LGBT Muslims, which led to the founding of Al-Fatiha, an organization dedicated to supporting and empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex & questioning (LGBTIQ) Muslims, and their allies. Faisal led the organization from it’s inception in 1998 to 2004 as its volunteer director. Today, Al-Fatiha has sister organizations around the world including Canada, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine & Indonesia.
Since founding Al-Fatiha, Faisal has traveled across the country and around the world to meet with LGBTIQ Muslims to build a global queer Muslim movement. Faisal’s queer Muslim activism has been featured in LGBT and mainstream media including the New York Times, BBC World News, Al-Hayat, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post.
Faisal was one of the first LGBT leaders to speak out against the US-led war in Afghanistan and the US-led invasion of Iraq. His protests against the rising Islamophobia and the assault on civil liberties and civil rights in the United States led conservative elements within the gay community to call for his deportation to Guantanamo Bay; while some conservative gay journalists called him “weak” and “cowardly,” for his opposition to the so-called “war on terror.”
Faisal has received many recognitions and awards for his activism on behalf of queer Muslims. He was selected as an “Innovator” by the Advocate Magazine, a “Founding Father” by Genre Magazine, and as one of 30 “Young Visionaries Under 30” by the Utne Reader. In 2005 the Equality Forum honored Faisal as one of “40 Heroes” who have "made a defining difference in LGBT civil rights over the last forty years.”
In 2008 Faisal received an award from Pride Toronto for his "outstanding contribution in the area of spirituality that positively impacts LGBT communities."
