Difference is that such a move wasn't done to promote inclusion and facilitate the flourishing of diverse thought. It's just another nationalist movement. The idea would be to recapture a shared "Islamic" identity (to whatever extent it exists), outside the influence of barbaric religious nationalists.
Oh no! I'm sorry if my remarks came across as saying someone shouldn't adopt an identity that's related to or stems from or incorporates Muslim identity!
On the contrary I think it is very important to destabilize
all identities (lest they become rigid), and the best way to do that is to open the doors and windows on them, and let the people living under those identities breathe.
I completely support people taking on any version of "Muslim" identity in order to open up the space for questioning, dissent, enlightened interpretations of that identity etc.
My comments earlier were about specifically not using the Jewish example as a role model because Jews have been f*cked throughout history and, having studied various Jewish history a bit, and having a Jewish partner for the last 12 years has taught me that the identity of "Jewish" was imposed upon them by those who hated them. Then it was adopted by those who wanted power within Jewish communities and, after centuries of harassment and slaughter, it's become a matter that can hardly even be questioned since questioning it feels like a betrayal of all the people who suffered and died because bigots and hatemongers thought "Jews" were all the same and deserved to die.
My point is that Muslim already has become a semi racialized identity. I'm very wary of adopting it without critically thinking about what that implies, who it emboldens, and who it erases. If we adopt it and
adapt it, whilst also highlighting that it is not homogenous and that many different types of people and individuals exist who may self label or be labeled as "Muslim", I think we can stave off or reduce some of that sense of homogenization.
Topic: What is an Agnostic Muslim?