White privilege exists within Islamic contexts and Muslim communities.

White converts to Islam benefit from the internalized inferiority complex present in many non-white communities.

White privilege is being able to become a deferred-to Muslim community leader because you’re assumed to be more Muslim than those born into the faith. White privilege is being lauded because you had the opportunity to choose the faith while born Muslims are not equally free to make the choice to leave.

White privilege is reinterpreting Islam well outside of the scope of established scholarship and considering it more pure and accurate because your view is divorced from its cultural contexts.

White privilege is calling the Islam of born-and-raised Muslims “cultural“, “old wives’ tales” and “grandmother Islam”, casting aspersions to its validity via misogyny and racism.

White privilege is being highly sought after as a spouse for non-white, born Muslims because of your fair complexion and “colored” eyes (because dark brown is not a color, apparently).

Converts are not the only people who benefit from white privilege in an Islamic context. White never-Muslims with an abiding interest in Islam often have experiences quite different from those who are from the Muslim community. A member of the dominant group visiting a marginalized community will be treated as someone of authority to impress, not someone to treat as one of their own.

White privilege is being able to visit Muslim communities as an openly gay person with a same-sex partner and being welcomed into them while queer Muslims and ex-Muslims continue to deal with fear, rejection, and marginalization. White privilege is using your positive experiences with Muslims to see the LGBT and Muslim communities as allies even though homophobia is present in most interpretations of Islam.

White privilege is spending time in Muslim communities as an open atheist while most ex-Muslims are unable to do the same.

White privilege is engaging in the Not All Muslims* defense, which can gloss over real problems with the treatment of LGBT and/or former Muslims within Muslim communities.

White privilege is getting praised for “experimenting” with covering your head and fasting to the praise and acclaim of all. White privilege is escaping the sorts of criticism for performing religious acts imperfectly which, had you been born a Muslim, would have certainly been levied against you. White privilege is getting to waltz breezily in and out of Islam via such “experiments”, no death threats for apostasy (perceived or actual) issued.

What it comes down to is that white privilege is having a choice when it comes to engaging with Islam, and the likelihood of a far more positive experience with it if said choice is made.

*Not all Muslims are homophobes, but responding to accounts of the widespread homophobia among Muslims with “Not all Muslims are like that!” is derailing.

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