Please join Muslims for Progressive Values and non-Muslim allies on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at 3 PM EST to honor the life and legacy of O’Shae Sibley, who was tragically taken from this earth and his loved ones in an act of hate and intolerance late last month. The initial reports stated that the victim claimed to be a Muslim, justifying this violent act of hate because of their association with Islam. It was later determined that the perpetrator was in fact a Christian who utilized Islamaphobic tropes, to wrongly claim that Islam and a queer identity are incompatible. These tropes were further reinforced by Muslims who, rather than mourn the violent loss of an innocent soul, celebrated that a “Muslim” had taken the life of another human simply because of their identity. It is with the visibility of this intolerance and a resurgence of the inaccurate characterization of Islam as a queerphobic religion that we at Muslims for Progressive Values would like to honor O’Shae Sibley, the life he led, and the legacy he leaves behind.
Regardless of faith or non-faith, friends of O’Shae, Queer Muslims, and Muslim allies invite you to gather with us to advocate against the theology of hate, and to virtually pray for O’Shae and for the lives and safety of all Queer people across the United States.
Confirmed speakers:
1. Imam Abdullah Antepli (Duke University, Chaplain and Assoc. Professor)
2. Pastor Kevin E. Taylor (Senior Pastor at Unity Fellowship Church Newark)
3. Ryan Ali and Shep Glennon (Friends of O'Shae Sibley)
4. Kandeel Javid (MPV-Boston, Co-Director)
5. Ani Zonneveld (Muslims for Progressive Values, Founder & President)
Other speakers TBC.
For background, please read this article.