Gay Muslim gang film ‘My Brother the Devil’ to be screened in London next month
By Will Stroude
A new film exploring the relationship between a young boy growing up in a traditional Egyptian home and his gay older brother, will be screened this weekend in East London, the Evening Standard reports.
First released in 2012, My Brother The Devil tells the story of a young man named Rashid, who deals drugs to help put younger brother Mo through education. Mo idolises him, until Rashid’s sexuality – and the realities of the life he leads – threatens their relationship.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, the co-founder of anti-racism group LGBT+ Against Islamophobia, Dani Singer, said, “I hope that people watching this film will be woken up to the fact that there are LGBT+ Muslims, and they need our support.
“Films like this are so important, not just as a way to pass a couple of hours, but as a defiant statement against segregation and inequality.
“Something which I’ve been surprised by since running LGBT+ Against Islamophobia is the lack of awareness from the ‘mainstream’ LGBT+ community about issues which LGBT+ and straight Muslims face. There’s almost a total denial of LGBT+ Muslim existence from the wider community.”
The film is being screened as part of Queercircle, a festival of events designed to “remind us all that we don’t have to be ‘the same’ to have the same opportunities in life, and that our differences are to be celebrated, not hushed and repressed.”
My Brother the Devil will be screened at LimeWharf, East London on Saturday November 22 at 6pm. For more information about the film and the Queercircle festival, click here.