Confessions of a Queer Arab: UNHCR Woman of the Year

Join us on 4th May at 7pm in Parliament Hall, for a talk by our highly esteemed speaker SHROUK EL-ATTAR: Shrouk El-Attar is an Egyptian LGBT+ Rights Activist, Belly Dancer, and an Engineer who has been living in Wales since 2007. They were forced to claim asylum in the UK following a series of events. Shrouk was named Young Woman of the Year by the UN refugee agency and is listed by the BBC as one of the top 100 influential women worldwide. Growing up Queer to a Conservative Muslim family in Mubarak’s Egypt is not easy. And when finally thought to have reached safety in the UK, the term “Safety” could not have been further from the truth. Shrouk’s involvement in the Egyptian LGBT+ scene is undoubtedly dangerous, yet their experience of how the UK treats queer refugees poses new unexpected challenges. Shrouk will share their story about being a queer refugee from Egypt, a country where it is often considered the state’s, the community’s, and the family’s duty to punish LGBT+ individuals for who they are and who they love. They will also reveal information about some of the inhumane treatment queer asylum seekers are often met with at UK’s home office. *Speaker identifies as non-binary woman who goes by They/Them or She/Her WHEN: Saturday May 4th, 7pm WHERE: Parliament Hall, 66 South Street We hope to see you there! - The RASA Committee