Anonymous writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman,

As I'm sure you've noticed from some of the hateful comments you have received, LGBT rights are a sensitive issue in the Muslim world. We absolutely need more queer Muslim rep, because we do exist and have existed throughout history, but I believe it needs to be handled by someone knowledgable about the subject who can accurately portray the identity and defend themselves against the fundamentalist crowd.

With all due respect, based on Violet Harper's portrayal, I am not sure if you're the best person to do that. How knowledgeable are you about this topic? Do you know the reasons why the Muslim world is currently so anti-LGBT and the history of how we arrived at this point? Do you know what Wahhabism and Deobandi Islam is? Do you know the scriptures that people cite to support their hateful stance and how to refute their argument? Do you know what the Hadith is? Do you know the details about the oppression LGBT Muslims experience in their countries? Do you know about the Islamophobia LGBT Muslims experience in Western countries from their queer white peers? Do you know what a big deal it is to have an LGBT Muslim character on a show and how crucial it is to get it right? Are you willing to learn about all these things in order to improve any LGBT Muslim characters you may create in the future?

If not, do you not think the reins should be handed to someone more knowledgable about this perspective? You have to understand, this is a matter of life or death in some parts of the world. It needs to be handled with care. Otherwise, the fundamentalist movement will seize the opportunity to decry it as Western propaganda bastardizing Islam and use it to stir up anger.