In the West, many people view Islam as being inherently oppressive towards women and LGBTQIA+ people. Certainly some Muslim people use their religion to validate their prejudices. But as many Muslim feminists have been saying, while Islam has some such oppressive teachings, it more asks for compassion, acceptance, and love from us. Let’s question this monolithic view of Islam that hurts Muslim women and LGBTQIA+ folks and alienates Muslim feminists.

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It’s clear that many white people in the United States still don’t understand how fundamentally different life is for people of color. Asserting their own “colorblindness,” most tend to think that racism is limited to organizations like the KKK. But less publicized forms of racism continue to be expressed in everyday ways throughout the US. And it’s a problem.

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Being an ally is difficult, especially as a heterosexual cis male. The pressures of (traditional notions of) masculinity and a lifetime of systematic patriarchal training are difficult to overcome. So I have compiled four pieces of advice — based on my own experiences and slip-ups — to help all cis males (myself included) become open feminists and allies.

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