Between "Sin" and the State: Intersectional Oppression and Queer Muslim Subjectivities in Post-Colonial Sri Lanka

This article examines the complex negotiation of queer Muslim subjectivities in post-colonial Sri Lanka, where individuals experience intersecting systems of oppression rooted in state surveillance, religious orthodoxy, and colonial-era legal frameworks. While scholarship has separately explored LGBTIQ+ identities in South Asia and queer Muslim experiences, a critical gap remains in understanding their convergence within the Sri Lankan context. This research addresses this lacuna by analyzing how queer Muslims, specifically from the Sri Lankan Moor ethnic community, negotiate their identities at the nexus of Islamic communal norms and the enduring legacy of British colonial law, such as Sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code. Drawing on qualitative research approach, the qualitative data from 77 in-depth interviews with queer Muslims in Maruthur, and framed by an integrated theoretical approach of intersectionality, queer theory, and postcolonial studies, the findings reveal a multifaceted reality. Participants' experiences are characterized by a "double consciousness," managing profound internal conflict between religious adherence and queer selfhood, while performing public conformity to ensure safety and belonging. The analysis demonstrates that these subjectivities are not formed through simple oppression but through dynamic, strategic performances of identity. Crucially, the article identifies acts of religious reinterpretation, where individuals employ Islamic principles of mercy (Rahma) to create affirming spiritual frameworks, constituting a form of decolonial resistance. The paper argues that the personal journeys of queer Muslims occur within broader, intersecting systems of power-state, religious, colonial, and global. Consequently, their self-formation is a profoundly political act, situated in a contested space defined by a continuous interplay of resistance, reinterpretation, and survival. This research contributes to broader discussions on decolonial queer politics and non-Western Muslim subjectivities by insisting on an integrated analytical lens to understand these complex lived realities.